Belgian woman, 105, becomes oldest person to choose to die by euthanasia

Germaine de Koninck whose death by a lethal injection was revealed today chose to end her long life because she was in constant pain and could no longer bear living in a care home and seeing her friends die one by one.Her daughter Greta, 82, who was with her mother when she died, said yesterday: ‘She could not hear well, could hardly read and spent years in a wheelchair.‘She also had poor blood circulation which caused her severe pain.‘When people congratulated her on her long life she would reply: “Thanks but I hope you don't have to live as long as me.”‘And when other people living in the same corridor in the home passed away she would say: “Why isn't it me?"Greta added: ‘My mother's wish for euthanasia was approved by the authorities in August. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.’Belgium's controversial euthanasia laws now result in about one in 50 deaths in the country; a total of 1,432 people died in 2012. Among them were 44-year-old twins Marc and Eddy Verbessem, who were both deaf and going blind.Another case involved a man whose sex change operation went wrong. ‘I don't want to be a monster,’ he said.The law can be applied in cases of unbearable physical or mental problems, backed up by medical evidence from a doctor.(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.Az