Part 1: Loving, living and dying together in the Netherlands

When Linda Pressly met them in 2024, Els and Jan had fewer than three days left on Earth. Childhood sweethearts who met in kindergarten more than six decades ago, they knew precisely when they would die. And how. On an early summer’s Monday morning they would travel to a nearby hospice. Some of their family and friends would accompany them. And then precisely at 10.30am - holding hands - two doctors would administer lethal medication to each of them.

In the Netherlands, euthanasia is legal if someone is suffering unbearably with no prospect of getting better. The suffering can be physical or psychological. Els was diagnosed with dementia. Jan lived with pain 24/7.

Last year there were 60 cases of what’s called ‘duo-euthanasia’ in the Netherlands – 120 people died with a loved one.

In this first of a series for Assignment, Linda explores the motives of Jan and Els. And she discusses the complex issue of allowing euthanasia in cases of dementia. Next week, in the sequel, she returns to the Netherlands to meet this adventurous couple’s only son, Bas. He talks candidly about the experience of his parents choosing death, not life.

A warning: some listeners might find the content of these documentaries upsetting.

Producer and presenter: Linda Pressly
Editor: Penny Murphy
Sound engineer: Neva Missirian
Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman

(Image: Jan and Els, two days before they died. Credit: family handout)