More surprises in Dutch euthanasia of infants

March 29, 2010

For people outside the Netherlands, the most surprising thing about legally tolerated non-voluntary euthanasia of infants is that it happens at all. But for Dutch doctors, the surprise is that reports of it are far lower than the quota. In 2007, under the so-called Groningen Protocol, a national review committee was instituted to review cases of active ending of life for newborns. It was expected that 15–20 cases would be reported. To date, however, only one case has surfaced. An article in the latest issue of the Journal of Medical Ethics speculates about why so few deaths have occurred. (BioEdge)