Sexually Assaulted 17-Year-Old Girl Chose To Die By Suicide Because Her Life Had Become “Unbearable”
The article has been updated: Noa Pothoven has not died by legal suicide. As the article states below it is unclear whether doctors assisted in Pothoven’s death in any way.
A 17-year-old Dutch girl who was raped as a young child has died at her home.
Noa Pothoven died last Sunday in an “end-of-life clinic” bed in her living room after she starved herself following a battle with mental health problems.
It is not clear whether doctors ended up assisting in Pothoven’s death.
A spokesperson for a member of the Dutch parliament reportedly said the death occurred because of Pothoven’s refusal to eat.
Euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands if it is performed under the strict rules of the Termination of Life Request and Assistance Act and if approved by a doctor. It has to be concluded that the suffering of the patient is unbearable and likely to continue.
Previously she had released an autobiography titled “Winning or Learning” in which she discussed her difficult battles with mental illness after being molested and raped as a child, according to other reports.
On the day before her death, Noa shared some last words regarding her decision on Instagram.
“I deliberated for quite a while whether or not I should share this, but decided to do it anyway,” she wrote. “Maybe this comes as a surprise to some, given my posts about hospitalization, but my plan has been there for a long time and is not impulsive.
“I will get straight to the point: within a maximum of 10 days I will die.”
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She continued, adding that she was now “drained” after fighting for years and that she never felt alive but instead was merely “surviving”.
“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,”
She spent her final hours bidding farewell to her heartbroken loved ones. She asked her online followers not to try to convince her to live on.
“Love is letting go, in this case.”, Noa wrote.
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