In June 2026, Health Minister Sophie Hermans of Netherlands publicly confirmed that a child under the age of twelve had died by euthanasia at the end of 2025 because of severe illness. It marked the first known case of a non-infant under the age of 12 undergoing assisted death in the country.The Dutch review board has confirmed that the child was nearly 24 months old and had been living with severe, complex medical conditions since birth. The case was carried out under new Dutch law that allows doctors and parents to end the life of a terminally ill child between the ages of one and twelve when suffering is judged unbearable and without prospect of improvement.
The child’s medical history
The Committee for Late-Term Abortion and Termination of Life in Newborns and Children disclosed the report on the case. The toddler was born prematurely at only 26 weeks. From the beginning the child faced serious complications. There was extensive brain damage, and by four months of age multiple infections had led to sepsis. At eight months the child was diagnosed with a rare and serious form of epilepsy known as infantile spasms syndrome, or West syndrome, along with cerebral palsy.The seizures brought a severe sleeping disorder. The child also suffered respiratory problems, coughing fits, a swallowing disorder, visual impairment and mucus in the lungs that made breathing very difficult. Epileptic seizures proved unresponsive to medication. According to the review committee’s report, “In the course of the child’s short life, there was a complete lack of development or improvement. Every facet of ‘being human’ in terms of motor skills, behavior and personality was severely affected, and there would be no improvement.”After extensive discussion of prognosis and treatment options, the parents asked the physician to terminate the child’s life. The doctor and parents had observed no improvement despite medical and non-medical interventions and were convinced that the child was suffering unbearably and without prospect of relief.“Despite all medical and non-medical interventions, the parents and the doctor observed no improvement in the child’s condition and were convinced that the child was suffering unbearably and without prospect of relief.”
The legal framework
Assisted dying for terminally ill children aged from one to twelve has been permitted in the Netherlands for two years. The law was extended in 2024 to cover this age group when a child is “terminally ill and is suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement.” In such cases the doctor and parents decide together. “This decision is always made in consultation with the parents and, if possible, also with the child,” according to the government.Before the change, only newborns under strict criteria and patients aged twelve and older could be considered for euthanasia. Children between one and twelve had previously fallen into a legal gap because they were considered unable to make their own decisions. Under the current rules, parents must be consulted, the suffering must be unbearable, and there must be no realistic chance of recovery.The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalise voluntary euthanasia in 2002.