NETHERLANDS. – The Dutch Assessment Commission LZA/LP&K has found that a doctor who ended the life of a child of nearly two years met the requirements of the country's special arrangement for life termination of children between one and 12 years.
The case is now being reviewed by the Dutch Public Prosecution Service. A special arrangement was introduced in 2024 by the Dutch government for children aged one to 12 years for exceptional cases where a child suffers unbearably and without prospect of improvement and there is no reasonable alternative.
The child was born at 26 weeks and suffered severe brain damage. According to the assessment commission, the child had cerebral disability, severe visual impairment, regular epileptic seizures and serious problems with breathing and swallowing. The child could not communicate and had a developmental age of approximately six weeks. The parents and doctor concluded that the child suffered unbearably and without prospect of relief and that medical and non-medical interventions could not alleviate the suffering. It was found that the doctor met all the requirements for proper care.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children criticised the decision and warned that it raises questions about the protection of children and disabled people.
Click here to read more.
Sources: Assessment Commission, Dutch Government, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
