Noa Pothoven is believed to have refused to eat and there is no evidence of assisted deathA severely ill Dutch girl widely reported by international media as having been “legally euthanised” in a clinic in the Netherlands died at home, apparently after voluntarily refusing to eat or drink and with no evidence that her death was assisted. The Levenseinde or “end-of-life” clinic in The Hague, which Noa contacted in 2017, said on Tuesday it could not comment for privacy reasons. Dutch medical guidelines stipulate that if a patient withholds their consent, “care providers may not provide treatment, nursing or care”. The law governing euthanasia and assisted suicide requires the patient’s suffering to be unbearable, with no prospect of improvement, and their request must be made voluntarily, not under the influence of others. Additional reporting by Jim Waterson• In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or emailjo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie.

Source: The Guardian June 05, 2019 14:25 UTC