Belgium parliament voted on Thursday in favor of a bill that would extend euthanasia rights to terminally ill kids. The bill is now headed to King Philippe.
The bill will extend the right to euthanasia to terminally ill kids, reports BBC News. With parental consent, kids who are suffering and wish for euthanasia will be allowed.
The country passed an assisted suicide bill for adults 12 years ago and now Parliament aims to do away with an age limit. The bill follows in the footsteps of the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal for kids 12 years of age and older, provided they have consent from their parents.
According to Irish Times, 86 members voted in favor, with 44 saying no and 12 others opting not to vote at all.
To be considered for assisted suicide, the child must be in "constant and unbearable suffering that cannot be eased and which will cause death in the short-term."
Opponents of the bill feel that children are not capable of making that decision and had hoped the legislation would fail.
The Catholic Church in Belgium has been against the bill from the start. Brussels Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard has previously said, "The law says adolescents cannot make important decisions on economic or emotional issues, but suddenly they've become able to decide that someone should make them die."
image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
