[ad_1]
Even more unusual is the fact that this decision will not be made not even by law, but by a regulation of the Dutch Minister of Health, since euthanasia is already a legal practice in the Netherlands.
Hugo de Jonge, the Dutch Health Minister, announced that he will draw up a regulation on the euthanasia of sick children aged 1 to 12, based on a study by experts consulted by the ministry, which shows that these sick children suffer a lot.
Euthanasia, a legal practice
Until now, euthanasia of sick children was legal in the Netherlands for babies under one year of age, with the consent of the parents, and for those over 12, with their consent.
However, there were no legal clauses for children between one and 12 years old, as the Dutch authorities had not agreed on the ability of these children to make such a decision.
Minister Hugo de Jonge said, quoted by AFP and assumed by Hotnews, that a study conducted by medical experts at the request of the Health Ministry showed that the new rule can be applied to five to ten children a year.
“The study shows that there is a need for power to end life intentionally among doctors and parents of incurable children, who are in desperate and terrible suffering and their death is predictable,” Hugo de Jonge said in a letter. parliament.
A difficult debate
Before. Coalition government ministers led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte reached an agreement on the issue on Tuesday, with difficulty and intense debate, after months in which strong opposition from Christian parties had managed to keep the project on track.
The Minister of Health also explained that existing laws should not be changed, but only that now doctors will be protected from criminal prosecution if they decide to sacrifice a suffering child.
The Dutch parliament could debate the issue of the killing of sick children between the ages of 1 and 12 on Thursday. Later, with the agreement of the legislature, the executive could implement the related regulations.
The Netherlands and Belgium were the first countries in the world to legalize euthanasia in 2002. Belgium became the first country to allow voluntary euthanasia of children in 2014, quickly followed by the Netherlands.
