It was not euthanasia: the Dutch teenager was left to die without eating or drinking

Noa Pothoven, the Dutch teenager who is left to die / web

Noa Pothoven, the young Dutch woman who died this weekend in Holland, "has not died of euthanasia" but "has stopped eating and drinking," yesterday reported the clinic at which the young man of 17 years had asked for this practice, which was Refused by the medical center.

The young woman died last Sunday at her home in Arnhem, in the east of the country. At first, it was reported that she had been euthanized.

The case evolved into a young person suffering from anorexia, depression and post-traumatic stress due to badual violence and rape, a process he recounted in his "Win or Learn" autobiography, where he told his tragic story.

Given the impact of this news, the De Levenseindekliniek clinic posted a statement on its website "to stop false information about his death", and he gave more details "according to the rules of confidentiality".

"We are going to refer to the statement made by Noa's friends: Noa Pothoven did not die of euthanasia.To stop her suffering, she stopped eating and drinking," said the official party from the institution, adding that Mr De Levenseindekliniek "dealt exclusively with euthanasia and did so explicitly in the Dutch legal framework", where it has been legal since 2002.

Euthanasia and badisted suicide are a defeat for all. The answer we must give is to never give up the one who suffers, not to give up, but to take care and love people to give them hope.

– Pope Francisco (@Pontifex_es) June 5, 2019

Noa had asked for euthanasia to resort to euthanasia, but the request had not been accepted and she had decided to stay at home without eating or drinking.

"She decided to stop drinking and drinking, and according to her latest decision, no one applied any measure that would lead to her death, so that's not euthanasia," said the doctor. Isabel Pincemin, President of the Argentine Association of Medicine and Palliative Care.

Pincemin added that "not eating does not mean, in any case, euthanasia.What impacts is the age of the girl.It was a personal decision and did not can be forced, what he may have – and apparently he has – is medical care to avoid suffering. "

In the same vein, palliative care physician Hernán Barreda said that "euthanasia is a lethal dose of certain drugs."

"We do not do with bodies what lucid bodies do not want," said the professional, who acknowledged that "there is always gray in these cases, because the legality, lucidity and the Patient's autonomy come into play ".

And he made it clear that "one thing is euthanasia and another is to accompany the good death.In Argentina we can not apply euthanasia."

In the country, the law on patients' rights (26,529) does not include euthanasia, "but it takes into account the decision of the person not to follow certain treatments," said Pincemin.

"In general, we think of death in the elderly, but we also have cases of palliative care for children and adolescents.There is no age," said the doctor.

For her part, the lawyer Daniela Ortiz Celoria, in her book "Euthanasia" published in the Association of Criminal Thought, stated that "the Dutch law allows the practice to the children from 16 to 18 years in full knowledge of cause or with advance directives if the parents or guardians participated in the decision-making process. "

Noa wrote on his Instagram account, which is now in private mode: "I'm exhausted after years of struggle and I stopped eating and drinking.After many discussions and badyzes of my situation, he decided to to let go because my pain is unbearable. "

HIS FAMILY

"We are in contact with his family, who told us that, despite the information of the international media, there is no euthanasia in this case," said Health Minister Hugo de Jonge, in a statement.

"We must let the family mourn Noah's death in peace," he asked.

On Monday, several Dutch media announced his death. Some of them said that the young woman had contacted the Levenseindekliniek clinic, a center for euthanasia based in The Hague, to find out about the possibility of badisted suicide, before giving up.

The story was, however, the subject of press transfers after the international media announced that she had been helped to end her life.

De Jonge also said that he had asked the health inspection department to "investigate" the case. "The questions about his death and the care he received are understandable, but can only be answered when the facts have been established," he said.

The teenager had said in a last message on the Instagram network that she had "lost the urge to live".