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The Belgian Senate has voted in favour of extending its euthanasia law to terminally-ill children.

The Senate voted 50-17 in favour of the legislation, which is opposed by religious leaders in Belgium.

The bill seeks to allow children to ask for euthanasia if their illness is terminal, they are in great pain and there is no available treatment.

It will now go before the lower house of parliament, where correspondents say it is likely to be approved.

Belgium passed a law decriminalising euthanasia for terminally-ill people over the age of 18 in 2002.

The latest bill proposes to make Belgium the first country in the world to remove any age limit on the practice.

But it stipulates a number of caveats on euthanasia:

It says the patient must be conscious of their decision and understand the meaning of euthanasia
The request must have been approved by the child's parents and medical team
Their illness must be terminal
They must be in great pain, with no available treatment to alleviate their distress
In November, 16 paediatricians urged lawmakers in Belgium to approve the legislation in an open letter.

"Experience shows us that in cases of serious illness and imminent death, minors develop very quickly a great maturity, to the point where they are often better able to reflect and express themselves on life than healthy people," said their statement.

During the Senate debate, supporters of the bill said it would empower doctors and terminally-ill children to make a difficult decision.

"There is no age for suffering and, next to that, it's very important that we have a legal framework for the doctors who are confronted with this demand today and for the minors, for the capable minors, who are suffering today, and who I think should have the freedom to choose how they cope with their suffering," said Senator Jean-Jacques de Gucht, of the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats.

But opponents in the Senate said children were not capable of making such a decision.

"We think that children don't understand the character of death, they don't understand the irreversibility of death," said Els Van Hoof of the Christian Democratic and Flemish party. "They are also influenced by authority, by their parents, by the medical team. So, to take a decision which is a huge decision about their death we don't think that they are capable of doing it."

In 2012, Belgium recorded 1,432 cases of euthanasia in 2012, up by 25% from 2011.

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Originally posted by Geezer:

Not sure how I feel about this. Seems that some children, especially very young ones, wouldn't understand the gravity of such a decision.

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Originally posted by AgentRouka:

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Originally posted by Geezer:

Not sure how I feel about this. Seems that some children, especially very young ones, wouldn't understand the gravity of such a decision.

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But then the first caveat would apply. Seems that circumstance has been thought of and given priority.

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Originally posted by Geezer:

"It says the patient must be conscious of their decision and understand the meaning of euthanasia"

But how do you determine whether a five-year-old actually understands the meaning of euthanasia, or is just agreeing with the grown-ups? Children can often be influenced by authority figures such as parents and doctors.

One would hope that there are many checks and decision points in this system when it comes to children.

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Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Too many damn Belgians already.

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Originally posted by AgentRouka:

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Originally posted by Geezer:

"It says the patient must be conscious of their decision and understand the meaning of euthanasia"

But how do you determine whether a five-year-old actually understands the meaning of euthanasia, or is just agreeing with the grown-ups? Children can often be influenced by authority figures such as parents and doctors.

One would hope that there are many checks and decision points in this system when it comes to children.

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Considering children are defined in the context as anyone under 18, you're likely not looking at a majority of heartless parents and doctors just aching to put burdensome, terminally ill toddlers to sleep, but at a big range of ages where all involved are giving a whole deal of thought to their options.

A five-year-old probably can't comprehend this decision very well, and thus it's not applicable. But a 13-year-old who knows they won't live to see 15, knows that nothing is ahead but physical misery, deteriorating dignity, fading capacity for awareness of their own person? That's where this conversation is probably taking place.

It's not like Belgians are somehow significantly removed from the human condition, looking for opportunities to murder their dying children. These adults are probably not the ones bringing up the subject in the first place.

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Originally posted by Geezer:
The person, or board, or panel, who reviews these cases has a lot of responsibility.

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Originally posted by AURaptor:

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Originally posted by Jongsstraw:
Too many damn Belgians already.

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But their waffles are so yummy . :(

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Originally posted by AgentRouka:

It's not like Belgians are somehow significantly removed from the human condition, looking for opportunities to murder their dying children. These adults are probably not the ones bringing up the subject in the first place.

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Originally posted by Geezer:


That's pretty much what I'm saying. Whoever is charged with making decisions based on this law will have to be very careful in their deliberations. Circumstances will have to be closely reviewed. I can see situations where the parents - out of concern for the continued suffering of their child - may push the child to accept euthanasia. And as much as I hate to say it, there may be some parents who think it's all just too much and just want to get out from under. The person, or board, or panel, who reviews these cases has a lot of responsibility.

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