THE HAGUE (Reuters) - A Dutch doctor was acquitted on Wednesday of all charges for the euthanasia of an elderly patient who suffered from dementia.
Judges at the Hague District court found the patient had expressly requested euthanasia at an earlier stage in her disease, and the doctor had acted carefully in accordance with the law in the case, consulting other doctors and the patient's family, and on the basis of her will.
Euthanasia is legal under Dutch law under restricted conditions, including that a patient be undergoing unbearable suffering with no hope of recovery, and wishes to die.