A Dutch doctor has appeared in court after performing euthanasia on a patient suffering with severe dementia.
Prosecutors say the doctor did not do enough to verify consent. It is the first such case since the Netherlands legalised euthanasia in 2002.
The 74-year-old patient was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease when she died in 2016.
The doctor allegedly sedated the woman and asked her family to hold her down as she administered a lethal drug.
Prosecutors say the patient showed resistance during the process. The doctor, who has not been named, says she acted cautiously.
Prosecutors say they are not seeking a prison sentence for the retired female doctor, but want to clarify how the euthanasia law applies to patients suffering from dementia.
