A study published in the January 22 Dutch Journal of Medicine found that doctors in the Netherlands reported 22 "mercy killings" of babies born with spina bifida between 1997 and 2004.
Although the Netherlands legalized euthanasia in 2001, children under 12 were specifically exempted from the law's provisions. However, prosecutors who looked at the 22 cases did not bring charges against the doctors, deciding that they would not be convicted if brought to trial, the Associated Press reported.
According to Reuters, the doctors followed four unofficial rules when deciding that the babies should die: "the newborn had no chance of survival and was suffering unbearably, the doctor had to consult at least one other, the parents had to agree, and the life must be ended in the correct medical way."
The Dutch medical association, KNMG, has asked the government to form a board that would review euthanasia cases "for terminally ill people 'with no free will' including children, the severely mentally retarded, and people left in an irreversible coma after an accident," the AP reported.
Dutch legislators are also considering guidelines known as the "Groningen Protocol" as potential law, according to Knight Ridder. These guidelines, used at Groninigen University Hospital, state that doctors "have the authority to end the child's life" if the child has a terminal condition and is suffering; that parents have only limited involvement in the decision, and doctors have the final say; and that they can be applied to any child up to age 12.
Critics of such proposals fear the implications of legalizing euthanasia for those who cannot express a desire to die. "applying euthanasia to children is another step down the slope in this debate," Henk Jochemsen, director of Holland's Lindeboom Institute, told Knight Ridder.
I have seen many stories over the years of individuals surpassing the odds and recovering from their conditions. I am beginning to lean more towards the Son of God's return being closer rather than farther. Admin Worm, you're right, taking names and kicking ass.
**Just Because You Have The Right To Do Something Does Not Mean That It's The Right Thing To Do**