GESTIÓN EN SALUD PÚBLICA: BioEdge: First child euthanised in Belgium

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BioEdge: First child euthanised in Belgium

BioEdge: First child euthanised in Belgium

Bioedge

First child euthanised in Belgium

by Michael Cook | 17 Sep 2016 | 4 comments

A terminally ill youngster been euthanised in Belgium – the first since Parliament lifted all age restrictions in 2014. The head of the Federal Control and Evaluation Committee on Euthanasia, Dr Wim Distelmans, confirmed that the case had been reported by a local doctor last week.

While details were not disclosed, even the age, he described it as an exceptional case of a child with a terminal illness living in the Flemish-speaking section of Belgium. "Fortunately there are very few children who are considered (for euthanasia) but that does not mean we should refuse them the right to a dignified death," he told the Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad today.

Belgium is the only country that allows all minors of any age to opt for euthanasia. They need only prove that they have a rational decision-making capacity and be in the final stages of a terminal illness.

After a heated debate Belgium amended its euthanasia law in 2014 to include children of any age "in a hopeless medical situation of constant and unbearable suffering that cannot be eased and which will cause death in the short term." The parents must give their approval, as well. Neighbouring Netherlands allows euthanasia for people as young as 12.

- See more at: http://www.bioedge.org/bioethics/first-child-euthanised-in-belgium/12008#sthash.qwUrtDTX.dpuf

Bioedge

Today is a landmark, of sorts. It marks the first time that a child has been euthanised under contemporary euthanasia laws. Of course, euthanising infants is relatively common, but not children who are old enough to be asked if they really want to die. The death occurred last week in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, although it was announced today by Belgium's euthanasia supremo, Wim Distelmans. His words were very sober and solemn, as befits the occasion, but I suspect that he and his colleagues are quietly happy to see the boundaries of euthanasia spread even further.

Ultimately this is a triumph for out-and-out nihilism, not just Belgium's inventive euthanasia lobby. Nihilism is a philosophical fad which seems to catching on. Below we feature a report on three American bioethicists who argue the case for population control to fight climate change and a defense of infanticide by a Finnish bioethicist. I've also just discovered a new book by South African philosopher David Benatar. In it he argues that procreation is morally wrong because life's a bitch and then you die (I am over-simplifying, of course.) He concludes his book with these cheerful thoughts:

Every birth is a future death. Between the birth and the death there is bound to be plenty of unpleasantness ... Inflicting serious harm—or even the risk of it—on one person, without his or her consent, in order to benefit others, is presumptively wrong.

If I'm right, euthanising a child is not an terminus for Belgian euthanasia, but just a bus stop en route to pure nihilism. What its supporters are trying to eliminate is not just pain, but life itself. What do you think?