The Netherlands Records Its First Assisted Death of a Child Between 1 and 12

 A child receiving medical aid in dying clearly arouses more repugnance than when an adult accesses MAID.  But surely that isn't because we think that a child dying in agony can tolerate it better than an adult.  Difficult cases should make everyone think more clearly about their positions.

The NYT has the story:

The Netherlands Records Its First Assisted Death of a Child Between 1 and 12
Physician-assisted death for terminally ill children in that age group has been allowed in the country since 2024. By Claire Moses

" A doctor in the Netherlands assisted in the death of a terminally ill child aged between 1 and 12 for the first time, a Dutch minister told lawmakers.

"Sophie Hermans, the minister of health, welfare and sport, disclosed the death in a letter this week to the Dutch House of Representatives. Assistance in death for children in this age range has been legal under certain rules since 2024.

"She wrote that it had been reported late last year to an expert committee that reviews such cases, and was its first notification for a child between 1 and 12.

"Ms. Hermans’s letter referred to “a termination of life” without giving specifics.

...

"In 2020, the Dutch government announced plans to allow doctors to end the lives of terminally ill children who are under 13 years old. Hugo de Jonge, the health minister at the time, predicted that the rule — which went into effect in 2024 — would facilitate the deaths of about five children a year.
"
Before the rule change, the country already allowed doctors to assist the deaths of people who are over 12 or less than a year old as long as their parents had consented. 

...

"In Colombia, assisted death is allowed for children between the ages of 6 and 12, so long as the child understands the concept of death. Belgium also allows children to die with the help of a doctor."