Euthanasia for young minors under the age of 12, has been greenlit by the Dutch government under the strict condition that the minors must be suffering "unbearably and without hope."

Children over 12 can already ask for euthanasia, albeit with the condition that parents give their consent, until they are 16. It is also worth noting that babies, under the age of 1, can also be euthanized with parental consent.

The government agreed to modify an existing protocol, which does not require parliamentary approval, after Dutch doctors requested, for years, that the age limit be brought down.

Some of the strict regulations upon which the protocol was modified stated, "In the light of the prevailing medical opinion, the child’s suffering must be unbearable and with no prospect of improvement. This means that the decision to discontinue treatment is justified. There must be no doubt about the diagnosis and prognosis."

According to the Health Ministry, "The cabinet is working on a life termination scheme for children up to the age of 12 who suffer unbearably and without hope," adding that annually, the process will be applicable to "a small group of about five to 10 children... whose palliative care options are not sufficient to relieve suffering and who are expected to die within the foreseeable future."

Previously, Belgium had made, in 2014, euthanasia for children under 12 possible with the child's consent.

Health ministry spokesperson Axel Dees told AFP that if the child cannot give consent, the Dutch protocol allows euthanasia only after parents have consulted a doctor and given their permission.

Health Minister Ernst Kuipers announced, "I am pleased that after intensive consultation with all parties involved, we have come to a solution with which we can help these terminally-ill children, their parents, and also their practitioners."

Moreover, Kuipers explained that "This is a very complex subject that deals with harrowing situations that you would not wish on anyone."

It is significant to note that in 2022, it was reported that over 8,700 individuals aged 16 and above were euthanized across the Netherlands. 

Canada going as far as possible abuse with MAiD, hitting brakes needed

Death has been sanitized and institutionalized to a large extent throughout the 20th and into the 21st centuries, with the dying assigned to hospitals or nursing homes, out of sight, and the bodies efficiently whisked away by professionals in the business of tidy dispatch.

The debate in Canada over medical aid in dying, or MAiD, brought about tons of issues to consider, including the ways and means of death and the choice one makes regarding how to exit from the mortal stage.

The procedure was legalized in 2016, with the goal of allowing those with terminal illnesses to seek the assistance of doctors in alleviating their suffering as they near inevitable death.

However, MAiD was expanded in 2021 to include people whose deaths are not reasonably foreseeable.

Read more: French actor Alain Delon decides to end his life