First Case Under Expanded Law
A child under the age of twelve has been euthanized in the Netherlands, the first such case since the country’s euthanasia legislation was broadened in 2024, according to information confirmed by Health Minister Sophie Hermans in a letter to parliament.
The child, whose exact age, gender, and diagnosis were not disclosed, suffered from an incurable illness and died at the end of 2025. Hermans informed lawmakers that the procedure had been reported to the specially established review committee for late-term abortions and medical euthanasia in children.
Strict Criteria and Parental Role
Under the new rules, active life-ending intervention is permissible for children aged one to twelve if they experience unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement, and palliative measures are exhausted. The parents must give consent, and the attending physician must be convinced that death is foreseeable. If the child is deemed capable, their voice must be included in the decision-making process.
Previously, Dutch law allowed euthanasia only for newborns and for minors aged twelve and older. For the youngest in this age bracket, terminal care often involved palliative sedation or withholding nutrition and hydration – a process that could extend for weeks.
The review commission examined the case and interviewed the doctor involved. According to the minister, the commission’s assessment confirmed that the physician acted within the legal framework. The commission’s findings have now been forwarded to the public prosecution service, which will make the final determination on whether the procedure fully complied with the stringent requirements.
Second Nation to Permit Such Cases
The Netherlands is the second country in the world, after Belgium, where a minor under 12 has died by euthanasia. Belgium reported two previous cases: children aged nine and eleven, both at their parents’ request.
Health authorities anticipate approximately five such cases annually. Affected children typically suffer from severe congenital brain, lung, or heart defects, or from aggressive metabolic disorders.
Ethical Safeguards and Criticism
The expansion of the law was politically sensitive, as it touches on the euthanasia of minors who cannot necessarily provide informed consent. Critics have voiced concerns that doctors might hesitate to apply the law fearing legal repercussions, while opponents of euthanasia argue the practice extends beyond acceptable boundaries.
Standard euthanasia procedures in the Netherlands mandate a voluntary, well-considered request from the patient, a hopeless medical situation, an independent second medical opinion, and mandatory judicial review. For children, the additional layer of parental consent and, where possible, the child’s own input are designed to provide ethical safeguards.
The public prosecutor’s ruling is expected soon and will be made public, the minister said. The decision is likely to set a precedent for how the 2024 law is implemented in future cases.
