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Netherlands makes active end of life possible for children under 12 years

On Friday, Dutch parliament broadened right-to-die law to include a clause making “active end of life” possible for children between the ages of 1 and 12 with parental concent. This will only be available for children for whom this is the only reasonable alternative amid endless and excrutiating suffering. According to the Dutch Ministry of Health, this pertains to approximately five to ten children per year. They suffer from an incurable illness or have a severe abnormality such that they are likely to die in the foreseeable future. Doctors fought hard for this change in the law.

Read more: Voor kinderen (1-12 jaar) die ‘uitzichtloos en ondraaglijk’ lijden is levensbeëindiging straks mogelijk (volkskrant.nl)

Dutch to widen ‘right-to-die’ to include terminally ill children | Reuters

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