Termination of life for terminally ill children aged 1 to 12
Sometimes, a child is so severely ill that the parents and doctor together decide that there is no alternative but to terminate the child’s life. The doctor must always exercise due medical care.
Unbearable suffering without prospect of improvement
Termination of life is only allowed if a child is terminally ill and is suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement. This means the child is in constant, severe pain. And that there is no cure, and no reasonable alternative to relieve the child’s suffering, even through palliative care.
In this situation, the doctor may decide, together with the parents, to terminate the child’s life. This decision is always made in consultation with the parents and, if possible, also with the child.
Due medical care
A doctor’s decision about terminating the life of a child aged 1 to 12 must be based on general medical standards and current medical knowledge. The doctor must exercise due medical care when performing the procedure.
Rules on termination of life for children aged 1 to 12
A doctor who performs termination of life for a child aged 1 to 12 must follow the proper procedure (in Dutch).
A special review committee checks whether the doctor has acted with due care (in Dutch), on the basis of general medical standards and current medical knowledge. The committee is made up of 4 doctors specialising in relevant areas of medicine, a lawyer and an ethicist.
The committee sends its findings to the Public Prosecution Service, which then determines whether the doctor complied with the law (in Dutch).