More countries are allowing patients with a terminal illness to end their lives with the help of a doctor, but only a few allow patients diagnosed with dementia to plan for a similar death, reports the New York Times. The Netherlands is one of them, but the plight of an 82-year-old woman embodies the difficulty of implementing the concept. Irene Mekel has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's though it hasn't progressed to the point where she is unable to live alone and otherwise enjoy her life. Knowing that it will, she applied for a medically assisted death—but her doctor has refused to abide by it. The reason centers around a principle known as "5 to 12," or five minutes to midnight, writes Stephanie Nolen.
In her application, Mekel specifies that her doctor should end her life when she is no longer able to recognize her children and grandchildren, or hold a conversation. The problem is that by the time Mekel reaches that point, she has lost the ability to consent to her own death in her doctor's view. It's a catch-22 of sorts affecting not just Mekel's case but others in the nation. When does the moment come when a lucid patient is no longer lucid enough to consent to the procedure? That's where the "5 to 12" concept comes in, referring to the brief time when a patient's dementia has progressed to the point at which they no longer want to live, but at which they are still able to give consent. The full story explores all the fraught aspects of the decision, including the legal liability of doctors. (More Netherlands stories.)
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