To be deeply saddened by a teenager being euthanised **Upsetting content - warning added by MNHQ** ***MNHQ further note that the details of this story are disputed***

[TheHorseOnSeventhAvenue]

I am greatly aware of our rights and understand autonomy but as far as I can see this young Dutch girl, Noa, did not end her own life but was assisted.

My heart goes out to her and her family but this is my absolute reason why euthanasia should not be supported.

Some people are so broken they will never be fixed, just being concious hurts like you're on fire, physically and emotionally. I hope she took some peace from her decision. No judgements, RIP.

I thought I was so broken I'd never be fixed. I was wrong.

Daily Mail article says she spent the last few years in and out of hospitals, institutions and specialist medical centres - surely that suggests there are MH facilities available? But perhaps the article meant she was so badly affected that no amount of help would be enough?

And the article says she had stopped eating and drinking but also that she was euthanised.

My dd is 15. If I thought she’d want to end her life at 17 I’d move heaven and earth to try to change her mind. Same for anyone that age. I don’t think they have the maturity to make that sort of decision.

Noa was at the start of her life. I do NOT believe it’s a good idea for a 17yo to choose to die without parental permission. Tragic.

Some people are so broken they will never be fixed, just being concious hurts like you're on fire, physically and emotionally.

And lots of posters on here have stated they felt like this, and are now doing much better.

The brain isn't fully developed until about the age of 25 - so why is a 17 year old legally allowed to make this kind of decision?

She wasn't euthanised. It's not possible in NL for mental health problems. Tge article and headline are incorrect.

This is the article from a dutch newspaper
www.ad.nl/binnenland/noa-is-17-jaar-geworden-ik-word-losgelaten-omdat-mijn-lijden-ondraaglijk-is~a7a2cc47/

The Daily mail article and headline are incorrect. She was not euthanised

The reporting around this has been awful. Saying she’s been euthanised when she wasn’t? Bloody awful.

I don't understand the point anyone is making. She committed suicide. I agree that's it's awfully sad. If this was someone I knew I would try to convince them to seek further help.

Rather than wring our hands about euthanasia (which this wasn't) shouldn't we worry about getting better treatment to those with MH issues?

This is utterly heartbreaking, the loss of a young woman who has barely been given the chance to live. The tragedy here is that she had a treatable illness not an incurable one. She chose to die because there were no facilities to treat her. She was attacked and left with no support and in terrible, desperate pain and she could see no other way out. It’s a total failure of the healthcare and victim support systems. If she’d been left with physical injuries they would have been treated, but her mental injuries were not. The poor, poor girl.

It’s also an horrific insight into the consequences of the woeful rape conviction rate and the attacks on support facilities for victims of sexual violence. THIS is the impact on victims and this is what happens when rapists are walk free and victims don’t get the support they need to recover. And this is the potential consequence of game playing and posturing around rape crisis centres and helplines by lobby groups and the like.

Yes, how can a child as young as 12 be equipped to make a decision about suicide?!

Same with trans transitioning in young children.

It’s awful what she went through but this was her choice , she simply could not go on and thanks to Dutch law she was able to get help to end her intolerable pain.
She has every right to end her own suffering

Yes it’s terribly sad and heart breaking for her family. This was suicide not euthanasia though.

As someone who has immediate family (40s) and a very close friend (20s) end their own life I say letting her die was the kindest thing to do.

Yes some people get help and it works out for them but for many it will not be a happy resolution and they don’t get ‘fixed’. Worse then that they go on to have children and the children suffer too with a mother who struggles to get through life.

Her abusers were monsters I agree with the pp who said this was more like murder as a result of their actions.

@sakura7 that’s because those who succeeded to kill themselves can’t come on an Internet forum. And we’ll never know how life would have turned out for them.

There are many studies on ‘cry For help’ suicides where the patient wants to be found before death and those that absolutely want to die. The methods used are quick and final in the latter cases.

Sakura7 & UndertheCedartree thank you

IvanaPee

That wasn’t the case for Noa and the idea of her suffering in such a hellish existence because someone else decided she should just keep trying to get better...it’s not fair

You are right. Let's just let everyone kill themselves if they want to, because it is their right and "it's not fair".

Let's ignore the fact that the vast majority will get well again and be happy that they are not dead (and that their kids and families are happy about it because suicide had a horrendous ripple effect).
Let's also ignore the fact that if someone REALLY wants to die that it isn't that bloody tricky to find out how to do it and be sure you die. Most people don't want to die, they can't bear the pain. (But until you treat the pain, how do you know? And if at that point they still want to die, then they will still find a way).

We can also ignore the duty of care that the emergency services have to preserve life. And truly, truly sod the law which says we have to try to resuscitate.

When you have cut people down from ligatures who have gone on to be happy and had kids and families of their own THEN come back and say that it "isn't fair". Or should I leave them swinging next time because it "isn't fair"?

I wish this was available in the UK or that I could travel to and qualify in the Netherlands or Switzerland.

Those who do not have MH difficulties and try to cope with almost non existent care should not judge.

This young girl had stopped eating and drinking and was effectively receiving palliative care. May she rest in peace.

@adaline
Her life, her choice. None of us can say how she felt, if she could have recovered or not. Living a life with your mental health sellotaped together, living knowing the slightest knock could push you back into that horrific time is not recovering, its existing.
Of course there are people who will recover, the ones who don't are unlikely to be posting on here.
Its desperately sad but I can't judge her or condemn her, nor the people who allowed it.

Everyone always says that mental illness needs to be seen the same as a physical illness and treat the same.

That's what they did here. Some mental health conditions will be with you life long, there is no escape from the pain they cause you and those around you.

If you have no quality of life then you should be allowed the right to choose to end it in a peaceful painless way.

I am greatly aware of our rights and understand autonomy
so how would you have preferred her to kill herself?

There are many studies on ‘cry For help’ suicides where the patient wants to be found before death and those that absolutely want to die. The methods used are quick and final in the latter cases

Bingo. Which is why Noa starving herself to death seemed to be a lot more of a desperate act than anything else. She could not have been sure that she would not have been resuscitated. There are many guaranteed ways to die. Starving yourself isn't the best one. Something feels very very wrong about this case I.e. she was given up on.

Lailaday - Thank you for your response. You have answered the question that people who genuinely care may feel this is the right decision. It is hard for us outside the situation to understand.

Information from sensalationist press articles never shows the full picture.

I do hope you appreciate that by opening up this debate I never suggested there were any shortcomings in Noa or her family. I am, however, genuinely interested.

Noa, herself, published her opinions about euthanasia and I can only conclude that was because she wanted the discussion out there.

I thought you had to be mentally fit to make the decision to end your life? How was she able to make this decision when she clearly had mental health issues? I'm a bit confused. This is very sad in any case. I hope she's at peace. My heart goes out to her family. It's devastating.

I.e. she was given up on.

I imagine with her known issues she wasn't left alone often if at all, Anorexia would have left her weak. She would have had far less chance to commit suicide than most others.
Full autonomy over our own bodies, that's what every human deserves and I hope Noa finds her peace now.

Harold, I meant as rational as possible. Unfortunately, I am talking from a lot of experience with close relatives including one who on her best, happiest day, with good quality mental health support would say that her life was not worth living, that the pain she was in the majority of the time outweighed any good stuff. She was incredibly rational and clear about it.

Wow - that is serious misreporting by the DM.

Believe it or not there have been similar cases in the UK, albeit for older people with anorexia: www.theguardian.com/law/2012/jun/19/anorexia-e-right-to-die

@sueperbly you obviously haven’t bothered reading anything about the case beyond sensationalist headlines.

You’re also ignoring repeated posts clarifying the help that Noa DID receive in your quest to be right and self-congratulatory.

So go on ahead. Keep patting yourself on the back for being so black and white in your pursuit to play god with other people’s lives.

I can’t be arsed with you anymore.

Seriously people - feed some of the links into Google Translate and then tell me this girl didn't try everything she could, for years to get better!

The ignorance and judgement on this thread are astonishing, but then why should anyone expect better from people who believe the Mail?

Read this girl's own words (via Translate if needed) and then judge, if you want to. But you should be ashamed of yourself if you do.