Frans Jozef van der Heijden

Frans Jozef van der Heijden (20 March 1938 – 21 October 2016) was a Dutch politician. He served as member of the House of Representatives for the Christian Democratic Appeal between 1982 and 1998. Before his time in the House he was active in the municipal politics of Rotterdam and in the States of South Holland.

Early life and career Van der Heijden was born on 20 March 1938 in Rotterdam. He followed his primary education in Rotterdam and later attended the HBS at the Sint Franciscus College in his hometown.

Apart from his political career Van der Heijden served positions on the boards of various institutes and organizations, including the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and RTV Rijnmond. Van der Heijden was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion on 28 April 1995 and invested as a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau on 18 May 1998. On 21 October 2016, Van der Heijden and his wife ended their lives by euthanasia. In their death notice the couple hinted at the Dutch discussion regarding self chosen deaths. They stated that in the discussion there was as of yet no room for saying goodbyes together. The couple had both been suffering from terminal illnesses.