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Should Pediatric Euthanasia be Legalized?

Authors :
Brouwer M
Kaczor C
Battin MP
Maeckelberghe E
Lantos JD
Verhagen E
Source :
Pediatrics [Pediatrics] 2018 Feb; Vol. 141 (2). Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Jan 09.
Publication Year :
2018

Abstract

Voluntary active euthanasia for adults at their explicit request has been legal in Belgium and the Netherlands since 2002. In those countries, acceptance of the practice for adults has been followed by acceptance of the practice for children. Opponents of euthanasia see this as a dangerous slippery slope. Proponents argue that euthanasia is sometimes ethically appropriate for minors and that, with proper safeguards, it should be legally available in appropriate circumstances for patients at any age. In this Ethics Rounds, we asked philosophers from the United States and the Netherlands, and a Dutch pediatrician, to discuss the ethics of legalizing euthanasia for children.<br />Competing Interests: POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.<br /> (Copyright © 2018 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1098-4275
Volume :
141
Issue :
2
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Pediatrics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
29317518
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-1343