Belgian Senate Votes to Allow Euthanasia for Terminally Ill Children Thursday Dec 12,2013

Belgium took a big step on Thursday to becoming the first country to allow euthanasia for incurably ill children, after the upper house of Parliament voted by a large majority to extend to minors a 2002 law legalizing the practice for adults

50 of the 71 members of the Belgian Senate voted for the measure on Thursday. Just 17, mostly from the conservative, and traditionally Catholic, Christian Democrats, voted against.  4 did not vote.

Under the amended law, euthanasia would become legal for children afflicted with “constant and unbearable physical suffering” and equipped “with a capacity of discernment.”

Philippe Mahoux, a Socialist Party senator and sponsor of the legislation, described giving terminally ill children the right to “die in dignity” as the “ultimate gesture of humanity.” He dismissed the religious leaders’ criticism, saying it was unrepresentative of the views of many ordinary believers, who he said supported the legal change.

He said the legislation did not seek to define death — “that is for theologians and philosophers” — but to allow young people, with the assent of their parents, to choose the manner of their dying in the event of terminal illness and intolerable physical pain. 

Before becoming law, the changes must be voted on by the Parliament’s lower house, which is expected to take up the matter before elections in May 2014

Note

Although Europe is generally far more accepting of euthanasia or assisted suicide than the United States, only a handful of countries have formally legalized medical interventions to cause death. Luxembourg permits euthanasia for adults, and Switzerland allows doctors to help patients die but not to actively kill them. The Netherlands allows euthanasia in special cases for gravely ill patients 12 or older. 

But Belgium — where adult euthanasia cases already number around 1,000 a year — is the first country to propose lifting all age restrictions.