Story perspectives

Dutch Child Euthanasia First Under 2024 Law, Prosecutors Involved

6/27/2026

Summary

Sophie Hermans Reports Euthanasia

Sophie Hermans said a child under 12 was euthanised in 2025, the first under the 2024 law.
Authorities withheld child’s identity, age, gender and illness after the committee referred the case to Dutch Public Prosecution Service.
The 2024 amendment permits euthanasia for children 1-12 who are ill, suffer unbearably and have parental consent, a provision expected to yield five to ten per year but has produced one in two years.

Summary

Dutch Case Ignites

The Dutch case has reignited bioethics debates, with clinicians in Africa and the Middle East stressing palliative care over life-ending measures.
Belgium dropped age limits in 2014 and recorded pediatric cases, a 9-year-old with a brain tumor.
France, the United Kingdom and twelve U.S. states, plus D.C., are debating or permitting assisted suicide for adults.
Opponents warn the Dutch precedent could spur other nations to expand pediatric end-of-life laws.

History

Historical Context

In 2002 the Dutch Parliament legalized euthanasia for competent adults, and the Groningen Protocol of 2004 set criteria for child cases without prosecution. Belgium extended its 2002 law to terminally ill children in 2014, recording three pediatric cases by 2016. The 2024 Dutch amendment permitting pediatric euthanasia led Sophie Hermans to report the first such case, prompting a prosecution investigation.

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Sophie Hermans Reports Euthanasia

Sophie Hermans said a child under 12 was euthanised in 2025, the first under the 2024 law.
Authorities withheld child’s identity, age, gender and illness after the committee referred the case to Dutch Public Prosecution Service.
The 2024 amendment permits euthanasia for children 1-12 who are ill, suffer unbearably and have parental consent, a provision expected to yield five to ten per year but has produced one in two years.

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