**From The Telegraph’s Brussels Correspondent, Joe Barnes:**
A Dutch man has been jailed for selling suicide kits that led to the deaths of at least ten people in the first case of its kind in the Netherlands.
The man, identified as Alex S, 30, was accused of providing 1,600 packages of “Substance X”, a deadly cocktail of drugs, to buyers since 2018.
Judges at the Den Bosch District Court sentenced the pro-euthanasia activist to three and a half years in prison, 18 months of which were suspended.
While euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, it can only be carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor in instances where an individual is judged to be experiencing “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement”.
It is illegal for ordinary citizens to help someone commit suicide.
“The accused treated the lives of others very lightly and damaged the value of human life in general,” judges said.
“In addition, he thereby undermined the Euthanasia practice applicable in the Netherlands, which is designed with many due care requirements,” they added.
**‘Deadly dosage’**
The packages supplied by Alex S contained two or three capsules, a “deadly dosage”, as well as antiemetic, a drug used to stop nausea, the court heard.
Deaths caused by the cocktail of medicines were not always pleasant, the judges added.
During the criminal trial, relatives of the victims “described distress and panic, leading to a gruesome death”, they said.
According to the Dutch government, the toxic substances, for which there are now antidotes, can take up to 40 hours to kill someone.
Alex S procured them from outside the Netherlands before selling them for around €45 to customers he never met.
His case has led to an investigation into a further 12 people, five of which have links to the pro-euthanasia lobby group Cooperatie Laatste.
If you made doctor assisted suicide legal, this wouldn’t be a problem.
I’m pro choice when it comes to euthanasia. I’ve worked at a suicide hotline and experienced family members who have gone down that path.
However, I agree that not everybody should sell kits like these. In many cases people that attempt suicide can become disfigured or get brain damage where they can no longer take care of themselves the rest of their lives.
You don’t know what materials the kit was sourced from or if it’s gonna do the job fully. It might be some twisted person selling them hoping to disfigure people. Or maybe somebody who is thinking they are doing a good thing by not having the kit work and the end result is the same.
Remember that not all suicide is a thought out process. Sometimes it’s a teen or vulnerable person who doesn’t realize the choice they are making. Suicide is always an option but not always the best option.
Wtf, euthanasia should be legal, wtf Netherlands
Those articles always mention that Belgium (and netherlands I think) allow euthaniasia of minors. Always sounds like we can put down our children whenever we get tired of them.
I once looked up the numbers and like 1.4% of cases are for people younger than 40. Euthanasia really is something for older people. And in the cases of younger people, it’s usually because of really unbearable suffering.
Its legal, but selling a ‘self killing medicine’ is just murder. Because you need a doctor for it etc.
Someone here who knows something about dutch penal law? Which code/article was he sentenced under? Because I read this a little like he would have been sentenced as well if he had sold them knives or ropes, which I believe could be a little … problematic.
I don’t see how you both say it should be legal but also say you should require a doctor’s referral.
To me, none of this should be legal for what it’s worth.
9 comments
**From The Telegraph’s Brussels Correspondent, Joe Barnes:**
A Dutch man has been jailed for selling suicide kits that led to the deaths of at least ten people in the first case of its kind in the Netherlands.
The man, identified as Alex S, 30, was accused of providing 1,600 packages of “Substance X”, a deadly cocktail of drugs, to buyers since 2018.
Judges at the Den Bosch District Court sentenced the pro-euthanasia activist to three and a half years in prison, 18 months of which were suspended.
While euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, it can only be carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor in instances where an individual is judged to be experiencing “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement”.
It is illegal for ordinary citizens to help someone commit suicide.
“The accused treated the lives of others very lightly and damaged the value of human life in general,” judges said.
“In addition, he thereby undermined the Euthanasia practice applicable in the Netherlands, which is designed with many due care requirements,” they added.
**‘Deadly dosage’**
The packages supplied by Alex S contained two or three capsules, a “deadly dosage”, as well as antiemetic, a drug used to stop nausea, the court heard.
Deaths caused by the cocktail of medicines were not always pleasant, the judges added.
During the criminal trial, relatives of the victims “described distress and panic, leading to a gruesome death”, they said.
According to the Dutch government, the toxic substances, for which there are now antidotes, can take up to 40 hours to kill someone.
Alex S procured them from outside the Netherlands before selling them for around €45 to customers he never met.
His case has led to an investigation into a further 12 people, five of which have links to the pro-euthanasia lobby group Cooperatie Laatste.
**Read the full story here ⤵️**
[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/07/19/netherlands-jails-man-selling-suicide-kits-online/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/07/19/netherlands-jails-man-selling-suicide-kits-online/)
Euthanasia should be legal for those who want it.
If you made doctor assisted suicide legal, this wouldn’t be a problem.
I’m pro choice when it comes to euthanasia. I’ve worked at a suicide hotline and experienced family members who have gone down that path.
However, I agree that not everybody should sell kits like these. In many cases people that attempt suicide can become disfigured or get brain damage where they can no longer take care of themselves the rest of their lives.
You don’t know what materials the kit was sourced from or if it’s gonna do the job fully. It might be some twisted person selling them hoping to disfigure people. Or maybe somebody who is thinking they are doing a good thing by not having the kit work and the end result is the same.
Remember that not all suicide is a thought out process. Sometimes it’s a teen or vulnerable person who doesn’t realize the choice they are making. Suicide is always an option but not always the best option.
Wtf, euthanasia should be legal, wtf Netherlands
Those articles always mention that Belgium (and netherlands I think) allow euthaniasia of minors. Always sounds like we can put down our children whenever we get tired of them.
I once looked up the numbers and like 1.4% of cases are for people younger than 40. Euthanasia really is something for older people. And in the cases of younger people, it’s usually because of really unbearable suffering.
Its legal, but selling a ‘self killing medicine’ is just murder. Because you need a doctor for it etc.
Someone here who knows something about dutch penal law? Which code/article was he sentenced under? Because I read this a little like he would have been sentenced as well if he had sold them knives or ropes, which I believe could be a little … problematic.
I don’t see how you both say it should be legal but also say you should require a doctor’s referral.
To me, none of this should be legal for what it’s worth.