Dutch govt approves plan to allow euthanasia for children aged between 1-12 years

Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge on October 13 announced that his government has approved plans to allow euthanasia for incurably ill children between 1-12 years of age. In the Netherlands, euthanasia is legal for children above the age of 12 and for infants below the age of one, however, there is no such provision for children aged between 1 and 12. Euthanasia is performed only after getting consent from patients and parents, who agree because of the unbearable pain and suffering and certain death in the future.   

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'Start drafting resolution soon'

According to BCC, after months of internal debate and pondering the four-party coalition government in the Netherlands agreed to approve the plans of allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children aged between 1 to 12. Hugo de Jonge told the parliament that he would start drafting the resolution for rule change very soon. Jonge said that there is no need to change anything in the current law, only a provision will be added to exempt doctors from prosecution for performing euthanasia on someone belonging to the excluded age group. Certain right-win Christian parties are opposing the proposed rule change. x

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Euthanasia in the Netherlands is legal since 2002 and it is performed only on patients who are suffering from an incurable disease and are going through unbearable pain. It is performed after getting consent from patients and their parents and permission from at least two certified doctors. After the Netherlands allowed euthanasia, neighbouring Belgium also adopted the law and went a step further in 2014 to even allow terminally ill children to undergo the assisted suicide procedure. The Netherlands followed suit a few months later and also allowed children above the age of 12 for voluntary euthanasia. 

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