Very Painful, Part I: Netherlands Teen Who Was Raped As A Child Is Legally Euthanized Due To ‘Unbearable’ Pain

A 17-year-old Dutch girl was legally allowed to kill herself using euthanasia after she was raped when younger and spent years battling depression, according to a report Tuesday. 

“Love is letting go, in this case,” Noa Pothoven of Arnhem wrote in an Instagram post announcing her choice to die in the living room of her home Sunday. Pothoven — who was sexually abused at 11 and raped three years later — said she was sick of suffering “unbearable pain. 

“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,” she wrote. “I will get straight to the point: within a maximum of 10 days I will die,” she added. 

“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. ”I breathe, but I no longer live.” 

In The Netherlands, kids ages 12 to 16 need permission from a parent to be euthanized and must have consulted a doctor, who agrees that their suffering is unbearable and likely to continue. 

But at 17, children no longer need their parents’ consent to apply to kill themselves. 

Pothoven turned 17 in December.

Why did it get so bad for her? In part, because she didn’t get adequate treatment.