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Foul play suspected in death of Dutch politician behind euthanasia law

by Reuters
Thursday, 13 February 2014 12:21 GMT

AMSTERDAM, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Dutch police said on Thursday they suspected foul play in the death this week of the former health minister who was behind the law that made the Netherlands the first country to legalise euthanasia, more than a decade ago.

Els Borst, 81, was found dead in her home on Monday evening, two days after attending a convention of her political party, the right-of-centre Democrats 66.

Borst, a trained doctor who twice served as deputy prime minister, was the architect of the bill in 2002 that gave people suffering from terminal illness the right to end their lives in consultation with a physician.

"Based on forensic tests and findings at the scene, the conclusion can be drawn that the most likely cause of death was a crime," police said in a statement.

Borst was health minister and deputy premier in two governments headed by a Labour prime minister, Wim Kok. (Reporting By Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Sara Webb and Kevin Liffey)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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