Couple, 70 and 71, die by lethal injection in double-euthanasia

Couple, 70 and 71, die by lethal injection in double-euthanasia

• Jan Faber and Els van Leeningen were married for almost 50 years before deaths

A devoted couple who spent their lives together after meeting as small children have died side by side in what is just the latest case of double euthanasia in the Netherlands.

Jan Faber and Els van Leeningen, aged 70 and 71, were married for almost five decades before they ended their lives by lethal injection at the same time in early June.

In the moments before their deaths, the pair were surrounded by friends and family, including their son, who had found his parents' decision to end their lives hard to take.

'You don't want to let your parents die,' Jan said of his reaction. 'So there have been tears - our son said, "Better times will come, better weather"- but not for me.' Els agreed, saying before her death: 'There is no other solution.'

Jan, who worked as a cargo boat operator, had been suffering from severe back pain for over 20 years, while his wife was diagnosed with dementia in 2022 which has since worsened.

'I've lived my life, I don't want pain anymore,' Jan told the BBC. 'The life we've lived, we're getting old [for it]. We think it has to be stopped.'

The couple enjoyed a lifelong partnership, first meeting in kindergarten. Jan went on to play hockey for the Netherlands' national youth team before training as a sports coach, while Els became a primary school teacher.

They shared a passion for the sea, and spent much of their lives living on boats.

This shared interest was turned into a career, with the pair buying a cargo boat and setting up a goods transportation company.

They had a son, who went to boarding school in the week while they lived on the water, and who they would take on sailing holidays.

After more than a decade of heavy lifting and hands-on work, Jans' back pain became serious, and the couple moved back on land into a caravan.

Surgery in 2003 did little to alleviate his pain and he was forced to stop working.

While Els was still working as a teacher, Jans' physical limitations and the lower quality of life they resulted in encouraged the couple to start thinking about assisted dying, and they joined NVVE - Netherlands' 'right to die' organisation.

Els retired in 2018, and was beginning to show early signs of dementia, a disease her father had suffered with and died from.

She was officially diagnosed in November 2022, and it progressively got worse to the point where she struggled to construct sentences.

The couple's GP - like many doctors in the Netherlands - was uncomfortable with accepting their case for euthanasia due to Els' dementia, which can create uncertainty around a patient's capacity to give consent.

The couple turned to the Centre of Expertise on Euthanasia, which gives advice on assisted dying and has a mobile clinic which carries out procedures in patients' homes.

Ahead of their appointment, Els and Jan spent the day with their son and grandchildren.

They played games, chatted and Els went for a beach walk with her son.

'I remember we were having dinner in the evening, and I got tears in my eyes just watching us all having that final dinner together,' he said.

On the day they were due to die, Els and Jan had two final hours together with their loved ones.

They used the time to share their memories and listened to music - Idlewild by Travis for Els, the Beatles' Now and Then for Jan.

After that, their son said, the doctors came in and 'everything happened quickly', with the medics following their procedures and then it happening in 'just a matter of minutes'.

The couple were administered lethal injections simultaneously by two doctors and died together on June 3.

Of the 8,720 people to die by euthanasia in the Netherlands in 2022, 29 were couples. In 2021, 16 couples died this way. In 2018, there were nine.

In a similar case reported earlier this year, a couple who had been together for 50 years decided to take their own lives at the same time.

Monique Wessels, 74, suffered from dementia, while her partner Loes Wasmoeth, 88, from a muscular disease.

Elke Swart, spokesperson for the Expertisecentrum Euthanasie, told the Guardian that any request for joint euthanasia from a couple is still tested against strict individual requirements, rather than together.

The spotlight was shone on the practice in February when it emerged that former prime minister Dries Van Agt had died by euthanasia along with his wife of 70 years Eugenie.

Both had been in fragile health for some time after van Agt suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2019, and felt it was better to pass together given their advanced age and declining physical state.

'The way the Van Agts died is a great example of dying with dignity while staying in control,' said the pro-euthanasia group NVVE at the time.

Monique and Loes died together after receiving the green light from the medical teams treating them.

'I found it emotionally difficult because they were such adorable people,' but also very determined, recalled Keizer.

Monique was perfectly aware of the extent of her dementia, which is also rare. 'Most people with dementia do not realise how serious their illness is,' said the doctor.

The two women, both short-haired and bespectacled, took part in a TV documentary before their death.

'I can't live without Monique,' said Loes. 'And I depend on you,' replied Monique. 'So let's go together.'