Editor: Katerina Maniadaki
A seriously ill child under the age of 12 was submitted to , for the first time since the law changed two years ago.
According to the NOS network, Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans said in a letter to parliament that the child died last year, but did not specify his age, date of death or the illness he suffered from.
With a 2024 legislative change, the Netherlands extended the right to euthanasia to children under 12, giving them the option of a “dignified death” when there is no other way out of extreme pain and suffering. Until then, the procedure was legally covered only for newborns and minors over the age of 12, while for any patient under the age of 18, the approval of their parent or guardian remains necessary.
The strict conditions of the law
Under euthanasia laws, the patient must be in a state of intolerable suffering without realistic hope of relief, and the procedure is only used in exceptional and extreme circumstances.
In order for the procedure to proceed, the doctor must convince the authorities that euthanasia is the appropriate solution and that there is no other humane alternative. This threshold is extremely high when the legislation applies to young children.
Hermans said the relevant evaluation committee had reviewed the case and spoken to the doctor involved, according to NOS.
The committee’s decision has been forwarded to the Prosecutor’s Office, which must ultimately decide whether the doctor acted within the law. The evaluation committee’s recommendation will be made public soon, the minister explained.
When the regulation was changed, it was expected to affect about five children each year.
“Unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement”
“Euthanasia is permitted only for patients whose unbearable suffering, with no prospect of improvement, has a medical dimension,” the government guidelines state.
“Termination of life is permitted only if the child is terminally ill and suffering excruciatingly with no prospect of improvement. This means that the child is in constant, intense pain, with no cure and no reasonable alternative for relief, even through palliative care.
In this situation, the doctor can decide, together with the parents, to end the child’s life. This decision is always made in consultation with the parents and, if possible, with the child himself.”
What is happening in other countries?
Corresponding legislative initiatives are expected in United Kingdom. This September, the Assisted Dying Bill returns to the House of Commons, which will give adults in England and Wales with less than six months to live to request the end of their life, subject to approval by two doctors and a special committee.
Along with the Netherlands, the Belgium has one of the most open frameworks. In 2014, it became the first country in the world to completely lift age limits, allowing euthanasia for minors of any age, as long as they are mentally aware, terminally ill and have parental consent.
At Luxembourg euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal for adults suffering from terminal illnesses
In Spain allow from 2021 both euthanasia and assisted suicide for adults with serious, incurable and debilitating illnesses.
In Portugalafter years of political wrangling, legalized in 2023 euthanasia for adults experiencing “excruciating pain” from a terminal illness or serious injury.
In Switzerland active euthanasia – that is, having the doctor give you the injection – is prohibited. However, assisted suicide has been legal since 1942, with the sole condition that the assistant receives no personal or financial gain. In fact, the fact that the framework also covers foreign nationals has turned organizations like Dignitas into a destination of so-called “clinical tourism”.
In Italy active euthanasia remains illegal. In contrast, assisted suicide is now legal, but only for patients on mechanical support and with terminal illnesses, but the process remains an arduous bureaucratic battle. It is noted that the Italian parliament, due to strong conservative reflexes and the influence of the Vatican, has not yet passed a clear national law regulating hospital procedures.
OR Austria and the Germany have legalized assisted suicide for adults, but with very strict bureaucratic safeguards. The relevant legislation was passed in Austria in 2022, while in Germany it was implemented following a decision of the Constitutional Court in 2020.
Since 2016, Mr Canada allows adults to access medical assistance in dying (MAID). The relevant framework became even more flexible in 2021, as it also included patients with serious, chronic diseases, without necessarily being at a terminal stage. Now, the country is in the midst of an intense public debate over whether this right should be extended to both minors and the mentally ill.
On USA active euthanasia is federally prohibited. However, assisted suicide is legal in 11 states (including Oregon, Washington, California, and Colorado) only for adults with a life expectancy of less than 6 months.
What is true in Greece?
In Greece, and they are criminally prosecuted (under the Penal Code for homicide with consent or participation in suicide).
What is acceptable in the Greek medical reality is the so-called “passive euthanasia” or, more correctly, palliative care: that is, the cessation of artificial support or the administration of strong pain relievers to terminally ill patients, even if this biologically accelerates death.
