Children under 12 can now be killed by a doctor in the Netherlands following the extension of the nation’s euthanasia law. SPUC has decried the decision as “shocking” and a “warning” to the UK.
Last Friday, the Netherlands’ Euthanasia Act was extended to include children between the ages of one and 12.
Terminally ill children as young as 12 months can now be killed by a doctor if the child is considered to be suffering unbearably and without any hope of improvement.
The Dutch government has said that it now expects between five and ten children will be euthanised every year.
Until now, only Belgium had allowed children of all ages to be euthanised.
In 2002, the Netherlands was the first country to legalise euthanasia. Since then, over 91,000 people have been killed.
In 2020, SPUC reported that the Netherlands was considering an extension of its euthanasia law to include minors.
SPUC comment
A SPUC spokesperson said: “This is a dark day for the Netherlands, especially its children whose lives are now under grave threat following this shocking decision.
“Doctors, who are supposed to preserve rather than take lives, are increasingly turning to death as a solution to problems of care. Once children have been exposed to this, there is no knowing where this will lead.
“Giving any person a license to kill minors is profoundly wrong and has dire consequences for society. This is where euthanasia and assisted suicide ultimately lead. This is a warning for us all, including Britain, which is currently under threat from proposed assisted suicide legislation.
“Please consider signing our online petition, “Reject Any Move to Legalise Assisted Suicide”, by clicking the link here. We must send a strong message to our political leaders that assisted suicide is a dangerous and unethical practice that must never be legalised in any part of the UK.”
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