Belgium reports first case of euthanasia for 17­-year­old boy

BRUSSELS: A 17-year-old has been euthanised in Belgium in what is the first application of rules adopted by the country in 2014 allowing doctor-assisted death for

BRUSSELS: A 17-year-old has been euthanised in Belgium in what is the first application of rules adopted by the country in 2014 allowing doctor-assisted death for minors of all ages, the head of the national committee for euthanasia said on Saturday. Wim Distelmans, who chairs Belgium’s Federal Control and Evaluation Committee on Euthanasia, told Reuters the minor was 17. Belgium legalised euthanasia in 2002, and two years ago amended the rules to permit doctor-assisted death for minors in a hopeless medical situation and with their explicit consent. It is the only country in the world allowing euthanasia on minors of all ages. In the neighbouring Netherlands the practice is legal for children aged at least 12.

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