Two-year-old child is euthanised in Netherlands in first case of its kind

A two-year-old child has been euthanised after the Dutch government cut its age limit for assisted dying.

The toddler was nearly 24 months old and suffering from severe medical conditions, a review board in the Netherlands revealed.

It was previously known that a child under 12 had been euthanised in the country, but a Dutch review board has now revealed that the child was just two years old and had been suffering from severe medical conditions.

A report by the Committee for Late-Term Abortion and Termination of Life in Newborns and Children explained that the child, nearly 24 months old at the time of their death, was born prematurely at only 26 weeks. 

The toddler suffered from severe brain damage, cerebral palsy, and visual impairment during their short life, as well as epileptic seizures that were unresponsive to medication and mucus in their lungs, making breathing very difficult.

After determining that the child's suffering could not be alleviated through medical treatment, the doctor and parents decided to end the child's life. 

An investigation by the board concluded that the doctor who carried out the euthanasia had acted with due care. 

The report also stated that the physician had consulted other independent doctors for a second opinion.

'Those physicians established that at that time the child was not continuously suffering unbearably,' the document reads.

'The epilepsy caused a great deal of discomfort, but the epileptic seizures were not continuous. Their conclusion was that there were still reasonable alternatives, such as palliative options and other medications that could possibly result in better control of the epileptic seizures.'

Despite this, the child was euthanised after the doctor sought another second opinion from a physician who concluded that the toddler's 'unbearable suffering was clearly visible' and the requirements for ending the child’s life through euthanasia had been met.

The committee concluded that the doctor made the correct assessment. 

'All facets of "being human" - regarding motor skills, behavior, and personality - were severely impaired and were not going to improve,' the committee said. 

'Despite all medical and non-medical interventions, the parents and the doctor observed no improvement in the child's condition and were convinced that the child was suffering unbearably and without prospect of relief.'

Assisted dying for terminally sick children aged from one to 12 has been legal for two years in the Netherlands. Before the change in the law, only newborns and those over 12 could be euthanised.

Under Dutch law, parents must be consulted, the child must be suffering unbearably, and there can be no chance of recovery.