Brussels (AFP) - Belgium, one of only a few countries to allow
euthanasia, on Wednesday moved a step closer to extending mercy-killing
to terminally-ill children.
A proposed draft bill to extend the
practice some experts say already takes place outside the law was
approved by the Senate's justice and social affairs committee after
months of discussion held alongside a heated public debate.
The committee's approval enables the draft bill to be put to the vote in the two houses of parliament in the coming months.
The
proposed legislation would allow the euthanasia of terminally-ill
minors so long as they are judged capable of deciding for themselves and
are in pain that is "unbearable and cannot be alleviated".
They would be advised by a medical team and their parents' approval would be required.
A recent poll shows three quarters of Belgians approving the move.
Earlier this month, 16 paediatricians called on lawmakers to approve the legislation.
"Why
deprive minors of this last possibility," they said in an open letter
carried in the press, arguing that under-18s were able to make an
informed and mature decision when facing death.
"Experience shows
us that in cases of serious illness and imminent death, minors develop
very quickly a great maturity, to the point where they are often better
able to reflect and express themselves on life than healthy people."
But
a group of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders have opposed the legal
change. "We express our deep concern at the risk that such a grave
subject will be increasingly trivialised," said the group.
"The euthanasia of fragile people, be they children or incapable, is totally inconsistent with their condition as human beings."
A
2002 law made Belgium the second country in the world after The
Netherlands to legalise mercy killings for those suffering from
incurable illnesses.
Unlike Belgium, however, the Dutch law allows euthanasia for children over 12.
In
2009, Luxembourg also approved euthanasia, for adults only. In
Switzerland, doctors can assist a patient seeking to die but euthanasia
itself is illegal.
The issue is hugely controversial and raises a
host of ethical problems but a majority of Belgian lawmakers is thought
to favour the change.
Belgium logged a record 1,432 cases of euthanasia in 2012, up 25 percent.
There
are strict conditions for euthanasia including that patients must be
capable, conscious and have to present a "voluntary, considered and
repeated" request to die.
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