Doctors kill deaf Belgian identical twins who could not bear to go blind
Just days after the twins were killed by doctors, Belgium’s ruling Socialists, lead by Thierry Giet, tabled a legal amendment that will allow the euthanasia of children and Alzheimer’s sufferers.
The controversial change will allow minors and people suffering from dementia to seek permission to die.
Identical twins have been killed by Belgian doctors in a unique case under the country’s euthanasia laws.
The 45-year-old brothers from the Antwerp region were born deaf and sought euthanasia after finding out that they would soon go blind. They told doctors that they were unable to bear the thought of not being able to see each other again.
The twins, who have not been named but have been pictured on Belgian television, had spent their entire lives together, sharing a flat and working as cobblers.
Belgium’s Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper reported on the weekend that doctors at Brussels University Hospital in Jette “euthanized” the two men by lethal injection on Dec. 14.
Under Belgian law, euthanasia is allowed if those wishing to end their lives are able to make their wishes clear and a doctor judges that they are suffering unbearable pain.
David Dufour, the doctor who presided over the euthanasia, said the twins had died together and had taken the decision in “full conscience.”
“They were very happy. It was a relief to see the end of their suffering,” he said. “They had a cup of coffee in the hall, it went well and a rich conversation. Then the separation from their parents and brother was very serene and beautiful.”
The case is unusual because neither of the men was terminally ill or suffering extreme physical pain.
Just days after the twins were killed by doctors, Belgium’s ruling Socialists tabled a legal amendment that will allow the euthanasia of children and Alzheimer’s sufferers. The controversial change will allow minors and people suffering from dementia to seek permission to die.
In 2002, Belgium was the second country in the world after Holland to legalize euthanasia. Some 1,133 cases were recorded in 2011, according to the last official figures.
The Daily Telegraph
The 45-year-old brothers from the Antwerp region were born deaf and sought euthanasia after finding out that they would soon go blind. They told doctors that they were unable to bear the thought of not being able to see each other again.
The twins, who have not been named but have been pictured on Belgian television, had spent their entire lives together, sharing a flat and working as cobblers.
Belgium’s Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper reported on the weekend that doctors at Brussels University Hospital in Jette “euthanized” the two men by lethal injection on Dec. 14.
Under Belgian law, euthanasia is allowed if those wishing to end their lives are able to make their wishes clear and a doctor judges that they are suffering unbearable pain.
David Dufour, the doctor who presided over the euthanasia, said the twins had died together and had taken the decision in “full conscience.”
“They were very happy. It was a relief to see the end of their suffering,” he said. “They had a cup of coffee in the hall, it went well and a rich conversation. Then the separation from their parents and brother was very serene and beautiful.”
The case is unusual because neither of the men was terminally ill or suffering extreme physical pain.
Just days after the twins were killed by doctors, Belgium’s ruling Socialists tabled a legal amendment that will allow the euthanasia of children and Alzheimer’s sufferers. The controversial change will allow minors and people suffering from dementia to seek permission to die.
In 2002, Belgium was the second country in the world after Holland to legalize euthanasia. Some 1,133 cases were recorded in 2011, according to the last official figures.
The Daily Telegraph
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