On February 13 2014 the lower house of the Belgian Parliament passed a law that extended the "right" to euthanasia to minors. On March 2 2014, King Filip-Phillippe of Belgium signed the bill into law. I cannot find any record of a child exercising this "right" in the subsequent nine months.
What is euthanasia? I define euthanasia as a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of terminating a life, typically performed by a physician at the request of a particular patient to relieve intractable suffering. The LIBERTARIAN BIOETHICS BLOGger supports the concept of euthanasia, but does not view euthanasia as a "right". Why do I not view euthanasia as a right? Genuine rights have corresponding obligations that must be provided by others; however, physicians cannot be coerced into participating in euthanasia, so euthanasia, by definition, is not a "right".
What about the concept of euthanasia for children? I also support this idea if strict guidelines are followed by the relevant physician and the patient and the patient's guardians. Per usual, these euthanasia guidelines should not be constructed , approved, or mandated by a State.
What is euthanasia? I define euthanasia as a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of terminating a life, typically performed by a physician at the request of a particular patient to relieve intractable suffering. The LIBERTARIAN BIOETHICS BLOGger supports the concept of euthanasia, but does not view euthanasia as a "right". Why do I not view euthanasia as a right? Genuine rights have corresponding obligations that must be provided by others; however, physicians cannot be coerced into participating in euthanasia, so euthanasia, by definition, is not a "right".
What about the concept of euthanasia for children? I also support this idea if strict guidelines are followed by the relevant physician and the patient and the patient's guardians. Per usual, these euthanasia guidelines should not be constructed , approved, or mandated by a State.
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