Netherlands or Neanderthals?
Netherlands Hospital Euthanizes Babies
A hospital in the Netherlands — the first nation to permit euthanasia — recently proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns, and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives.
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In August, the main Dutch doctors’ association KNMG urged the Health Ministry to create an independent board to review euthanasia cases for terminally ill people “with no free will,” including children, the severely mentally retarded and people left in an irreversible coma after an accident.
December 3rd, 2004 at 10:13 am
Saw a news piece on this. It’s certainly a tough issue–good points on both sides.
Interesting to note that on average, the practice of euthanizing infants happens fewer than 10 times a year…and that fewer and fewer Dutch doctors are willing to assist in the practice of euthanasia in general.
I’m in favor of it, since the point of this isn’t to murder babies, but to alleviate horrible pain for babies with a terminal illness.
Last, (to stir the pot a bit) infants haven’t developed much in the way of reasoning. How is it okay to euthanize your faithful pet, and not okay to euthanize an infant? What’s the difference?
When I was 18, my dad and I put one of our cats to sleep because she had bone cancer. It was one of the saddest experiences of my life, but it was also a relief–she couldn’t eat any longer, and was obviously in a lot of pain.