Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sep 30, 2021 / 14:55 pm
A campaigner for assisted suicide in the Netherlands, who is not a physician, has been detained on suspicion of involvement in an assisted suicide.
Cooperative Last Will confirmed that its chairman, Jos van Wijk, had been detained, the AP reported. Van Wijk’s lawyer, Tim Vis, said his client “firmly denies the accusations.”
The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize physician assisted suicide, in 2002. It has since been expanded to allow the practice for persons with non-terminal chronic illnesses, disabilities, and mental health problems. Only physicians are allowed to assist patients in ending their own lives.
CLW claims more than 26,500 members and has campaigned for years to allow ordinary citizens to end their own lives without physician involvement.