Story Clarification: Previous, widespread reports indicated that teen girl Noa Pothoven died via euthanasia with the assistance of an “end of life” clinic. It’s now unclear how or if physicians assisted in her death, although she did request it.
A 17-year-old girl who experienced a brutal rape as a young child has been legally euthanized by an “end-of-life” clinic after claiming she was too depressed to continue living.
According to news.au.com, 17-year-old Noa Pothoven, of Arnhem, in the Netherlands, died on Sunday in a hospital bed in her own home after living with depression, anorexia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for years.
Noa wrote a lengthy post on Instagram before she died, explaining that the decision to end her life didn’t come lightly.
“I deliberated for quite a while whether or not I should share this, but decided to do it anyway…..I will get straight to the point: within a maximum of 10 days I will die. After years of battling and fighting, I am drained.”
“I have quit eating and drinking for a while now, and after many discussions and evaluations, it was decided to let me go because my suffering is unbearable,” Pothoven continued. “Love is letting go, in this case.”
Under Dutch law, Noa was legally allowed to make her own decision to end her life. Her mother, Lisette, didn’t have the authority to stop her.
The “Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act” was passed in 2002, and as long as the person requesting euthanasia meets all requirements, they can request a physician to end their life. The physician and “patient” must both meet the strict requirements before it’s considered legal.
Noa said her years of suffering became too much for her handle. She claimed that she was already among the non-living, even though she breathed each day. She asked her friends and loved ones to refrain from talking her out of her decision. Instead, she hoped to spread awareness about children who suffered from mental and emotional issues.
Prior to her death, Noa wrote an autobiography, entitled, “Winning or Learning,” which deals with her traumatic experiences of being assaulted twice, then ultimately raped.
“I was young. I was eleven when it started. I was already a perfectionist, something that made me tense because I wanted to do everything perfectly at school. However, it was still fairly normal. Until I was assaulted twice, until I was raped. Until then it was normal.”
Noa leaves behind two siblings and her parents.
[Feature Photo: Noa Pothoven/Instagram]
