I am not fully an expert, but it seems the case, at least in individuals that can give their consent and that face a "serious disability". I just have read news stories of depressed people seeking physician assisted suicide in the Netherlands, and this is becoming more and more common there.
Some of the initial supporters of Euthanasia in the Netherlands are questioning the wisdom of their choices. It seems there is a perception that palliative care and hospice have declined. It also sounds like there are political groups in the Netherlands hostile to hospice care and see it as at-odds with their seemingly "pro-death" stance.
One thing I noticed in life is when something is new and 'allowed' the spectrum always seems to go to the extreme, and then turn around and go in the extreme the other direction...before a discerning middle ground is reached. I don't know WHY that is, but it does seem to be a pattern.
Why do you think your mom ceased to be Christian just because she had Alzheimer's?
I was more answering in the perspective of the statement. She died a Christian even though I doubt she could tell you that she was, or whom God was at that point. The statement was Christian's don't fear death. Was there anxiety on the prospect of her death via Alzheimer's? Fear even? I would say YES! It's crazy to say people wouldn't be scared of death. She knew what was coming.
I find it odd that people would be hostile to Hospice, but when you have tunnel vision like many of the political groups like you spoke of? They are incapable of viewing things from another perspective. My brother's wife's mother died peacefully in Hospice, and she died as she wanted. She slowly drifted away in the end, and there was no agony part. She wanted it that way.
I had to keep mother's mouth moist, and if one small drop of water fell down her throat? She wasn't capable of shallowing anymore, and she would scream. Her medicine she had to absorb in her cheek, and if it dropped down her throat? Same thing. She had to be moved, so bed sores didn't happen - scream again.
After 14 days, and my birthday coming soon? I told the nurse I wanted them to give a good dose of pain killer...and help her drift away. The pain killer would help her system relax, and allow her slip away. They left medicine in her room, and my brother told me I missed the point of WHY they did that. It's true, it went right over my head. They left it so my brother and I could adminstrister it. I thought I would start with the regular dose, and we would pray on it. I didn't want her to die on my birthday, and after being with her for 14 days straight? I was toast, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could take it without completely falling apart. I spoke to my mother, and told her I was going to give her medicine...and she died in my hands. I never had to give that last dose. She didn't die on my birthday, but I doubt I will ever forget her screams.
14 days of agony is too long. It's needless suffering. I have to wonder if she heard me tell the nurse I didn't want her to die on my birthday...and she finally let go. lol the drugs part was out of ear shot!
After enduring something that like? Your views change. Your examples to me are extreme - and I can say they don't fulfill my definition of allowing euthanasia. Mother's death bed is the only time I would consider it even for her. It wasn't death that we feared, but her pain. Her agony. Mother was so far gone with Alzheimer's I doubt she had the capacity to fear it. She is the one example of a True Christian that didn't fear death. Sadly, she didn't understand anything at that point either. So, I'm not sure she was able to fear it.