The Netherlands Allows Lethal Injection For Children Who Are Seriously Ill

Illustration (Emin Baycan / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Dutch government will allow doctors to give euthanasia or lethal injection to children aged one to 12 who are seriously ill. The rule is the culmination of months of debate between those for and against the policy.

The Dutch Health Minister, Hugo de Jonge, said a change in regulations was needed to help a small group of seriously ill children who were suffering and without hope. The purpose of the rules is also to end the unbearable suffering of children.

The new regulation will repeal the threat of prosecution against doctors for euthanizing. The Dutch government estimates that the new rules will affect at least five to ten children each year.

The Netherlands is not the only country that applies this lethal injection regulation. Launching The Guardian , Thursday, October 15, the first country to implement this rule is Belgium.

Since 2014 Belgium has allowed euthanasia in young, seriously ill patients. Two Belgian children, aged nine and 11, were the first to be euthanized in 2016 and 2017.

Life-ending interventions are also legal in the Netherlands for children over 12 years of age if the patient and their parents have the consent. Infants up to one year of age can also end their life with the consent of their parents.

Before the regulation that allowed lethal injection, children who were seriously ill were usually given palliative care, namely reducing their nutritional intake to speed up their death. Doctors who take action to end a patient's life will face prosecution.

Debate

This gap in the provision for children between the ages of one and 12 has been described as a "gray area" by doctors calling for change. The issue has caused heated debate within the ruling four-party coalition, with opposition from both Christian parties, led by De Jonge and the more conservative leader ChristenUnie.

De Jonge is open to debate on this issue but he faces opposition from ChristenUnie. But in a letter to the Dutch parliament announcing the government's intentions, De Jonge cited a recent report showing overwhelming support for legal changes among doctors.

"This study shows that there is a need for life cessation among doctors and parents of children who are incurably ill, who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably and are dying in the near future," wrote De Jonge.

Parental consent will be required and the patient will have to endure “unbearable and endless suffering” for euthanasia to be granted. At least two doctors must approve the procedure.

Since 2002, doctors have been able to provide euthanasia to adults in the Netherlands in cases that are considered voluntary and well considered requests. The decision to euthanize was made because of the patient's unbearable suffering and there was no prospect of cure or alternative treatment. Last year there were 6,361 euthanasia cases in the Netherlands, more than 4 percent of the country's total deaths. Of these, 91 percent were for terminal medical conditions.

Another case of euthanasia involves serious mental illness. Two years ago, the case of Aurelia Brouwers, 29, who continuously committed suicide, sparked debate when her decision to die was featured in a documentary by Dutch TV network RTL Nieuws. Brouwers was filmed during the two weeks before his death, including a visit to the crematorium he chose for his funeral.

Doctor Brouwers himself did not want to help his patient end his life. But his wish was granted after registering with Levenseindekliniek - End of Life Clinic - in The Hague.