A terminally ill child under the age of 12 was euthanized in the Netherlands last year, marking the first known case since the country expanded its euthanasia laws in 2024 to include children aged one to 12 who are terminally ill with no prospect of improvement.Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans disclosed the case in a June letter to parliament alongside the annual report from the committee reviewing late-term abortions and medically assisted deaths of children.Prosecutors are now reviewing whether the doctor followed all legal requirements.The government has not released the child’s exact age, gender, or specific medical condition, citing privacy.The euthanasia was said to have been carried out because the child faced “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement” that had a clear medical dimension.Dutch rules allow euthanasia in such cases for diseases like cancer, as well as certain psychiatric disorders or complex conditions.It remains prohibited for people who simply feel that their lives are “finished” or “completed” without a medical basis.For children under 12, parental or guardian consent is required. The government has stated that in these cases, ending the child’s life is considered “the only reasonable alternative to the child’s unbearable and hopeless suffering.”The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002.Doctors who fail to follow the rules can face up to 12 years in prison.Children aged one to 12 were previously barred from assisted suicide.Dutch officials estimated the change would apply to approximately five to 10 children per year.In 2025, the Netherlands recorded 10,341 deaths by assisted suicide, a 3.8% increase from the previous year.Since the mid-2000s, the Netherlands has allowed euthanasia for severely disabled or terminally ill infants under one year old when suffering is deemed “unbearable and untreatable.”In July 2021, the Psychiatric Times published an article in opposition to assisted suicide and noted that “preliminary reports suggest increased rates of suicide in the general population of states that have legalized PAS (physician-assisted suicide). Specifically, ‘legalizing PAS has been associated with an increased rate of total suicides relative to other [non-PAS] states, and no decrease in non-assisted suicides.’ Similarly, suicide rates in the Netherlands (where medical euthanasia is legal) have accelerated, compared to neighboring countries that have not legalized medical euthanasia.”They report that physician and ethicist Leon Kass, MD, has pointedly cautioned: “We must care for the dying, not make them dead.”The American College of Physicians has said, “Physician-assisted suicide is neither a therapy nor a solution to difficult questions raised at the end of life. On the basis of substantive ethics, clinical practice, policy, and other concerns, the ACP does not support the legalization of physician-assisted suicide. … However, through high-quality care, effective communication, compassionate support, and the right resources, physicians can help patients control many aspects of how they live out life’s last chapter.”The post Netherlands Euthanizes Child Under 12 for First Time After Law Expansion Allowing it for Children as Young as ONE YEAR OLD appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.