Dutch Government Plans to Expand Euthanasia Policy

The Dutch government plans to expand its current euthanasia policy to allow doctors to end the lives of terminally ill newborns with their parents’ consent. The Netherlands became the first country to legalize euthanasia for adults under some conditions in 2001, and the new protocol is likely to be opposed by disability advocacy groups and right-to-life organizations. The CBC reports that a letter outlining the new directives will be submitted to parliament for discussion by mid-October.

Euthanasia is banned in most countries, including Canada. Belgium legalized it under strict conditions in 2002. Switzerland allows passive assistance to terminally ill people who have expressed a wish to die. In the United States, only Oregon allows physician-assisted suicide, and its law is under constant challenge. In Canada, there was a high-profile court case regarding assisted suicide involving Sue Rodriguez, a woman with ALS who took her own life in 1994 after losing a bid to the Supreme Court to be legally assisted.

The change in Dutch policy will likely provide the model for how the country treats other cases in which people are unable to say whether they want to live or die, such as those involving people with intellectual disabilities or dementia. Official reports say that about 2,000 people are euthanized each year in the Netherlands. Independent studies suggest the number is higher. The deaths were classified as murder, and doctors who carried out such killings were required to report themselves to the authorities for potential prosecution. However, in the 22 cases reported between 1997 and 2004—most involving infants with spina bifida — there were no prosecutions.