The Daily: Documenting a Death by Euthanasia

Champion Paralympic athlete from Belgium, Marieke Vervoort, who had a progressive disease, announced her retirement from professional sports in 2016, and also spoke of her desire to undergo euthanasia. 

In a podcast by The Daily , Vervoort’s story is told by Lynsey Addario, a photojournalist who documented the end of Vervoort’s life. 

Lynsey had this to say, “In most of my experiences covering Iraq and Afghanistan and Democratic Republic of Congo and Darfur, I’m photographing people who are trying not to die. . .Marieke was the first person I had really met who wanted to die. ” 

You can listen to the podcast here. 

Special thanks to Lewis Saret (Attorney, Washington, D.C.) for bringing this podcast to my attention.