Belgian Lawmakers Extend Euthanasia To Terminally Ill Children
We told you yesterday [Wednesday] about a Belgian proposal that would have made the country the first in the world to allow terminally ill children to choose euthanasia. Today [Thursday], lawmakers in the country voted overwhelmingly to allow just that.
The vote in the House of Representatives was 86-44; there were 12 abstentions. The Senate voted last December to approve the measure. Belgian King Philippe is expected to sign the measure, which needs his assent to become law.
Here's more from The Associated Press:
"The law empowers children with terminal ailments who are in great pain to request to be put to death if their parents agree and a psychiatrist or psychologist find they are conscious of what their choice signifies. The law was opposed by some Belgian pediatricians and the country's leading Roman Catholic cleric."