Euthanasia - Aurelia's Story

Published: Aug. 9, 2018, 12:45 p.m.

In January, Aurelia Brouwers \u2013 a 29 year old Dutch woman, with a history of severe mental illness \u2013 lay down on her bed to die. She had been declared eligible for euthanasia a month earlier - Dutch law permits the ending of a life where there is, \u2018unbearable suffering\u2019 without hope of relief. Aurelia\u2019s death provoked an outpouring on social media, and widespread discussion within the Netherlands\u2026 What if a death wish is part of someone\u2019s illness? And does someone with serious mental health challenges have the capacity to make a decision about their own demise? These are questions now being debated in the Netherlands as a result of Aurelia\u2019s death. Crossing Continents features recordings of Aurelia made in the two weeks before she died, hears from some of the friends closest to her, and explores the complex terrain of euthanasia for people with psychiatric problems in Holland. \nReported and produced by Linda Pressly. \n(Image: Aurelia Brouwers. Credit: RTL Nieuws, Sander Paulus)