A two-year-old child has died by euthanasia in the Netherlands, the first case of a non-infant child under 12 dying by euthanasia, despite independent doctors initially concluding that the child was “not continuously suffering unbearably” and that reasonable alternatives remained.
The child died by euthanasia at the end of 2025, which was revealed by a letter to the Dutch parliament from Health Minister Sophie Hermans in June. Infant euthanasia has been practised in the Netherlands for many years, as before a recent law change, only newborns and children over twelve could die by euthanasia. However, this was the first time that a non-infant child under the age of 12 had died by euthanasia in the country.
