Belgium's parliament votes through child euthanasia
As reported in an article in to-days BBC News Europe
Parliament in Belgium has passed a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit, by 86 votes to 44, with 12 abstentions.
When, as expected, the bill is signed by the king, Belgium will become the first country in the world to remove any age limit on the practice.
It may be requested by terminally ill children who are in great pain and also have parental consent.
Opponents argue children cannot make such a difficult decision
One man in the public gallery of Belgium's parliament shouted "murderers" in French when the vote was passed, Reuters news agency reports.
Supporters of the legislation argue that in practice the law will affect an extremely small number of children, who would probably be in their teens, the BBC's Duncan Crawford reports from Brussels.
Church leaders argued the law is immoral.
"The law says adolescents cannot make important decisions on economic or emotional issues, but suddenly they've become able to decide that someone should make them die," Brussels Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, head of the Catholic Church in Belgium, said at a prayer vigil last week.
Conditions for child euthanasia
Patient must be conscious of their decision
Request must be approved by parents and medical team
Illness must be terminal
Patient must be in great pain with no treatment available to alleviate their distress
Belgium's parliament votes through child euthanasia
Belgium divided on euthanasia for children
Belgian Senate votes to extend euthanasia to children
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I understand the assisted suicide laws for adults that have been passed and agree with them to some extent. But children? I wonder if we aren't jumping the gun just a bit. With modern science making the discoveries that they have been is this the right avenue to take at this time.
I thought this would have brought out more comments.
I don't know how a parent would even start that conversation with their child.
Tough one to even contemplate.
Has anyone here had to have their pet put down? Latest scans reveal that dogs have the sentience of a young human ; and, I know that dogs will hang on sometimes past what they would otherwise, just to please their human companion. It's sad, and I think that they would prefer to have more volition at times, when it comes to this.
How much more so our own children? Achild who has struggled their entire life and is painfully dying, should have at least a voice in the matter, imho.
The child might initiate it with their parent.
"Achild who has struggled their entire life and is painfully dying, should have at least a voice in the matter, imho."
That was my argument when we were talking about an adult. But children 12 and under, there is so much that the future could bring them (like a cure or medicine to help them cope). I just hate to think of ending a life so young.
That would tear your heart out to hear your child asking to die.
My feeling run along those same lines. Its a bit different when your talking about adults that have a terminal illness and have had it most of their lives they are able to sort things out by then.
This is a tough one. I don't know if a child would really understand what they are asking. I have no problem if a adult or older teen requested it, but I'm really torn on a child.
Yes, it would.
Dear Friend Larry C: This is an important article which poses among the most difficult questions people are given to address in this life. Thank you for raising it.
Sometimes, there are no good answers. We are to choose among the lesser of allvery trying options.
As a Chaplain who specializes in hospice and palliative care the most gut wrenching cases with which I deal are the very untimely passing of the very young. It is a tragedy of epic proportion to see those who have not yet gotten a chance to live life in terrible suffering, with no realistic chance of getting better.
Given the parameters stated in the article putting an end to suffering for which the state of the art can provide no relief is not the worst thing that can happen.
Prolonging burdens with no hope at all of a better outcome is to me a far more cruel outcome than bringing an end to pain. How many times have I held the hand of children who tell me they just want the constant pain to stop.
My job is manifold. To help them accept and beat peace with an end to their torment. To give them a sense of dignity, style and grace so they can crown their all too brief time at this level of existence.
There is no worse nightmare for a parent than to outlive their child. Part of what I do is to help the parents go on with their lives. To find a way to make meaningful a senseless tragedy, so their child's life in some way serves a greater good.
In my quiet moments, I lift up my eyes to the mountainsfrom where my help will come. My help to be a source of strength and peace those unfairly suffering can tap into will come from the G-d who created the Heavens and the earth.
I do not know the mind of G-d. I cannot always make sense out of what goes on in this life.
I do know that if I can look to my Creator for the strengthto address heart and gut wrenching situations,
and be of service to those most in need of Pastoral care it helps me in helping others.
Sometimes in life the least worst of all possibilities is all you have. If it helps others in times of crisis suffer a little less, it is all worth it.
Routinely, the things which are the most difficult to do are the paths we most need to take. Not because they are easy. Rather because they are hard and less problematic than all other alternatives.
May we all be spared such terrible and unnecessary torment in life.
If it happens anyway, may we be granted the wisdom to accept what we cannot change, and have the moralcourage to select and implementthe best choice available, and live with it.
Enoch.
My Friend Enoch,
Thank you so much for your input. The points you make are so true. Your opinion is always appreciated.
Dear Friend Larry C: You are most welcome. Always.
Enoch.
Any time Enoch.
What if it didn't just seem hopeless, but is?
I have had the opportunity to work a few years in a hospital that included a pediatrics ward for terminal patients. When you see your own child in pain and agony, you see them watching their onlyfriends in the ward die, when they are terrified and completely alone with their pain, and getting weaker and sicker by the day....I don't know if I could either BF, but I would hope to have enough sensitivity, compassion and selflessness to do what is right by them. Letting someone suffer greatly until death, keeping them alive to feel pain, is not right either.Yeah, there are times when people pop outta comas or dire situations, and there are other times that they don't, never do, and wont. Not easy for sure, but would you keep your child alive merely to dwindle away in pain, confusion and fear; or, lead them gently and relatively painlessly, to a caring and loving farewell?.
Fucking sad, I know, but, parents do face these choices everyday.
Based on the strict criteria for the decision, this will not affect many children, at all. But at least, they have the option, whether or not they use it.
I've seen some kids that could have used a law like this, here. When I was younger, they were my classmates-- and they were ready to go when it was finally time. Granted that was 40+ years ago, but medical science can't cure everything, and the suffering that people have to go through is torture.
My prayers are with all the sick children of this world.
Definitely a decision none of us would want to have to make Larry but as you said if it came down to it the decision would have to be what would be best for the child. I hope I'm never in that position. It was tough enough to make that decision when it came to my dog, tore my heart but I did the right thing.
Oh I can sit here on a blog site and expound about my own self-percieved moral superiority, but if it came right down to it, I'd be as big a wimp as anybody else. This would be a very tough call, and I hope I never have to make it, but if I did, I'd hope to do my loved one right.
I gotta say, that I am really not comfortable with this. First of all, a person's mind is not fully mature until 25. We let 18 year olds make decisions but not 15 year olds for this reason.Then there is a condition called chemo brain. It interferes with every level of thinking. So how can we ask a 9 year old to make a decision Finally, I kind of with BF. I am a proactive parent, and I would be dragging my child to every specialist on the face of this earth. I would have to be very certain that there was no cure, no way, and even then, we hear of small miracles. I just couldn't do it.