A Dutch government minister has recently revealed that a child under the age of 12 was euthanised last year, making them the first known case since the Netherlands expanded its assisted dying laws to include younger children.

Until recently, Dutch legislation only allowed euthanasia for newborn babies under specific circumstances and for individuals aged 12 and older.

However, in 2024, the rules were amended to permit euthanasia for terminally ill children under 12 who are experiencing unbearable suffering with no realistic prospect of improvement, allowing them the option to "die with dignity."

At the time, officials stressed that the law would apply only in exceptionally rare cases.

12-year-old dies by euthanasia

A 12-year-old has died by euthanasia. Credit: David Sacks/Getty Images

Now, according to reports, Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans informed parliament that the first case under the revised legislation had taken place involving a "gravely ill" child.

No further information was released about the child's identity, age, gender or medical condition. Authorities only confirmed that the euthanasia had occurred.

Under Dutch law, doctors must demonstrate that there is no reasonable or humane alternative available before euthanasia can be approved. The requirements are particularly strict when children are involved, with multiple safeguards designed to ensure the decision is only made in the most extreme circumstances.

The Netherlands first legalised euthanasia in 2002 under strict conditions. Since then, the framework has gradually expanded while maintaining rigorous oversight.

Young people aged 16 and 17 can request euthanasia with parental involvement, while children aged 12 to 15 require parental consent. The younger the patient, the more stringent the review process becomes.

Cases involving children remain extremely uncommon and are only considered when severe suffering cannot be relieved by any other medical treatment.

Discussion over euthanised woman

One of the most widely discussed euthanasia cases in recent years involved Dutch woman Zoraya ter Beek, who underwent the procedure in 2024 at the age of 29.

Speaking publicly about her decision, ter Beek explained that the process took years and involved exhausting every available treatment option before euthanasia was approved.

Reflecting on the decision, she said: "In the three and a half years this has taken, I've never hesitated about my decision."

She acknowledged the emotional impact on those around her, adding: "I have felt guilt – I have a partner, family, friends and I'm not blind to their pain. And I've felt scared. But I'm absolutely determined to go through with it."

Ter Beek also described the repeated checks carried out by medical professionals, explaining: "Every doctor at every stage says: 'Are you sure? You can stop at any point'."

She emphasised that the approval process was extensive, saying the system was "really safe" and involved numerous assessments to ensure patients were mentally capable of making the decision and had no viable alternatives remaining.

The newly reported case involving a child under 12 highlights how rarely the expanded Dutch law is expected to be used, with officials maintaining that it applies only to the most serious and exceptional medical situations.

Featured Image. Credit: David Sacks/Getty Images

A young woman from Barcelona who faced unimaginable suffering after a brutal assault is set to be euthanized today. At just 25 years old, Noelia Castillo Ramos attempted to take her own life by leaping from a fifth-story window, leaving her with life-altering consequences.

Following this traumatic event, she was left paraplegic and endured relentless physical and psychological pain. Despite her parents' best efforts to intervene, Ramos's determination led to a heartbreaking decision to pursue euthanasia.

Just days before her scheduled passing, Ramos shared with Spanish TV programme Y Ahora Sonsoles that she wanted to "leave in peace".

"I was very clear about it from the beginning," she said, expressing that she had made peace with her choice.

She revealed, "None of my family is in favor of euthanasia. Obviously, because I'm another pillar of the family. I'm leaving, and you're staying here with all the pain. But I think, all the pain I've suffered over the years... I just want to leave in peace now and stop suffering, full stop."

Legal approval for euthanasia

Ramos's decision was not without controversy, as her father fought to prevent the procedure. He argued that his daughter's life should be preserved despite her suffering. However, the European Court of Human Rights and Spain’s Constitutional Court ultimately upheld her request.

The decision followed the enactment of Spain's 2021 Organic Law on the Regulation of Euthanasia, which permits euthanasia for those experiencing severe and enduring suffering. The court's ruling determined that Ramos's rights were not violated, allowing the procedure to move forward.

This ruling has drawn attention to the ongoing debate about assisted dying, particularly in cases involving individuals with complex mental health and physical conditions. While some continue to argue against euthanasia on moral grounds, others advocate for the right of individuals like Ramos to make decisions about their own lives when enduring unbearable suffering.

Noelia Castillo Ramos. Credit: Antena 3

A family's tragic decision

While Ramos's father tried to intervene in the process, her mother, Yolanda Ramos, expressed her conflicting emotions, telling Marca, "I do not agree, but I will always be by her side."

This sentiment reflects the deep divide in opinions within the family. It’s a reminder of the complex nature of end-of-life decisions, especially when those involved are in pain and seeking an escape from years of suffering.

In her final days, Ramos was resolute about her decision. Despite the difficulty of her choice, she believed that her own peace was paramount.

Featured image credit: Antena 3

The parents of a woman who chose to be euthanized at the age of 33 have spoken out about why they supported her difficult decision.

Assisted dying remains a divisive topic, with some believing that people with terminal conditions should have the choice to end their life before losing their quality of life, while others believe that nature should always take its course.

However, the debate gets even more complicated when the person choosing euthanasia is not considered terminally ill.

One family has revealed why they decided to support their 33-year-old daughter in ending her life with assisted dying.

Esther Beukema died on December 10, 2021, having chosen to pass away in bed in her childhood bedroom, wearing a Mickey Mouse jumper and odd socks, with one belonging to her mom and one to her dad.

She was surrounded by her family - her mom, dad, and younger brother, as a nurse administered a lethal dose of medication to allow her to slip away, which she did just five minutes later.

Esther had campaigned for the right to be euthanized for over a decade, due to her struggles after being diagnosed with anorexia nervosa at the age of 18.

Though it is not considered a terminal illness, anorexia can often be fatal for the patient, and has the highest mortality rate of any psychological disorder, whether that is through complications such as heart conditions and organ failure, or through patients taking their own life.

Tragically, Esther had often told her mother, Ellen, that she did not want to be here, saying: "I don’t want to exist."

She had made multiple attempts to take her own life, and had fought for the right to die with dignity by being euthanized.

While it is not a decision any parent ever wants to make, her mother and father have revealed why they chose to support Esther in ending her suffering, despite it meaning them losing their daughter.

Ellen explained to the Telegraph that she believed a medically assisted death was more "humane" than the thought of Esther dying by suicide, her husband Rob found it much harder to accept.

He had suggested that there may be a therapy or treatment that hadn't yet tried that could help Esther see a way through her eating disorder, explaining: "As a dad, I tried to show Esther a little bit of blue sky… that there’s always hope. That tomorrow, perhaps it will be better."

Their differing opinions put a strain on the couple's marriage, but Rob admits that after having therapy of his own, by the time Esther died he was "at peace" with her decision to end her life on her own terms.

Euthanasia for people with a mental illness has been a reality in the Netherlands, where the Beukemas live, for over 20 years, as under the Dutch Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act of 2002, euthanasia is legal for psychiatric as well as physical conditions, provided doctors believe there is "no reasonable alternative" and that the patient's suffering is "unbearable with no prospect of improvement".

Ellen revealed that she chose to support her daughter so that she could be surrounded by love in her final moments, explaining: "She didn’t have to die alone, she was with the people she loved. And that is what you want for everyone."

She added that as Christians, she and Rob believe Esther is "in a better place" after "always struggling here in this life."

They added that Esther had had a happy childhood in a loving family with siblings close to her own age, and always did well in school and her extracurricular activities, including gymnastics and piano lessons.

The first signs of her illness came when she hit adolscence, struggling with the move to secondary school where she found it hard to make friends and struggled with perfectionism.

Esther first said she wanted to start eating more "healthily" but her diaries, which she shared with her psychiatrist, revealed that she had started calorie counting at just 17 years old in 2005.

Just a year later, she was diagnosed with anorexia and was later told she also had some symptoms of borderline personality disorder, and doctors believed she likely also had autism.

By 2007 she was severely malnourished and required hospitalization, beginning a cycle of force-feeding to help her gain weight, before she would lose it all again, leaving her more traumatized and depressed after each hospital stay.

Throughout her many admissions, Esther continued to keep her diaries, where one heartbreaking entry from April 2011 reads: "I just want to die. I don’t want to live any more. There’s nothing to it. Nowhere."

She first requested euthanasia in 2012 but her request was denied because she was not considered psychologically competent.

Her parents had a glimmer of hope that things may improve after Esther fell in love with a fellow patient on a psychiatric ward in 2017, with the couple quickly moving in together on her release, where they planed to get married and even got a cat together.

The pair had a few months where things improved, but Esther ended up calling off the wedding two weeks before they were due to tie the knot.

Just two years later, after turning 30, Esther began pursuing her mission to get approved for euthanasia again and was eventually approved.

Her family says that the weeks that followed were the "most beautiful" since Esther had begun to get ill, and she chose to move back home with her parents and spend time laughing and talking with her family, as well as planning her own funeral.

When her final moments came, Ellen sang a bedtime prayer to her as she had done when she was a child, and Rob added that Esther's death was peaceful, explaining: "I saw her face. No anger. Very happy."

Ellen added: "We are at peace with it, I think. For us, I think it’s the feeling that there is a life before, and a life after. It’s not that the life after is very bad, but you have to discover how to start again. You have to learn to see the good things and to enjoy them."

The couple shared their daughter's story in the hopes of ending the secrecy around end of life decisions, as well as to keep her memory alive, explaining: "If you don’t talk about her, then she doesn’t exist any more. Then she is really dead."

Featured image credit: Portra Images/Getty Images