Another case of a loving couple choosing euthanasia so that they would not be separated has emerged in Belgium.

Another case of a loving couple choosing euthanasia so that they would not be separated has emerged in Belgium. Last Monday, 90-year-old Leopold Dauwe and his 89-year-old wife Paula Raman were euthanased, surrounded by their children and grandchildren. “Together we walked the road. Together we left,” was the message on their memorial card.

The couple had been married for 64 years. Neither had a terminal illness but they were both in failing health and living in a nursing home. “They chose to act before [death]. The entire family supported their decision 100 percent,” their son-in-law told the Belgian newspaper De Standaard.

Details of the case are sketchy, but it seems that the husband had always considered euthanasia while the wife had religious reservations. As they grew weaker, however, she changed her mind.

In January, 45-year-old deaf twins who were going blind chose euthanasia together because they had nothing to live for. That case made headlines around the world, but the euthanasia of Leopold Dauwe and Paula Raman has barely been reported at all. 

Michael Cook
Creative commons
Belgium
euthanasia