Autistic Dutch woman, 28, to end her life through euthanasia despite being physically healthy

A 28-year-old woman in the Netherlands has made the decision to end her life through euthanasia, citing years of struggling with mental health conditions despite being physically healthy.

Zoraya ter Beek, who lives with her boyfriend and two cats in a village near the German border, has scheduled her euthanasia procedure for May. She explained her choice to pursue the legal euthanasia option available in the Netherlands during an interview with The Free Press. 

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Ter Beek said she had studied to become a psychiatrist but was unable to complete her education due to mental health challenges, including depression, autism and borderline personality disorder. "My psychiatrist told me, 'There's nothing more we can do for you. It's never gonna get any better,'" she recalled.

"I was always very clear that if it doesn't get better, I can't do this anymore," ter Beek said of her longstanding difficulties.

For the procedure, ter Beek will be given a sedative before receiving a lethal injection while at home on her couch. "The doctor really takes her time," she said, describing how physicians typically prepare a comforting environment before administering euthanasia.

While saying she is "a little afraid of dying," ter Beek maintained she is at peace with her choice, which is legal under Dutch laws that made the Netherlands the first country to permit government-sanctioned euthanasia in 2001.

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The number of those choosing euthanasia in the Netherlands has risen steadily, reaching 8,720 cases in 2022 or around 5% of all deaths nationally according to statistics from the Dutch government and reported by Life Site News. Concerns have been raised by some ethicists about the increasing prevalence, especially among younger people with psychiatric conditions.

"I see the phenomenon especially in people with psychiatric diseases, and especially young people with psychiatric disorders, where the health-care professional seems to give up on them more easily than before," said Stef Groenewoud, a health-care ethicist.

Last year, the Dutch government also expanded allowances for euthanasia to include children between ages 1 and 12 experiencing "hopeless and unbearable suffering."