Loving, living and dying together in the Netherlands
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 10 February 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Els and Jan have fewer than three days left on Earth. Childhood sweethearts who met in kindergarten more than six decades ago, they know precisely when they will die. And how. On an early summer’s Monday morning they will travel to a nearby hospice. Some of their family and friends will accompany them. And then precisely at 10.30am - holding hands, they hope - two doctors will administer lethal medication to each of them. In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal if someone is suffering unbearably with no prospect of getting better. The suffering can be physical or psychological. Els was diagnosed with dementia. Jan lived with pain 24/7. Last year, 33 Dutch couples chose to die like Els and Jan. And in February, one of the Netherlands’ former Prime Ministers ended his life by euthanasia together with his wife. For Assignment, Linda Pressly meets Els and Jan as they prepare for the end. And she explores the complex issue of allowing euthanasia in cases of dementia.
A warning: some listeners might find the content of this documentary upsetting.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:06.5 | Thanks for downloading the documentary from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:10.8 | This edition of assignment from the Netherlands first aired in July 2024. |
| 0:15.9 | It's about what the Dutch call duo euthanasia, couples who decide they want to die together. |
| 0:22.3 | Loving, living and dying together features the story of one married couple, Yanonels. |
| 0:28.3 | Although euthanasia is illegal in most countries, it continues to be widely debated. |
| 0:33.2 | And this is why the BBC World Service wanted to give you another chance to hear a documentary |
| 0:37.6 | that garnered stacks of commentary online from all over the world. |
| 0:42.3 | Some of you might not find this an easy listen. |
| 0:45.7 | Thanks for downloading the documentary from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:49.5 | Now, this edition of assignment was quite a long time in gestation. |
| 0:54.0 | It was last year when I was looking |
| 0:55.6 | at the euthanasia statistics from the Netherlands that I noticed a category I hadn't seen before. |
| 1:01.3 | It was for duo euthanasia, for couples who decided to die together. Assisted dying in euthanasia |
| 1:08.6 | is illegal in most countries, but that doesn't mean it isn't debated widely. |
| 1:13.8 | Anyway, it wasn't until the end of May this year |
| 1:16.5 | that I got a call from someone who told me they knew of a couple |
| 1:19.7 | who might like to share their story with the BBC. |
| 1:23.4 | Now, some of you might not find this an easy listen. |
| 1:29.8 | This is the documentary from the BBC World Service. |
| 1:33.0 | I'm Linda Presley with assignment. |
| 1:38.2 | On an early summer's Friday afternoon in the green watery landscape of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands, |
... |
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