
Dutch teenager, who was raped as a child, is euthanized at her request - pseudolus
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/06/05/an-anguished-dutch-teenager-who-was-raped-child-is-euthanized-her-request/
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davedx
Fake news

[https://twitter.com/NaomiOhReally/status/1136189899672084480](https://twitter.com/NaomiOhReally/status/1136189899672084480)

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antisemiotic
So she died of starvation after the doctors agreed to stop force feeding her?

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spangry
Headline has been changed to: "An anguished Dutch teenager, who was raped as a
child, dies after euthanasia request." They've also tacked a 'clarification'
to the bottom of the article: "An earlier version of this story reported that
Pothoven’s death came via euthanasia. It is unclear whether doctors assisted
her in death, though she earlier requested their help."

Sloppy work by the Washington Post.

~~~
Filligree
It's not at all unclear. They did not. She requested euthanasia, was denied,
attempted suicide on several occasions, was hospitalized, was forcibly put in
a mental hospital, and finally decided to stop eating and drinking. Again.

The doctors decided there was no point in persisting, and there are also rules
against forcible treatment. So instead of letting her suffer as she died, they
provided painkillers. Not enough to kill her, mind.

It's a terrible tragic story, but everyone involved (except perhaps the girl)
seems to have made the best choice they had.

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sgt
Seems awfully young to be able to make such a decision. Imagine if she had
decided not to go through with it, and 5-10 years later realized that there is
happiness in life and she had essentially dodged a bullet.

This also makes me wonder if she had essentially a mental illness, triggered
by the abuse and depression, and that this could have been treated (at least
to some degree).

~~~
aequitas
She was suffering from mental illness and was seeking help, but to no avail.
Maybe it's a failing in the Dutch healthcare system with lack in extreme cases
like hers which drove her to this decision. There is a detailed interview
(Dutch) here: [https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/noa-is-16-maar-klaar-met-het-
le...](https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/noa-is-16-maar-klaar-met-het-
leven~a18cf901/)

From the sources I've gathered she was not assisted with suicide, but nobody
intervened (eg: forced feeding) with here attempt to starve to death.

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tremon
I'm upvoting this story, but only to highlight the inconsiderate reporting in
the media of such an emotionally charged and delicate case.

Please read the comments instead of the article.

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henryaj
> Clarification: An earlier version of this story reported that Pothoven’s
> death came via euthanasia. It is unclear whether doctors assisted her in
> death, though she earlier requested their help.

~~~
Filligree
It's not at all unclear. They did not.

She requested euthanasia, was denied, attempted suicide on several occasions,
was hospitalized, was forcibly put in a mental hospital, and finally decided
to stop eating and drinking. Again.

The doctors decided there was no point in persisting, and there are also rules
against forcible treatment. So instead of letting her suffer as she died, they
provided painkillers. Not enough to kill her, mind.

It's a terrible tragic story, but everyone involved (except perhaps the girl)
seems to have made the best choice they had.

------
mantap
washingtonpost.com is going in my hosts file.

~~~
Filligree
They took this one directly from Fox. I saw it on Reddit yesterday.

