Should Pediatric Euthanasia be Legalized?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2018
Identifier
DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-1343
Abstract
Voluntary active euthanasia for adults at their explicit request has been legal in Belgium and the Netherlands since 2002. In those countries, acceptance of the practice for adults has been followed by acceptance of the practice for children. Opponents of euthanasia see this as a dangerous slippery slope. Proponents argue that euthanasia is sometimes ethically appropriate for minors and that, with proper safeguards, it should be legally available in appropriate circumstances for patients at any age. In this Ethics Rounds, we asked philosophers from the United States and the Netherlands, and a Dutch pediatrician, to discuss the ethics of legalizing euthanasia for children.
Journal Title
Pediatrics
Volume
141
Issue
2
MeSH Keywords
Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Belgium; Beneficence; Child; Child, Preschool; Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary; Humans; Infant; Netherlands; Palliative Care; Parents; Personal Autonomy; United States
Keywords
Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Belgium; Beneficence; Child; Child, Preschool; Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary; Humans; Infant; Netherlands; Palliative Care; Parents; Personal Autonomy; United States
Recommended Citation
Brouwer M, Kaczor C, Battin MP, Maeckelberghe E, Lantos JD, Verhagen E. Should Pediatric Euthanasia be Legalized?. Pediatrics. 2018;141(2):e20171343. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-1343
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