lifenews.com
2026-09-18
The NL Times reported on September 9 that the first euthanasia death in the Netherlands of a child under the age of 12 was done at the end of 2025. The child was around 2 years old.
The Netherlands has allowed infant euthanasia (under the age of 1) for many years based on the Groningen Protocol. This case is different because the child was not a newborn.
The recent article is a follow-up report to an article that was published in June, 2026 confirming that the first child euthanasia death happened.
The NL Times report stated that:
This child was born very prematurely, at only 26 weeks of gestation. It quickly became apparent that the child had suffered severe brain damage, resulting in severe cerebral palsy and a visual impairment. This was compounded by frequent and severe epileptic seizures, which were largely unresponsive to medication. This left the child restless and unable to sleep for long periods. They also had mucus in their lungs, which made breathing and swallowing very difficult.
The report justifies the killing based on the child being born prematurely and having significant disabilities. But the child had lived approximately 2-years-old, meaning, that the killing was actually based on the disabilities since the child had survived two years since birth.