A child who was nearly two years old has become the first in the Netherlands to have their life deliberately ended under special rules allowing the procedure for severely ill children who are suffering with no hope of recovery.
The case involved a child born extremely prematurely at 26 weeks who suffered severe brain damage and a series of serious health problems. The child experienced frequent epileptic seizures, problems with breathing and swallowing, and severe physical and developmental disabilities.
Despite extensive medical care, doctors concluded that the child’s condition could not be cured and that there was no realistic prospect of improvement. The child was also not expected to survive into adulthood.
The procedure took place at the end of 2025, but details became public after a Dutch committee responsible for reviewing such cases published its findings. The committee concluded that the doctor involved had followed the required rules and standards of care.
The case is the first since the Netherlands introduced special rules in 2024 allowing doctors, in exceptional circumstances, to end the lives of terminally ill children between the ages of one and 12.
How the decision was made
The decision was not immediate and involved several doctors as well as the child’s parents.
Doctors first looked for other ways to reduce the child’s suffering. An independent specialist initially questioned whether the case met the requirements because the child’s most severe episodes of suffering were not constant. Doctors also considered whether different medication or further palliative care could provide relief.
The child’s condition, however, continued to deteriorate. The epileptic seizures were difficult to control, while mucus repeatedly accumulated in the lungs, causing problems with breathing and swallowing.
After further treatment and medical assessments, another independent doctor concluded that the child’s suffering had become unbearable and that there was no reasonable way to relieve it.
The parents and treating doctor ultimately agreed to end the child’s life.
The committee that later reviewed the case found that the decision had been made carefully and that available treatments had failed to provide sufficient relief.
What Dutch law allows
The Netherlands introduced its rules covering terminally ill children aged one to 12 in 2024. They are intended only for exceptional cases involving children with incurable conditions and severe suffering that doctors cannot adequately relieve.
According to the Dutch government, doctors must be convinced that the child’s suffering is unbearable and has no prospect of improvement. They must also determine that there is no reasonable treatment or palliative care option that could ease the suffering.
Parents must agree to the procedure. The child’s own views must also be considered when the child is capable of understanding the situation.
Every case is reviewed afterward by a special committee made up of doctors, a lawyer and an expert in ethics. The committee examines whether the physician followed the required standards before its findings are passed to prosecutors for a separate legal assessment.
Dutch authorities expected the procedure to be extremely rare when the rules were introduced, estimating that it could apply to around five children a year.
First case under the new rules
The nearly two-year-old is the first child whose life has been ended under the framework since it took effect.
The review committee found that the doctor had acted with due care, although the case must also go through the country’s Public Prosecution Service as part of the required process.
The Netherlands already permits euthanasia under strict conditions for adults and children aged 12 and older. Separate rules also exist for newborn babies up to the age of one in exceptional circumstances.
The 2024 framework closed the gap for children between one and 12, but only in cases where doctors determine that a child is approaching death, is suffering unbearably and has no reasonable medical option capable of easing that suffering.
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