Dutch officials: Child under age 12 died by euthanasia in Netherlands

According to a report sent to Dutch parliament by Health Minister Sophie Hermans on Monday, a child under the age of 12 was euthanized in the Netherlands in late 2025. That child was the first to be killed by euthanasia since the nation legalized the practice for children between ages one and 12 in 2023, with that law taking effect in 2024.

Key Takeaways:

• A child under the age of 12 has become the first to die under a euthanasia law enacted in 2024 in the Netherlands.

• Previously, the Netherlands allowed euthanasia for individuals over the age of 12, and babies under age one.

• The 2024 law allowed children between ages one and 12 to die by euthanasia, regardless of consent.

• The first child to die under that law was killed at the end of 2025, though no details about the child's health condition, gender, or age were released.

The Details:

The child's death at the end of 2025 was reported to a committee that reviews all late abortions and physician assisted deaths of children. That committee's annual report was submitted to parliament on June 22, and the child's death has been referred to the public prosecution service, a committee of four doctors, which will decide if the doctors involved in the child's death complied with the rules. No details were given regarding the child's age, gender, or medical condition.

Under the law, children from ages one to 12 can die by euthanasia if they are considered "terminally ill," and are “suffering hopelessly and unbearably" with no cure. Doctors can decide with the parents, and potentially the child, to end the child's life. But the guidelines do not require the child to have any input at all into his or her own forced death.

“This decision is always made in consultation with the parents and, if possible, also with the child,” the government website states.

The Backstory:

In 2002, the Netherlands enacted the Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act, which codified euthanasia for individuals over age 12 deemed to be suffering from an illness or disability with no hope of recovering. It was in 2004 that the Netherlands first allowed doctors to end the lives of infants up to age one if the parents and doctors agreed to it, the baby was currently experiencing suffering, and expected to experience future suffering as well. That could include an illness deemed terminal or a serious disability.

Deaths for mental health reasons also became more common as two decades passed. From 2002 to 2010, about one to two such cases existed each year. In 2023, there were 138 euthanasia deaths for mental health, and in 2024, 219 people died from "psychiatric euthanasia" — an increase of 60% in one year.

In 2023, lawmakers passed a controversial expansion of the eligibility guidelines to include children of all ages. Children age one to 12 can be euthanized by doctors and at the decision of the parents alone. Children ages 12 to 15 can choose to be killed with parental or guardian consent while those ages 16 and 17 can do so without their parents' consent. Children under the age of one can also die by euthanasia if the doctors and parents agree.

The Bottom Line:

No one should be killed because of an illness or disability.

While these laws are written to make the euthanasia of children appear to be acts of mercy, it is never ethical to kill anyone, let alone a child who is incapable of giving free consent to his or her own death.

Children are particularly vulnerable to coercion if their own parents are the ones who suggest it.

Palliative and comfort care should be provided and medical professionals should do everything possible to make sure sick and disabled children are well cared for. But increased access to euthanasia results in decreased access to palliative care and overall healthcare as the 'choice' to die because an expectation and a way to save money.