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Wesley J. Smith has criticised a Dutch Supreme Court decision that allows doctors to perform euthanasia on people with advanced dementia.

The decision extended euthanasia to patients who have previously put their desires in writing but are no longer able to confirm them because of their illness.

“The ruling is a landmark in Dutch euthanasia legislation which up to now had required patients to confirm euthanasia requests”, said Smith.

“This had not been considered possible for mentally incapacitated patients like advanced dementia sufferers.”

Smith noted that a media story failed to mention that the woman at the centre of the case fought against being killed.

“Nor does the story mention that the doctor had drugged the woman before starting to euthanize her, and that the doctor instructed the family to hold the struggling woman down so that she could administer the lethal injection.

“Moreover, the patient had also stated in her instructions that she wanted to decide ‘when’ the time for death had come — which she never did. The termination ‘choice’ was made by the doctor and/or family in violation of the patient’s advance directive.”