Doctors in the Netherlands can no longer be prosecuted for carrying out euthanasia on dementia patients who have previously given written consent. Previously, patients would need to confirm their request. But on Tuesday the Dutch Supreme Court ruled this was no longer the case.

The decision comes after a doctor was taken to court for carrying out assisted suicide on a patient with Alzheimer’s, who had previously asked for the procedure in a statement. Prosecutors said the doctor did not properly consult the unnamed 74-year-old. But the family supported the doctor’s decision, and she was acquitted of any wrongdoing last year.(BBC)…[+]