Go ahead, tell me how this isn't screwed up

[Guest MikeSC]

Belgium considers euthanasia for children

Wed September 08, 2004 10:08 AM ET

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgian lawmakers belonging to Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's ruling Flemish Liberal party have introduced a bill seeking to expand the country's controversial euthanasia legislation to include minors.

Senators Jeannine Leduc and Paul Wille said in the bill that terminally ill children and teenagers had as much right to choose when they wanted to die as anyone else.

 

"Their suffering is as great (and) the situation they face is as intolerable and inhumane," the senators' bill read on Wednesday.

 

A controversial law decriminalising euthanasia came into force in Belgium in September 2002.

 

Patients wishing to end their lives must be conscious when the application is made and repeat their request for euthanasia. Their doctor must fill in a form and consult another physician before making a final decision.

 

Wille and Leduc now also want to include "assisted suicide" in the current legislation as they feel patients often want to end their lives themselves.

http://www.reuters.co.uk/printerFriendlyPo...&storyID=579558

Yes, Belgium is looking to legalize euthanasia --- for CHILDREN.

 

Lovely. Just lovely.

-=Mike

[Guest Shoes Head]

If you're in favor of consented euthenasia for adults, the real question is the age at which a person can be considered competent enough to make this choice. 21? 18? 16? 14? Puberty? Of course you don't seem to be in favor of the procedure at all so you're just baiting for a chance to get all huffy puffy with someone.

 

And that someone won't be me.

 

::runs away::

[Red Baron]

 

Wow, the idiot who suggested this should be euthanised when he was a child.

[MrRant]

No way. I can just see someone asking some 11 year old if he would want to "sleep and have all the pain go away" .

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

If you're in favor of consented euthenasia for adults, the real question is the age at which a person can be considered competent enough to make this choice. 21? 18? 16? 14? Puberty? Of course you don't seem to be in favor of the procedure at all so you're just baiting for a chance to get all huffy puffy with someone.

 

And that someone won't be me.

 

::runs away::

Yeah because we just need to give all those suicidal teens an easy way to off themselves.

[Guest Nanks]

The suicidal teens with cancer???

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

I don't see the necessity of such a thing. It's incredibly easy to kill oneself, so why bring the law into it?

[kkktookmybabyaway]

Hey, if it means less children in this world, then I'm all for it...

[Zorin Industries]

I don't see the necessity of such a thing. It's incredibly easy to kill oneself, so why bring the law into it?

Its mainly for the severly disabled who would not be able to take there own lives without assistance, it keeps their families and doctors from having to take illegal methods to end their lives.

[Stephen Joseph]

Life is precious and I'm sorry, but at 18 you're thinking you're the shit and ain't nothing going to happen to you driving 90 mph around a corner.

 

So no, this is stupid

[Guest Nanks]

Very few 18 year olds with terminal, debilitating illnesses are thinking they're the shit and driving round corners doing 90.

[2GOLD]

Dying people who want to die now instead of being in pain then dying an very painful one.

 

I'm sorry, but what is the problem here?

 

I'm still a little insulted to think that someday if I'm in horrible pain and waiting to die but want to die, I have to get out of my own country to do it.

[Highland]

If they want to let them, though in the case of minors they should require parental or guardian consent (And what guardian or parent is going to consent to pulling the plug on their child?)