December 3, 2025
Assisted Suicide Remains Illegal in NL Following Court Judgment
The Dutch State may continue to prohibit assisted suicide.
This was ruled by the Court of Appeal in The Hague on Tuesday (2 December).
The Last Will Cooperative had brought the case because it believed the ban violated the right to self-determination.
In the Netherlands, it is illegal to assist someone in committing suicide. Assistance in suicide may only be provided by a doctor in the case of euthanasia.
There are strict requirements for this.
For example, a patient must have made a conscious choice to die.
There must also be clear and hopeless suffering.
A doctor who does not comply with these requirements can be prosecuted.
The Last Will Cooperative (CLW) sued the State and demanded that this ban be lifted, arguing that everyone should have control over the end of their own life.
According to CLW, the ban violates human rights and fundamental freedoms.
A self-chosen death is a ‘fundamental human right’ that stems from Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
This states that everyone has the right to respect for their private life.
According to CLW, the State would therefore be acting unlawfully by prohibiting assisted suicide. If CLW were to win the case, the legislation or the way in which it is currently enforced would have to change.
However, the court in The Hague does not agree with this demand.
‘It is clear from the case law of the European Court of Human Rights that the Dutch ban on assisted suicide does not violate Article 8,’ the court writes.
According to the judge, the ban on assisted suicide is a regulation.
Only in exceptional cases may the judge declare that ban unlawful.
