Friday, November 1, 2013

Euthanasia for kids?

Some legislators in Belgium are considering allowing others to legally euthanize children or people with dementia. Laws and regulations on euthanasia in countries where it is legal are poorly followed, especially in Belgium and the Netherlands, where cases of involuntary euthanasia and the killing of disabled newborns aren't widely prosecuted.
In Belgium, the ruling Socialist party has proposed the bill expanding the right of euthanasia. The Christian Democratic Flemish party vowed to oppose the legislation and to challenge it in the European Court of Human Rights, if it passes. A final decision must be approved by Parliament and could take months.

In the meantime, the Senate has heard testimony on both sides of the issue.
"It is strange that minors are considered legally incompetent in key areas, such as getting married, but might (be able) to decide to die," Catholic Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard testified.

FULL STORY