In a poignant testament to lifelong love, a Dutch couple who met in kindergarten chose to end their lives together through euthanasia after being inseparable for decades. Jan Faber, 70, and his wife, Els van Leeningen, 71, were married for nearly 50 years and decided to embark on their final journey side by side after both developed debilitating health conditions.
A life of love and shared struggles
Jan, a former sports coach, and Els, a primary school teacher, faced significant health challenges in their later years. Jan’s severe back problems, which persisted even after surgery in 2003, left him unable to work and plunged him into depression. He frequently discussed the possibility of euthanasia as a way to escape his unrelenting pain.
Els’s health also deteriorated when she was diagnosed with dementia in 2022. As her condition worsened, the couple revisited the idea of euthanasia, ultimately deciding it was the best course of action for both of them. They applied for duo-euthanasia and were administered the lethal medication on June 3.
Final moments
Jan explained their decision to the BBC, saying, “If you take a lot of medicine, you live like a zombie. So with the pain I have, and Els’ illness, I think we have to stop this.” He added, “I’ve lived my life, I don’t want pain anymore.” Els echoed his sentiment, stating, “There is no other solution.”
Their son, who chose to remain anonymous, shared the emotional experience of their final family dinner. “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 recounted to the BBC.
Euthanasia in the Netherlands
Euthanasia was legalized in the Netherlands in 2001 under the Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act, which came into effect in 2002. This made the Netherlands the first country to legalize the practice. According to the country’s official guidelines, euthanasia requests can be made by patients experiencing “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement.”
Jan and Els’s story is a deeply moving account of a couple whose love endured through every stage of life, ultimately leading them to make a profoundly personal decision together. Their choice highlights ongoing debates about euthanasia and the complex considerations faced by those living with severe, incurable conditions.
