Does the Belgian law legalising euthanasia for minors really address the needs of life-limited children?

Abstract

The Belgian law on euthanasia for adults was approved in 2002, the same year as laws on patients’ rights and on palliative care, which mostly address the needs of adults. On 13 February 2014, an extension of the euthanasia law that decriminalises euthanasia for children, without age restriction, was approved by the House of Representatives in Brussels (Belgian Ministry of Justice, 2014). In the opinion of the author, this extension reveals that paediatric palliative care is not sufficiently advocated for in Belgium. This is in line with the suggestion from the European Association for Palliative Care (2011) that the degree of medical specialisation in palliative care might be lower in countries where euthanasia is legalised. This article aims to analyse key aspects of the new law and whether it really addresses the needs of life-limited children.