It is never “compassionate” to murder a child

In its never-ending mission to be the most “progressive” country in the world, the Netherlands just murdered a child. It was the first time a doctor has legally “assisted in the death of a terminally ill child aged between 1 and 12,” according to Sophie Hermans, the minister of health, welfare, and sport.The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize voluntary euthanasia in April 2002, before expanding this law in 2024 to include children. According to the Dutch government’s website on “Termination of life for terminally ill children” from 1-12: “Sometimes, a child is so severely ill that the parents and doctor together decide that there is no alternative but to terminate the child’s life.”

This, the government adds, is only permitted if “a child is terminally ill and is suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement,” with “no cure, and no reasonable alternative to relieve the child’s suffering, even through palliative care.”“In this situation, the doctor may decide, together with the parents, to terminate the child’s life,” it continues. “This decision is always made in consultation with the parents and, if possible, also with the child.”It goes without saying that the suffering of children, especially terminally ill children, is the worst possible thing any parent could possibly imagine or experience. There is nothing more horrifying than to see your child suffer. But suffering is still a part of human existence, one we are continually fighting to reduce, and the suffering of a child can never be used for a government-sanctioned “termination of life.”While the system of government-supported euthanasia is rife for abuse, there are at least reasonable arguments to be made in favor of strictly controlled assisted suicide for terminally ill adults. Why? First, because they are emotionally mature enough to make such a decision, and second, because they are involved in the decision from the outset.The institution of assisted suicide can leave the elderly, the ill, and the disabled vulnerable. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)