A 23-year-old woman chose to be euthanized earlier this year after struggling with severe trauma following the 2016 terror attack in Brussels.
On March 22, 2016, Shanti De Corte was on her way to Italy with some classmates when Islamic State terrorists detonated a bomb at the Brussels international airport. The devastating explosion was one of three coordinated suicide bombings that killed 32 people and injured up to 300 - another other attack took place at the Maelbeek metro station, per DW.
While De Corte, then just 17, was not physically injured she suffered from pronounced psychological effects - including PTSD, depression, and intense panic attacks.
Her school psychologist spoke to RTBF about the effects suffered by De Corte and her classmates, stating: "There are some students who react worse than others to traumatic events. And having interviewed her twice, I can tell you that Shanti De Corte was one of those fragile students."
The Daily Mail reported that De Corte went to a psychiatric hospital in Antwerp and was given a range of anti-depressant medications, however, the young woman made two attempts on her life - once in 2018 and then again in 2020.
De Corte was sadly sexually assaulted during her stay at the hospital in 2018, causing her mental health to decline and resulting in an attempt to take her own life. After her second attempt, De Corte reached out to an organization focusing on dying with dignity - also known as euthanasia.
The Missouri University School of Medicine defines euthanasia - which comes from the Greek words "eu" meaning good, and "thanos" meaning death, and can often be a highly controversial topic - as the practice of ending a patient's life to limit suffering. This can be due to the patient being terminally ill, or suffering great pain.
The practice is rare, but is becoming more common around the world and is legal in Belgium.
Two psychologists in the country approved De Corte's formal request to be euthanized.
De Corte eventually died via euthanasia in May this year, with her mom, Marielle, recently talking to Belgian news outlet VRT to speak on her daughter's experience.
Marielle had stated: "That day really cracked her, she never felt safe after that. She didn't want to go anywhere where other people were, out of fear. She also had frequent panic attacks and she never got rid of it."
Per RTBF, De Corte passed away peacefully surrounded by her family.
In a Facebook post from the day she died, De Corte had written: "I was laughing and crying. Until the last day. I loved and was allowed to feel what true love is. Now I will go away in peace. Know that I miss you already."
The RTBF reported that The Federal Commission for the Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia in Belgium had said they'd had no concerns over De Corte's case, yet neurologist Paul Delenre believed that there were many different types of treament available to the young woman that had not been tried.
The Mirror reports that Antwerp prosecutors have launched an investigation into De Corte's passing.
