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Should euthanasia be allowed for those with mental illnesses?

Legislators and doctors are struggling to define who should have the right to die.

Milou Verhoof was a physically healthy teenager from the Netherlands when she asked to be allowed to die. For years she had struggled with borderline personality disorder, a mental illness that profoundly affected her ability to manage her emotions. In interviews with Dutch media, her mother revealed that she had previously attempted suicide and had exhausted various options for treatment. Last year, at the age of 17, Miss Verhoof’s request was granted: she died in her bedroom, surrounded by her family, in the presence of a doctor.
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