Abuse victim in Netherlands allowed to die due to untreatable condition
Thursday, May 12th, 2016 11:54:50 by fatimaarshad
A female victim of sex abuse in the Netherlands was allowed euthanasia after doctors were unable to treat her multiple conditions. The 20-year-old victim, whose identity is being kept confidential, was given the option of ending her life with the help of a lethal injection.
According to the details of the case, the woman was abused sexually from the age of five years. The case of abuse went on for ten long years and then it ended when she turned 15-years-old, when she finally reported it to the authorities.
Due to the trauma she went through from such a tender age, she had developed a severe case of post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD) amongst other conditions. The case was so severe that several psychiatrists tried their best to resolve her issues but she could not recover. Other than PTSD, the victim also suffered from deep depression and severe anorexia.
Even though her psychiatric condition did improve, her psychiatrists believed that her multiple problems were incurable and decided upon ending her life. Her death has sparked a huge debate over mercy killings and there are many people who believe that she could be saved with proper treatment.
Another group of doctors said that the victim was ‘totally competent’ and that there wasn’t any ‘major depression or other mood disorder which affected her thinking’.
Nikki Kenward, who is associated with the disability rights group Distant Voices, said, “It is both horrifying and worrying that mental health professionals could regard euthanasia in any form as an answer to the complex and deep wounds that result from sexual abuse.”
Opponents of euthanasia for abuse victims claim that killing such victims only exacerbates the problem rather than fixing it.
Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=52971
Posted by fatimaarshad
on May 12 2016. Filed under Pakistan.
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