New figures and related cases in Europe draw attention to patient demographics, medical criteria, and concerns involving younger individuals.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Euthanasia represented approximately 6 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands in 2025, according to figures from the Regional Euthanasia Review Committees, with 10,341 reported cases during the year.
Data cited by Hirado indicates that the majority of individuals who underwent euthanasia were over the age of 70. However, at least one case involved a minor between the ages of 12 and 18.
The figures show that more than 85 percent of cases were linked to physical illnesses, including cancer, neurological conditions, and cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases. Cases involving mental illness declined to 174, a decrease of nearly one-fifth compared to prior levels.
The report also recorded 499 cases involving patients diagnosed with dementia. In 11 of those instances, the individuals were no longer considered competent at the time of the procedure. An additional 475 cases involved multiple age-related conditions occurring simultaneously, while 278 cases were categorized under “other reasons.”
Seven cases were identified in which physicians did not fully comply with established standards of care. Those cases remain under review.
Developments outside the Netherlands have also drawn attention to euthanasia policies. In Spain, a 25-year-old woman, Noelia Castillo Ramos, died through euthanasia following a legal dispute involving her family. Her parents had challenged the decision in court over a two-year period.
Spain’s Constitutional Court has stated that euthanasia should not be applied in cases where suffering is rooted in mental illness, citing the state’s responsibility to protect individuals from suicide risk. Despite that position, the procedure was carried out.
The organization Christian Lawyers, which represented the woman’s parents, stated that “this case highlights the failure of the euthanasia law, since it facilitates suicide without the individual having received prior mental health treatment.”
Religious leaders also issued statements following the case. Spanish Catholic bishops said, “euthanasia and assisted suicide are not medical acts, but deliberate interruptions of the bond of care, and represent a social defeat when presented as a response to human suffering.” They added that in this case, “we are not dealing with a fatal illness, but with deep wounds that cry out for attention, treatment and hope.”
In a separate statement reported by EWTN News, the bishops said, “the dignity of the human person does not depend on their state of health, their subjective perception of life or their degree of autonomy,” and emphasized that responses to suffering should include care, support, and accompaniment rather than ending life. “When life hurts, the answer is not to shorten the path, but to walk it together. Only in this way can we build a truly just society, where no one feels alone or excluded,” they concluded.
In the Netherlands, some experts have also raised concerns about younger individuals requesting euthanasia. A group of child psychiatry specialists cited in a separate Hirado report urged caution in cases involving individuals under the age of 25.
According to those experts, decision-making capacity in younger individuals can be influenced by ongoing brain development and external pressures, including social and online factors. They noted that conditions affecting younger patients are less likely to be permanent and may change over time.
The data and related cases provide a broader view of euthanasia practices in Europe, including patient demographics, compliance reviews, and considerations tied to age and medical conditions.
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