Why a couple married for 50 years chose to die together in double euthanasia
A couple – who had spent their lives together since childhood, after meeting in kindergarten – died together, ending their lives by lethal injection.
Jan Faber and Els van Leeningen, from the Netherlands, were married for almost 50 years. They had a son together.
As a young couple they lived on a houseboat, then moving into a campervan in the later years. They shared a passion for the sea and nature, and travelling.
But the 70 and 71-year-old chose to leave this life the same way they had spent the past decades – together.
The couple died in early June, in what is the latest case of duo-euthanasia in the country.
Jan and Els were surrounded by friends and family in the hours before their death.
Their son, who did not wish to be named, found his parents’ decision hard to take.
His father said of his reaction: ‘You do not want to let your parents die… So there have been tears. Our son said, “Better times will come, better weather”- but not for me.’
After more than a decade of heavy lifting and hands-on work as an operator of a cargo boat, he severe back pain for over 20 years.
Jan had surgery on his back in 2003, but it did not improve. He had halted a heavy regime of pain killers and could no longer work.
Meanwhile, his wife, Els, was diagnosed with dementia and in the later years, she struggled to formulate her sentences.
Before their death, he told the BBC: ‘If you take a lot of medicine, you live like a zombie.
‘So, with the pain I have, and Els’ illness, I think we have to stop this.’
Jan added: ‘I have lived my life, I do not want pain anymore. The life we have lived, we are getting old [for it]. We think it has to be stopped.’
In 2018, his wife was showing early signs of dementia but resisted seeing a doctor, perhaps because she had witnessed the decline and death of her father who had Alzheimer’s.
But there came a point when her symptoms could not be ignored, and they began to discuss duo-euthanasia.
Els added before their planned death: ‘There is no other solution.’
Ahead of their appointment in the Centre of Expertise on Euthanasia, which gives advice on assisted dying and has a mobile clinic which carries out procedures in patients’ homes, Els and Jan spent the day with their son and grandchildren.
They played games, chatted and Els went for a beach walk with her son.
‘I remember we were having dinner in the evening, and I got tears in my eyes just watching us all having that final dinner together,’ he said.
Rise in euthanasia cases in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is one of only three European countries to legalise the practice of assisted dying, with rights groups claiming it gives people with crippling or terminal illnesses the dignity of dying on their own terms.
Metro.co.uk has recently reported on a number of cases in the country.
Jolanda Fun, who is suffering from mental health problems, planned to euthanize herself on her 34th birthday.
The woman, from North Brabant, spoke to The Times about being diagnosed with an eating disorder, recurrent depression, autism and mild learning difficulties.
She said she has tried countless therapies but has struggled her entire life.
Earlier this year, in February, former Dutch prime minister, Dries van Agt, died by euthanasia, hand in hand with his wife Eugenie. They were both 93.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.