A seriously ill child under the age of 12 has become the first to be euthanised under recently expanded Dutch laws permitting assisted dying for young children, Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans announced in a letter to parliament. The procedure occurred late last year and marks the initial application of legislation passed two years prior, extending the option of euthanasia to children aged one to 12.
Before this change, euthanasia in the Netherlands was legally available only for newborns under one and for children aged 12 and above, provided they were experiencing unbearable suffering with no prospect of recovery. For minors under 18, parental consent has been a consistent requirement. The 2024 regulation was introduced to allow children younger than 12 to “die with dignity” if they faced incurable conditions that resulted in intolerable pain or distress and if death was expected in the foreseeable future. Parents must also be involved in the decision-making process, alongside medical professionals who must submit their case to oversight authorities to confirm that no humane alternative exists.
The child’s age, medical condition, location, and other identifying details were not disclosed in Hermans’ communication, which was reported by the Dutch public broadcaster NOS. The law’s extension to younger children was anticipated to be invoked very rarely, given the high threshold physicians must meet to authorize euthanasia in such cases.
Euthanasia was progressively decriminalised in the Netherlands starting in the 1970s and fully legalised for adults in 2002. Over time, the legislation expanded to include 16- and 17-year-olds with parental consultation, and children aged 12 to 15 with parental consent. Currently, euthanasia accounts for just over 5 percent of deaths in the country.
The Netherlands’ regulations differ from those in Belgium, which in 2014 abolished the lower age limit altogether, allowing euthanasia for children of any age under certain conditions. Since then, Belgium has reported a small number of cases involving minors, including a nine-year-old with an incurable brain tumour and an 11-year-old with muscular dystrophy.
Separately, in the United Kingdom, the issue of assisted dying remains under discussion. A recent bill in England and Wales, introduced by MP Lauren Edwards, sought to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults deemed mentally competent with a prognosis of six months or less to live. The bill did not progress before the House of Lords adjourned and is expected to be reintroduced in the Commons later this year. The use of euthanasia for children remains a particularly sensitive and controversial topic internationally, with varying legal frameworks and ethical debates continuing in different countries.