DUTCH “SUICIDE CONSULTANT” JAILED
A 73-year-old Dutch man has been jailed in the Netherlands over his role in helping a 25-year-old woman to commit suicide in 2003. The court said that even though Jan Hilarius was not present when she committed suicide, he had provided her with advice on how to get poisons over the internet.
Mr Hilarius is the founder of group called De Einder, or Horizon, which helps people find poisons on the internet and provides advice on how to commit suicide. According to its website, De Einder was set up in 1995 to offer “professional help” to people who want to kill themselves. It claims to advise about 350 people each year, of whom 35 people kill themselves.
Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.
Latest posts by Michael Cook (see all)
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- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
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