Assignment: Loving, living and dying together in the Netherlands
Els and Jan have fewer than three days left on Earth. Childhood sweethearts who met in kindergarten more than six decades ago, they know precisely when they will die. And how. On an early summer’s Monday morning they will travel to a nearby hospice. Some of their family and friends will accompany them. And then precisely at 10.30am - holding hands, they hope - two doctors will administer lethal medication to each of them.
In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal if someone is suffering unbearably with no prospect of getting better. The suffering can be physical or psychological. Els was diagnosed with dementia. Jan lived with pain 24/7.
Last year, 33 Dutch couples chose to die like Els and Jan. And in February, one of the Netherlands’ former Prime Ministers ended his life by euthanasia together with his wife.
For Assignment, Linda Pressly meets Els and Jan as they prepare for the end. And she explores the complex issue of allowing euthanasia in cases of dementia. A warning: some listeners might find the content of this documentary upsetting.
- Datum:
- Duur:
Gerelateerde podcastafleveringen
/http%3A//ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/3000x3000/p0pf3rs8.jpg)
/http%3A//ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/3000x3000/p0pdngqm.jpg)
/http%3A//ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/3000x3000/p0fh6jhk.jpg)
/http%3A//ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/3000x3000/p0pdpvk5.jpg)
/http%3A//ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/3000x3000/p0p8d4hv.jpg)
Meer afleveringen van The Documentary Podcast
-
Saving young men from murder: The Homeboy story
British Psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, who has spent a lifetime working with violence perpetrators, visits Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang rehabilitation in the world. It offers, training, education, therapy and other... -
Bonds: Heroes or villains?
With the cost of Government debt hitting its highest for many decades across the world, we explore how the world became so dependent on bonds, those IOUs from governments and firms that helped build the modern economy. Bonds are often... -
Syria’s justice in absentia
With perpetrators in exile, closure is out of reach. As Syria’s new authorities seek to hold figures of the former regime accountable, questions remain over the fate of Bashar al-Assad. The former president and members of his inner...