Belgium to extend euthanasia to terminally-ill kids

More than a decade after legalising euthanasia for adults, Belgium is set to extend mercy-killing to terminally-ill children after lengthy public debate over the ethical issues at stake.

Despite strong opposition from the Church and even some paediatricians, a bill allowing euthanasia for minors facing “unbearable physical suffering” goes up for a vote in parliament’s lower house today.

If adopted as widely expected, the legislation will make Belgium only the second country after the Netherlands to allow incurably sick children to seek to end their lives.