European Government Exposed For Allowing Euthanasia Of Autistic And Mentally Disabled Citizens

In what would seem like a science fiction horror plot, it’s been discovered that several people that had intellectual disabilities like autism have been legally euthanized in the Netherlands over the past few years because they were unable to live normal lives. 

The practice of legal euthanasia has been steadily increasing over the past few decades, though the idea is certainly nothing new. In ancient times, euthanasia was more supported but as technology evolved and Christian thinking began to become more prevalent, opinions on the subject matter changed, as per Britannica. 

In modern times with more advanced technology, euthanasia has been viewed increasingly negatively as more diseases have become curable and the average life expectancy increased. There were still people who supported the idea as a peaceful way out for terminally ill patients, but that was a much more simple and moral belief. Things took a turn whenever mental health began to decline and people sought euthanasia as a cure for the mental turmoil. 

The discussion around euthanasia has become more complex than ever with the morality surrounding the practice seeming to have an incredibly wide variance. Some cases can be much more cut and dry when it comes to morality, such as Canada and the Netherlands.

Canada received notable backlash last year after reports were released of citizens who faced no life-threatening medical issues being euthanized. The public health system has long been an imperfect one, but when it’s actively killing its citizens over such frivolous reasons like “hearing loss,” it’s clear there that the bar has been set too low, per AP News.

But while people were criticizing Canada for doing so, the Netherlands was doing something much worse. According to Breitbart, five people younger than thirty years old received legal euthanasia with the largest reason for doing so being autism. 

The information was revealed after 900 documents discussing euthanasia cases were made public, with 39 of those featuring people who were autistic and/or intellectually disabled. The doctors of each patient are responsible for deciding whether or not a given patient fits the criteria for euthanasia. 

It’s hard to even describe the innate immortality of allowing such an act to be carried out. Simon Baron-Cohen, director of Cambridge University’s Autism Research Centre, told Breitbart how many people with autism struggle with depression, but may not fully grasp the severity of their decision in requesting euthanasia. 

Cases like these only serve to kill innocent lives and muddle the discussion around euthanasia. It can be an extremely complex issue to understand and arrive at conclusions on, but there are clear lines that should be drawn when discussing such a topic. Killing people for having mental imperfections should never be a reason to end their life. It is utterly disgusting and a complete failure of the medical staff in the Netherlands.