A child in the Netherlands under the age of 12 has become the first to die by euthanasia since the country changed its law to allow assisted dying for children between the ages of 1 and 12.
For the first time since the law changed in the Netherlands, a child under the age of 12 has died by euthanasia. According to the Daily Mail, the child was severely ill, but no further details about the illness or the child’s exact age were disclosed.
The country’s health minister, Sophie Hermans, confirmed that the child died last year while presenting the annual report reviewing late-term abortions and medically assisted deaths involving children to parliament on Monday.
The law was changed in 2024 to extend assisted dying to children under the age of 12 if it would allow them to “die with dignity” when no other option to escape extreme suffering was available.
What the new law says
According to the Dutch government’s official website, “termination of life is only allowed if a child is terminally ill and is suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement. This means the child is in constant, severe pain. And that there is no cure, and no reasonable alternative to relieve the child’s suffering, even through palliative care.
“In this situation, the doctor may decide, together with the parents, to terminate the child’s life. This decision is always made in consultation with the parents and, if possible, also with the child.”
In order for the process to take place, a doctor must demonstrate to authorities that euthanasia is appropriate and that no other humane alternative remains.
“A special review committee checks whether the doctor has acted with due care (in Dutch), on the basis of general medical standards and current medical knowledge. The committee is made up of 4 doctors specialising in relevant areas of medicine, a lawyer and an ethicist,” according to the website.
“The committee sends its findings to the Public Prosecution Service, which then determines whether the doctor complied with the law (in Dutch).”
