Dutch people over 70 years of age who feel tired of life should have the right to professional help in ending it, a citizens’ initiative in the Netherlands calling itself “Out of Free Will” demands. It will start collecting signatures in support of this proposed change in Dutch legislation, hoping to place the matter firmly on the parliamentarian agenda.
A number of prominent Dutch citizens have come out in support of the initiative, including former ministers and artists, legal scholars and physicians .
The group hopes to decriminalize assisted suicide in the Netherlands.
Under current Dutch law, euthanasia is only legal in cases of ‘hopeless and unbearable’ suffering, which in practice means it is limited to people suffering from serious medical conditions in considerable pain.
Only doctors are allowed to assist in euthanasia. Helping somebody who does not meet the qualifications stipulated in the current euthanasia law commit suicide is illegal. The Netherlands is one of the few
countries in the world to legalize euthanasia so far.
