In the Netherlands, assisted suicide or euthanasia can be requested by individuals experiencing ‘unbearable psychological suffering’, even if they are not physically ill. The prospect of losing a lifelong partner is often considered a cause of unbearable suffering and therefore can be sufficient to qualify for euthanasia or assisted suicide. Although requests from couples are treated separately, it is unlikely that only one would be denied if both individuals are deemed mentally competent.
Couple euthanasia is not only becoming more common but is also increasingly romanticised. In February last year, media outlets framed the deaths by euthanasia of the former Dutch prime minister and his wife —and similar cases also —as part of a “love story,” a poetic ending to a long life shared together.
Influenced by this high-profile case, the number of Dutch couples euthanised together rose from 34 in 2023 to 54 in 2024, a significant increase in just one year. While the law requires explicit consent from both individuals, a type of pressure can often be masked by formal agreement. Many spouses dread the prospect of living without each other. The idea of being left alone may, even unconsciously, pressure someone to make the same decision as their partner.
The risk of a contagion effect is really high. It is difficult to ignore the possibility that one partner’s decision could influence the other, even without direct coercion. Moreover, cases of joint euthanasia are not limited to romantic couples. In the Netherlands there have also been instances involving siblings or a mother and her child. In such cases, the reasoning is similar: the surviving individual may consider life unbearable without their loved one.
A recent poll conducted among Dutch citizens with partners found that 75pc were open to the idea of couple euthanasia. However, 60pc expressed concerns about the potential pressure involved, while 40pc believed it would be difficult to determine whether the desire to die was entirely independent.
Commenting on these findings, Philip Nitschke, the inventor of the controversial “Sarco” suicide pod, tweeted: “The Sarco Duo is currently in production”.
Where others are concerned, or scandalised, by the idea of couples killing themselves together, pro-euthanasia activists see it as another opportunity to promote their ideology.
Nitschke is the founder and director of Exit International, an organisation advocating for assisted suicide to be available on demand to any adult, regardless of their reason.
The growing acceptance of couple euthanasia in the Netherlands is part of the broader normalisation that inevitably follows the legalisation of such procedures. Over time, initial restrictions tend to be relaxed, and more individuals may feel influenced, if not explicitly coerced, into choosing to die alongside their loved ones.
