A young child in the Netherlands has died by euthanasia in what is being reported as the first case of its kind since the country changed its rules to allow assisted dying for children under 12, according to multiple outlets.
Sources differ on the child's precise age. The Mirror and The Sun reported the child was two years old, while the New York Post described the child as a one-year-old baby.
According to The Daily Wire, government investigators said the doctors who ended the child's life determined the child had severe brain damage and that the condition would not improve, and concluded the doctors acted with "due care."
The case has drawn attention as a test of the Netherlands' newly expanded euthanasia framework, which outlets reported now permits the practice for young children under certain circumstances.
How each side covered it
Left
- The Mirror reported the case as the first of its kind involving a two-year-old in the Netherlands.
“Two-year-old euthanised in Netherlands in first assisted dying case of its kind” — The Mirror
Right
- The Daily Wire reported that government investigators said doctors acted with "due care" after determining the child's brain damage would not improve.
- The New York Post reported the child was a one-year-old baby, differing from other outlets' reported age.
- The Sun reported the Netherlands had cut its age limit for assisted dying to include children under 12.
“Doctors Execute Toddler As Part Of Country's Legal Euthanasia Regime” — The Daily Wire
Questions readers ask
What happened in the Netherlands euthanasia case involving a child?
A young child died by euthanasia in the Netherlands in what is reported as the first case since the country expanded its assisted dying rules to include children under 12. Sources differ on whether the child was one or two years old.
How old was the child who was euthanized?
Sources disagree: The Mirror and The Sun reported the child was two years old, while the New York Post reported the child was a one-year-old baby.
Why was the euthanasia allowed?
According to The Daily Wire, citing government investigators, doctors determined the child had severe brain damage that would not improve, and the investigators concluded the doctors acted with "due care."
What did left- and right-leaning outlets focus on?
The Mirror, a left-leaning outlet, focused on the case being the first of its kind. Right-leaning outlets, including The Daily Wire, New York Post, and The Sun, emphasized the child's young age and details of the legal framework allowing it.
Is this part of a broader change in Dutch law?
Yes, according to The Sun, the Netherlands recently cut its age limit for assisted dying to include children under 12, and this case is reported as the first under that change.
Sources · 6 outlet reports
- The MirrorLeft-leaningTwo-year-old euthanised in Netherlands in first assisted dying case of its kind
- Daily ExpressRight-leaningToddler, 2, euthanised in first case of its kind
- New York PostRight-leaningChild euthanized in Netherlands’ assisted-dying program was just a baby
- The Daily WireRight-leaningDoctors Execute Toddler As Part Of Country’s Legal Euthanasia Regime
- The SunRight-leaningToddler, 2, euthanised in first case of its kind after Netherlands cut age limit to include children under 12
- The TelegraphRight-leaningOne-year-old euthanised in the Netherlands