lifenews.com
2026-06-26
The media is (properly) reporting that a Dutch doctor euthanized -- i.e. killed -- a sick twelve-year-old child (illness not reported). It is a "first" under a new Dutch law that allows euthanasia for children ages one to twelve. From the story in The Independent:
In a letter to parliament, Dutch health minister Sophie Hermans said that the child had died last year but did not clarify their age, date of death or the illness that they suffered, according to broadcaster NOS.
The law in the Netherlands was changed in 2024 to extend euthanasia to children under the age of 12 to allow them to "die with dignity" if there was no route to escape extremely severe pain or suffering.
The media always spout the "no route to escape" idea, which is often a false premise.
But that point aside, this pediatric case is hardly the first we have seen in recent years. As the story notes, doctors commit legal infanticide when babies are born with terminal illnesses or serious disabilities. This is allowed under the "Groningen Protocol," a bureaucratic checklist to determine which babies are killable.