A group of 58
legislators from the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly have issued a
declaration strongly opposing Belgium’s move to legalise euthanasia for children [1].
With the Belgian Bill
set to be voted on by the lower house of parliament this week, the declaration
states:
Bearing in mind the
Assembly, in its Resolution 1859 (2012) stated that ‘Euthanasia, in the sense of
the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or
her alleged benefit, must always be prohibited’ the Belgian Senate’s vote of 50
to 17 in favour of the proposal
- betrays some of the
most vulnerable children in Belgium by accepting that their lives may no longer
have any inherent value or worth and that they should die” - mistakenly assumes
that children are able to give appropriate informed consent to euthanasia and
that they can understand the grave meaning and complex consequences associated
with such a decision; - promotes the
unacceptable belief that a life can be unworthy of life which challenges the
very basis of civilised society.
The declaration was
signed by members representing 27 countries and five European parties. Irish Senators Kathryn
Reilly of Sinn Fein and Deirdre Clune of Fine Gael were among the
signatories.