The Dutch government has updated its “voluntary death” laws to allow parents to euthanize their children.
Law Aimed At Children “Terminally Ill”
The Netherlands is leading the way in a program of cultural suicide, with legislators approving euthanasia for children under 12.
In an announcement made on April 14, Dutch Health Minister Ernst Kuipers wrote that the measures would be aimed at “incurably ill children who are suffering hopelessly and unbearably, in whom palliative care options are not sufficient to alleviate the suffering and who are expected to die within the foreseeable future.”
If the child is aged between 1 and 12 years old and meets certain criteria, parents can now put them forward for “assisted suicide.”
The updated law states that the only qualification is that the child must be terminally ill and be suffering.
The law was updated after the Dutch government tweaked its Euthanasia Act so that children are covered for the first time, The Telegraph reported.
“Under the change, euthanasia – legal, voluntary death carried out by a doctor – will only be an option for children who are suffering unbearably with no hope of improvement and for whom palliative care cannot bring relief,” the report explained.
Health minister Ernst Kuipers said the death procedure now is available for “children who are so ill that death is unavoidable and they are expected to die soon.”
The government said it expects the process will be used on up to 10 children a year.
The government argues that euthanasia is different from suicide as it is seen as a medical procedure.
The idea of expanding the laws to children was widely supported by physicians in the Netherlands, according to WND.
But fierce opposition was coming from two Christian parties in the ruling Dutch coalition, the report said.
Kuipers said the change is “a solution that will help these incurably ill children, their parents, and also their doctors.”
Belgium, a neighbor, approved doctor-assisted death for children of all ages a few years ago and has already killed over 27,000 people with euthanasia so far.
Last year in the Netherlands, 8,720 people were killed by euthanasia.
Since it first was adopted by the Dutch government in 2002, more than 91,000 have died by the procedure. A report from the Christian Institute in the U.K. said Kevin Yuill, of the group Humanists Against Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, said the numbers are alarming.
“Euthanasia is increasingly seen as a solution for social rather than medical problems,” he explained.
“What we are increasingly seeing is death, ironically, as a ‘lifestyle choice’ for those who are frightened of living. This is worrying, to say the least.”
With this development, Dutch citizens can be legally killed at every stage of their lives: in the womb through abortion, while still young through euthanasia, and in the later stages of life through assisted suicide or euthanasia.
Note: Since 2002, the Netherlands has approved legal euthanasia for individuals, including children aged 12 and older. If between 12 and 16, the children would require the consent of their parents before the state kills them. However, minors over 16 are deemed legally able to make their own decisions.
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