NETHERLANDS – The Dutch government has approved plans to allow euthanasia for terminally ill children aged between one and 12.
On Tuesday, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said the rule change would prevent some children from “suffering hopelessly and unbearably.”
Euthanasia is currently legal in the Netherlands for children older than 12, with mandatory consent from the patient and their parents.
Following the government’s approval of the plans, de Jonge said he would draft new regulations for the practice. He said a study by experts had noted a need for the rule change.
The current laws would not need to be changed, the health minister added, but doctors would be exempt from prosecution for carrying out an approved euthanasia on someone in this age range. (BBC)
