A new law that allows euthanasia children between 1 and 12 years enters into force in January next year The Netherlands. This medical procedure consists of voluntarily ending the life of a patient who is terminally ill and wants to die with dignity.

The regulation concerns the Terminally ill children who experience “unbearable suffering” and have no hope of recoverysaid Minister of Health Ernst Kuipers.

The current Euthanasia Act, which came into force in April 2002, is accessible to persons over 12 years of age with unbearable and irreversible suffering, provided they have given consent and asked for it when they used their full potential. Parents of babies under one year old also have access to this rule.

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But the regulations that will apply from January benefit between five and ten children each yearfor whom “termination of life is the only viable option to end their suffering,” Kuipers explains.

According to a 2019 study, there was evidence of a “great need” for this option among children in that age range, citing several instances where parents reported their children “screaming in pain for days or having almost continuous seizures” due to terminal illnesses.

“This is a very complex issue that involves very harrowing situations, situations in which no one would want to find themselves,” said the minister. A review committee and the public prosecutor’s office will investigate all cases to determine whether it is carried out carefully and lawfully, the health minister said.