Euthanasia in neonates

doi:10.1136/bmj.39177.456481.BE

BMJ 2007;334:912-913 (5 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39177.456481.BE

Editorials

Euthanasia in neonates

Should it be available?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Euthanasia for newborn babies with lethal and disabling conditionsis illegal worldwide. However, in reality its acceptance andpractice vary between different countries.¹ In the Netherlands,about 200 000 live births occur annually; of these, 10-20 babies—mostlywith severe congenital malformations—are thought to beactively killed, yet between 1997 and 2004 only 22 such deathswere reported to the authorities.²

To regulate neonatal euthanasia, clinicians in the Netherlandshave argued that all cases should be reported. In collaborationwith lawyers, they have developed and subsequently publishedguidance,³ which defines criteria that must be fulfilled beforeeuthanasia can be considered and which would subsequently beexamined by the statutory legal authorities (see box). Doctorswho follow this guidance are not guaranteed freedom from prosecution,but to date no paediatrician in the Netherlands has been prosecuted.

Thediagnosis must be accurate and the prognosis hopeless

The baby'squality of life must be . . . [Full text of this article]

Kate Costeloe, professor of paediatrics

Barts and the London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, London E1 2AD

k.l.costeloe@qmul.ac.uk

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Wilkinson, D. (2009). Death in the Netherlands: Evidence and Argument. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 163: 958-959 [Full text]
Fortune, P.-M. (2007). Are we asking the right questions?. BMJ 334: 1072-1072 [Full text]

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bmj.com, 4 May 2007 [Full text]
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Dutch government should prosecute doctors: Mark Houghton
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