Belgium is one of the few countries that allows euthanasia. However the Belgian parliament has recently passed a law individualizing the country further by removing the age restriction on voluntary euthanasia all together. This move has sparked much controversy, not only within Belgium but across the world.

The new Belgian child euthanasia law has struck fear in the hearts of many, as some are convinced that it will result in an increase in deaths among children. Unlike voluntary euthanasia for adults, children partaking in voluntary euthanasia must suffer from a terminal illness.  Allowing already terminal children to die sooner cannot possibly cause more child deaths. A slightly more realistic fear is that some children who choose euthanasia may miss the potential to survive through medical advancements. Unfortunately the chances of this are very slim.

Terminal prognoses are highly accurate, the main inaccuracy lying within estimated life expectancy, which doctors overestimate the majority of the time. According to an article written by the New York Times, 63% of doctors overestimate their patient’s life expectancy usually by weeks and sometimes months. Even though medical advancements are abundant, large-scale advancements related to serious illnesses like cancer or leukemia are very scarce. Even if one were to arise it would take years of rigorous testing and experimentation for the treatment or “cure” to be authorized as safe for practical application by the FDA and major medical associations. With many patients dying sooner than they are supposed to, and treatments taking longer to come out, the chances of a child or any terminal patient stumbling upon a cure days before their death are microscopic.

Many claim that this new law passed by Belgium is a “slippery slope”, that will lead to a society devoid of value in human life.  “We are on the malignantly slippery slope to becoming a society like that envisioned by Nazi Germany, one in which ‘undesirables’ are disposed of like used tissue.” claims Steve Forbes in an article in Forbes.com. The undesirables he speaks of were disabled children killed by Hitler’s attending physician in 1939 Nazi Germany. This inappropriate comparison is not only offensive to Belgian officials but to terminal children as well. Belgian children are not being exterminated against their will, and under no circumstances do Belgian doctors consider terminal patients as “undesirable”. Slippery slope arguments fail to address the main issue and arrive at far-fetched conclusions with little to no evidence. The same type of argument was used by the Catholic church in their statements against homosexual marriage claiming that it would lead to polygamy and even inter species marriage, a wild hypothesis with no supporting evidence, much like Steve Forbes’. 

Lastly one of the most convincing arguments against voluntary child euthanasia is the fact that some children are not mentally mature enough to handle such a decision. However, when do people become mature enough to handle the concept of death? According to research done by scientists, children generally begin to understand the main concepts of death at 12. However this isn’t to say that all 12-year-old children should be allowed to make such a grave decision, but merely a suggestion that children might be more capable than previously thought. An article on the csmonitor.com shares the insight of a retired medical ethics professor on the matter. Professor Jan Bernheim admits that terminal illnesses can swiftly mature a child. “Some of these children are very mature, indeed much more mature than some adults over 18.” Still precautions must be taken, as it isn’t uncommon for children and teenagers to contemplate death just to garner reactions from loved ones. In response, Belgium made it required that children receive separate mental analyses from two psychologists, greatly reducing the chances of a “suicidal teen” requesting euthanasia as a means for attention, since they would most likely be deemed mentally unfit for the process.

Brody, Jane E. “Tough Question to Answer, Tough Answer to Hear.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 05 Mar. 2007. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Forbes, Steve. “Will U.S. Kill Kids In Name Of Compassion?” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 06 Jan. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Kaneshiro, Neil K., Dr. “Discussing Death with Children: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia.”U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.

Llana, Sara Miller. “‘Slippery Slope?’ Belgium Moves to Extend Euthanasia Rights to Children (+video).” The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2014.