CONTROVERSIAL

Belgium Weighs Euthanasia for Kids

And people with dementia.

A pioneer in end-of-life policy since the early 2000s, Belgium is now considering extending the right to die to children and people in the early stages of dementia. Belgium is one of few nations to legalize euthanasia, and would be the first to allow it for people under 18. The policy is intended to give families an option in desperately painful situations, but critics have asked whether a child is capable of deciding to end their life. Supporters say child euthanasia cases would be extremely rare, and already happen informally when children and parents decide not to continue exhausting treatments for a terminal illness.