Death now a ‘default option’

Ter Beek is one of many people across the world who’s deciding to end a treatable pain with death.

Stef Groenewoud, a healthcare ethicist in the Netherlands, says professionals seem to give up easily on their patients now. “I’m seeing euthanasia as some sort of acceptable option brought to the table by physicians, by psychiatrists, when previously it was the ultimate last resort.”

She continues, “I see the phenomenon especially in people with psychiatric diseases, and especially young people with psychiatric disorders, where the healthcare professional seems to give up on them more easily than before.”