Euthanasia - Aurelia's Story

from Crossing Continents Hosted by BBC Radio 4

In January, Aurelia Brouwers - a 29 year old Dutch woman, with a history of severe mental illness - 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, 'unbearable suffering' without hope of relief. Aurelia's death provoked an outpouring on social media, and widespread discussion within the Netherlands... What if a death wish is part of someone's 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's 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. Reported and produced by Linda Pressly. (Image: Aurelia Brouwers. Credit: RTL Nieuws, Sander Paulus) If you're feeling emotionally distressed and would like details of organisations that offer advice and support, go online to bbc.co.uk/actionline. Or you can call for free to hear recorded information - 0800 066 066.

Episode details come from the podcast's RSS feed.

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

Ready to play

Euthanasia - Aurelia's Story

0:00 28:52

No transcript yet.

Requests help us decide what to transcribe next.

Share this episode

Similar podcasts

Women Igniting Change® Robbin Jorgensen In a post pandemic world, employees are demanding that their leaders do more than just lead the business. They are looking for their companies to provide a culture of purpose and possibility, navigate changing societal expectations and build a sense of community and belonging.Leaders need to elevate and engage their people by connecting personal values with those of the entire organization, and at the same time inspire collaboration, innovation and results.Robbin Jorgensen, Founder and CEO of Women Igniting Change®, is your host. A former corporate executive who has worked with women leaders in 31 countries on 6 continents, she believes that unleashing the contribution of women is one of the key drivers to moving business and humanity forward.Join Robbin every Monday as she dives into the intersection of business results, women’s leadership and social responsibility. She’ll share interviews with decision makers, provide tangible strategies, highlight women change makers and more a Abdullah Hakim Quick Muslim Central Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick, PhD, is the Head of our Islamic History and Homiletics Department. His students dub him as “old school Dr. Quick” and find his Boston accent a rather smile-jerking classroom staple.He has accomplished a lifetime worth of achievements spanning many continents while enlightening the lives of millions. He was born in the United States of America and accepted Islam in Canada in 1970. He pursued his study of Islam at the Islamic University of Madinah in Saudi Arabia where he graduated and received an Ijaza from the College of Da’wah and Islamic Sciences in 1979, one of first two students to do so from the West. He later completed a Masters Degree and a Doctorate in African History at the University of Toronto in Canada.He has served as Imam, Daa’iyyah, teacher and counsellor in the USA, Canada, South Africa and the West Indies. Presently he is a Senior Lecturer with the Islamic Institute of Toronto (I.I.T.).

Frequently asked questions

How long is this episode of Crossing Continents?

This episode is 28 minutes long.

When was this Crossing Continents episode published?

This episode was published on August 9, 2018.

Can I download this Crossing Continents episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.