On 13 February, Belgium voted to extend the country’s euthanasia laws to terminally ill children. Euthanasia has been legal in Belgium for 12 years, and is also available to adults who are not terminally ill. Belgium is the first country in the world to remove an age limit on euthanasia.
For the first time, children under the age of 18 will be able to request euthanasia provided their illness is terminal, causes unbearable pain and there is no treatment available. To be able to request euthanasia, parental consent is required and the child will also have to be assessed by a psychologist or medical practitioner. The legislative change was backed by 86 members of parliament, with 44 against and 12 abstentions.
Within the EU, only Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have legalised euthanasia.
Click here to an article on the development in the Irish Times.
Click here to read a blog article by Northwestern University law professor Eugene Kontorovich on the Washington Post’s website, which discusses the new Belgian law in comparison to juvenile death penalty.