Death Suicide; 29-year-old Dutchwoman Zoraya ter Beek Has Passed Away: A 29-year-old Dutchwoman, whose request for assisted suicide was authorized due to her severe mental illness, is anticipated to take her own life in the upcoming weeks, igniting a heated debate on the subject throughout Europe. After a three and a half-year process, Zoraya ter Beek was eventually granted permission to die with assisted means last week, in accordance with a 2002 Dutch statute. Her story has generated discussion even though assisted suicides by mental health patients have become more common in the Netherlands.
Two occurrences of mental suffering were reported in 2010; by 2023, there had been 138 cases (or 1.5%) of mental agony among the 9,068 euthanasia deaths. When an April article about her situation was picked up by foreign media, Ter Beek became quite agitated. She stated it made sense that events like hers and the more broader topic of allowing assisted suicide would cause rifts. According to Dutch law, a person must be in “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement” in order to be eligible for assisted dying.
Making such a choice requires competence and expertise on their part. Ter Beek’s problems started in his early years. She suffers from an unclear personality condition, trauma, anxiety, and a long-lasting depression. She has an autistic diagnosis as well. She continued to self-harm and feel suicidal even after meeting her boyfriend, despite her initial belief that the safe haven he provided would aid in her recovery. She started receiving extensive medical care, which included talking therapies, prescription drugs, and over thirty electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) sessions. “Nothing left” in the way of therapy after ten years.
She had considered suicide, but after seeing the horrifying suicide of a classmate and the effects it had on the girl’s family, she changed her mind. After the story about her case came out in April, Ter Beek claimed that her inbox “exploded” with false information and contradictions. The majority of the comments were left by non-Dutch speakers, primarily Americans. She immediately removed herself from every social media platform. Ter Beek has been told by her medical team that she will most likely die within the next two weeks. The medical team would pay Ter Beek a visit on the scheduled day.