Belgium today moved closer to extending euthanasia to terminally ill children.
The Senate’s justice and social affairs committee approved a draft bill allowing the practice Dec. 4th. It will now pass to parliament where it will be voted upon in the coming months.
The proposed legislation would allow the euthanasia of terminally-ill minors so long as they are judged capable of deciding for themselves and are in pain that is «unbearable and cannot be alleviated», according to AFP.
A medical team would offer advice and their parents’ approval would be required.
Three quarters of Belgians approve the move, according to surveys. Earlier this month, 16 paediatricians called on lawmakers to approve the legislation.
Nirj Deva, a founding member of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, told ZENIT Dec. 4th that “all Belgians ought to be terrified by the implications of this proposed law.”
“The irony of human history shows that when we start deciding which human lives are worthy of living, the moment inevitably comes when someone else makes that decision for us,” he warned.
Deva said he believes the proposed law is the “skeletal face of healthcare rationing, disguised by a mask of false mercy and compassion.”
