Belgian doctors rule that a depressed woman has the right to end her life

A 24-year-old woman in Belgium who suffers from depression has been granted the right to end her own life, The Independent reports. The woman — whose name is only given as "Laura" in her extensive interview with a Belgian newspaper — has suffered from depression since she was a child, and was committed to a psychiatric facility at 21.

"Death feels to me not as a choice. If I had a choice, I would choose a bearable life, but I have done everything and that was unsuccessful," Laura told De Morgen.

Belgium legalized euthanasia in 2002; assisted suicides have since spiked to over 1,800 a year. In 2013, Belgium agreed that terminally ill children, too, have a right to die.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

In the U.S., "Death with Dignity" laws only exist fully in three states — Washington, Oregon, and Vermont — and the laws are strictly limited to cases in which the individual has a terminal illness.