A Dutch man has been convicted of helping at least 10 people commit suicide via lethal drugs and instructions on taking their own lives.
The man, identified only as Alex S., is a pro-euthanasia activist who insisted on selling the deadly substances as a method of suicide for those not qualified for the country’s assisted suicide programs.
“He is convinced that every person has the right to decide about their own life and believes that government policy in this area falls short,” the Dutch court said.
Alex S. sold suicide kits to approximately 1,600 people before he was arrested.
NETHERLANDS EUTHANIZING AUTISTIC AND INTELLECTUALLY HANDICAPPED PEOPLE, RESEARCHER FINDS
The court sentenced the man to three and a half years of imprisonment. However, 18 months of the sentence are suspended and only to be served if he offends again.
The Dutch court in the city of Den Bosch also found that Alex S. lied to customers about the painlessness of the drugs, asserting that the cocktail at times resulted in “severe distress and panic which led to a gruesome death.”
The court stated that Alex S. “took the law into his own hands and single-handedly put the right to self-determination above all other rights and the law.”
The case is only the latest in an increasingly tumultuous debate about the place of assisted suicide in Dutch society.
NETHERLANDS EXPANDS EUTHANASIA LAWS TO INCLUDE TERMINALLY ILL CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS 1 YEAR OLD
In April, the Netherlands announced plans to expand its euthanasia regulations to include assisting in the death of children ages 1 to 12 years old.
“The current Scheme for Termination of Pregnancy and Termination of Life for Newborns (LZA/LP) will be amended and expanded to include termination of life in children aged 1-12,” a post from the Dutch government stated.
“This concerns a small group of terminally ill children who suffer hopelessly and unbearably, whose palliative care options are not sufficient to relieve their suffering and who are expected to die in the foreseeable future.”
A British report published in June found that Netherlands programs have euthanized otherwise healthy individuals with autism and intellectual handicaps in recent years.
Five individuals under the age of 30, who cited autism as a factor in their decision to seek legal euthanasia, are among the cases reviewed by specialists at the U.K.’s Kingston University.
“Factors directly associated with intellectual disability and/or ASD were the sole cause of suffering described in 21% of cases and a major contributing factor in a further 42% of cases,” Kingston University’s report on the issue found.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
