Amsterdam
A Dutch hospital acknowledged this month that it had euthanized four terminally ill infants over the past year. The revelation touched off a heated debate in the Netherlands—which legalized euthanasia for consenting adults in 2001—over whether “mercy killings” should also be allowed for terminal patients who cannot speak for themselves, such as babies and the mentally retarded. “As things are, people are doing this secretly and that’s wrong,” said Eduard Verhagen, head of the children’s clinic at the Groningen Academic Hospital. “We want to expose everything, to let everything be subjected to vetting.” U.S. anti-euthanasia activists expressed horror. “The slippery slope in the Netherlands has descended already into a vertical cliff,” said activist Wesley J. Smith.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an extrajudicial detainment camp, 'alligator Alcatraz', and tax cuts for billionaires.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of JulyCartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
