EuthaNEWSia (www.euthanewsia.ca)

An elderly man has pleaded guilty to being part of a suicide pact that ended with his sick life partner's death. Ian James Green, 74, appeared in the Auckland District Court last week on one charge of entering into a suicide pact in which Jon Marie de Wijn died. De Wijn, known as Hans to friends and family, and Green had been in a relationship for 30 years and lived together in their Hillsborough home. He had suffered from Alzheimer's disease for a number of years. De Wijn died on May 17 last year after the couple decided to take their own lives. De Wijn succeeded but Green did not.

De Wijn was diagnosed with Alzheimer's eight years ago, after he found himself unable to remember how to craft the handmade lace he had been producing as a hobby for years. His symptoms began with short-term memory loss and later developed into vision and depth perception problems. They had planned to travel overseas during their retirement years, but de Wijn said it would have been difficult for him to cope with staying in unfamiliar houses. Detective Senior Sergeant Hywel Jones said the couple had planned suicide together.

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Lewis, Rebecca "Man guilty after lover's death". New Zealand Herald. 4:00 AM Sunday Jan 31, 2010. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10623253&pnum=0. The New Zealand Herald, PO Box 32, Auckland, New Zealand.

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The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201002037022.
Mailed: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 14:18:23 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>.

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