The Dutch cabinet is pushing forward with a new regulation to enable euthanasia for terminally ill children aged 1-12 who experience unbearable and hopeless suffering. Health Minister Ernst Kuipers announced in a press release that he expects the regulation to be implemented within the year.

The new guidelines will probably only apply to about five to ten children annually for whom “life termination is the only viable option to end the child’s hopeless and unbearable suffering,” said Kuipers. He emphasized that this concerns children whose illnesses are so severe that death is inevitable and expected in the near future. “This is a particularly complex issue that deals with very distressing situations. Situations that no one would wish to encounter,” noted the minister.

Following life termination, a review committee and the Public Prosecution Service will examine whether the procedure was carried out with due care.

A crew from YLE comes to the Netherlands to interview a specialist paediatrician, an Associate Professor in Ethics, Law & Medical Humanities, a Assistant Professor, Ethics, Law & Medical humanities and parents that are in favour of the new regulation.

For this production Featurez gave advice, did research, set up and planning, booked a rental car, did the driving and accompanied the filming.