Professor Theo Boer:

We have two groups of minors: those aged 12 to 18 years and those under 12. It has been possible for those aged 12 to 18 years since the very beginning of the euthanasia law. From 12 to 15 years they need to have the permission of their parents and from 16 years on, they only need to inform their parents. Luckily and interestingly, those numbers are very low. From 4,000 cases, I have seen only four people under 18 years, of whom three were 17 years old and one was 12 years old. Clearly, for this group of patients, euthanasia is not a really big thing and the numbers are still very low. There is a second category of under 12 years for which the Government has decided to make a regulation that parents may ask for euthanasia for their very sick children. That would break the consensus we have had up to now that euthanasia is only for competent patients. We have now legalised - it is not legal but a regulation - that from birth on, parents may ask for euthanasia on behalf of their children. We do not know what that will develop into.