Printer-friendly version
The Dutch government wants to include children under euthanasia law.
In 2002, Holland became the first country to legalize the practice of euthanasia. Now the Dutch government is preparing to expand its euthanasia law to include children Dutch doctors feel are too sick to be helped with medical care, and lower the age of those able to request assisted suicide from 16 to 12.
In 2002, Holland became the first country to legalize the practice of euthanasia, allowing doctors to end the life of a patient, 16 and older, with their consent, who is suffering from a terminal illness or incurable condition. Teenagers under the age of 16 must have their parents’ approval. Now the Dutch government is preparing to expand its euthanasia law to include children Dutch doctors feel are too sick to be helped with medical care, and lower the age of those able to request assisted suicide from 16 to 12. Under the new guidelines, known as the Groningen Protocol, two agreeing doctors may also kill newborn babies with the consent of the parents in cases where the infants are severely disabled or unlikely to live long. Opponents of the Groningen Protocol say the doctors’ focus should be on easing pain rather than playing an active role in death.
In the wake of the Terri Schiavo case, the American Medical Association in June adopted a resolution opposing any legislation that would make sure disabled and incapacitated patients are not refused lifesaving medical care. It seems that doctors don’t want the government to get involved in the doctor-patient relationship. Nancy Valko of Nurses for Life says that many doctors and hospital officials have adopted futile care policies and are therefore quick to give up hope on treating a patient and deny further lifesaving medical treatment. As a result, the need for the kind of legislation the AMA opposes is great. This also makes the creation of advanced directives, in which people make their wishes known beforehand, imperative. Given the manner in which Terri died, many who have written their advanced directives recently have added, “I do not want to be deprived of food or water.”
