Belgium Approves Child Euthanasia
Parliament in Belgium has passed a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit, by 86 votes to 44, with 12 abstentions.
When, as expected, the bill is signed by the king, Belgium will become the first country in the world to remove any age limit on the practice.
It may be requested by terminally ill children who are in great pain and who have no treatment available.
Opponents argue children cannot make such a difficult decision.
In the Netherlands, Belgium’s northern neighbour, euthanasia is legal for children over the age of 12, if there is parental consent.
Under the Dutch conditions, a patient’s request for euthanasia can be fulfilled by a doctor if the request is “voluntary and well-considered” and the patient is suffering unbearably, with no prospect of improvement.
Belgium passed a law decriminalising euthanasia for terminally ill people over the age of 18 in 2002.
‘Immoral’ law
One man in the public gallery shouted “murderers” in French when the vote was passed, Reuters news agency reports.
Supporters of the legislation argue that in practice the law will affect an extremely small number of children, who would probably be in their teens, the BBC’s Duncan Crawford reports from Brussels.
The law states a child will have to be terminally ill, face “unbearable physical suffering” and make repeated requests to die – before euthanasia is considered.
Parents, doctors and psychiatrists would have to agree before a decision is made.
Protesters have lobbied politicians against the changes.
Church leaders argued the law is immoral.
“The law says adolescents cannot make important decisions on economic or emotional issues, but suddenly they’ve become able to decide that someone should make them die,” Brussels Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, head of the Catholic Church in Belgium, said at a prayer vigil last week.
Some paediatricians have warned vulnerable children could be put at risk and have questioned whether a child can really be expected to make such a difficult choice.
But opinion polls have suggested broad support in Belgium for the changes.
Same Difference 
its bad enough being ill disabled but now you get to be put down like a dog isn’t life great that now we can packed off but now you opened the door to the way this lot treat us put us down after we no longer of use to society look out coming soon pick your towel up and bar of soap yes it cant be far off
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It’s one of those subjects that most people really don’t want to touch because it’s so complicated isn’t it. I kind of see the point that the person above makes but on the flip side I also can see the other side too – if a person (regardless of age) has no hope of actual recovery, is in unbearable pain that will not stop and repeatedly asks to be let go that may not be an entirely bad thing. Hope that isn’t an offensive thing to post
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I see this as a slippery slope. It desensitises people and the goal posts can be shifted. Children can be given pain relief and kept comfortable, if terminally ill. Because time is short each day is precious in such a situation, or so it should be.
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