Council of Europe: Declaration condemning euthanasia for children in Belgium

Kevin Fitzpatrick: EPC - Europe: kevin@inclusion21.org

Link to the Council of Europe Declaration.

Parliamentary Assembly
Assemblée parlementaire

Doc. 13414
30 January 2014

Legalisation of euthanasia for children in Belgium

Written declaration No. 567

Considering the December 2013 vote in the Belgian Senate to approve by 50 votes to 17 a proposal to legalise euthanasia for children (without any age limit);

Bearing in mind that:

─  the Committee of Ministers welcomed in this respect paragraph 9 (c) of the Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1418 (1999), to "encourage the member States of the Council of Europe to respect and protect the dignity of terminally ill or dying persons in all respects by upholding the protection against intentionally taking the life of terminally ill or dying persons";

─  the Assembly, in its Resolution 1859 (2012) stated that "Euthanasia, in the sense of the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being  for his or her alleged benefit, must always be prohibited",

The undersigned members of the Parliamentary Assembly are of the opinion that this vote in the Belgian Senate:

─  betrays some of the most vulnerable children in Belgium by accepting that their lives may no longer have any inherent value or worth and that they should die;

─  mistakenly assumes that children are able give appropriate informed consent to euthanasia and that they can understand the grave meaning and complex consequences associated with such a decision;

─  promotes the unacceptable belief that a life can be unworthy of life which challenges the very basis of civilised society.

Signed:

Doc. 13414 Written declaration 
Signed 1: 

GHILETCHI Valeriu, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD
AMBLER Stella, Canada
AMON Werner, Austria, EPP/CD
BADEA Viorel Riceard, Romania, EPP/CD
BAKRADZE David, Georgia, EPP/CD
BENEYTO José María, Spain, EPP/CD
BENTON Joe, United Kingdom, SOC
BOKUCHAVA Tinatin, Georgia, EPP/CD
BORZOVA Olga, Russian Federation, EDG
BRAUN Márton, Hungary, EPP/CD
CESA Lorenzo, Italy, EPP/CD
CHISU Corneliu, Canada
CLAPPISON James, United Kingdom, EDG
CLUNE Deirdre, Ireland, EPP/CD
CONDE Agustín, Spain, EPP/CD
CORSINI Paolo, Italy, SOC
CRAUSBY David, United Kingdom, SOC
CROSIO Jonny, Italy, EDG
DAVIES David, United Kingdom, EDG
DERVOZ Ismeta, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD
DJUROVIĆ Aleksandra, Serbia, EPP/CD
DONALDSON Jeffrey, United Kingdom, EDG
FABRITIUS Bernd, Germany, EPP/CD
FENECHIU Cătălin Daniel, Romania, ALDE
FISCHER Axel E., Germany, EPP/CD
FRANKEN Hans, Netherlands, EPP/CD
GALATI Giuseppe, Italy, EPP/CD
GERASIMOVA Nadezda, Russian Federation, EDG
GÓRCZYŃSKI Jarosław, Poland, EPP/CD
GORGHIU Alina Ştefania, Romania, ALDE
HAJIYEV Sabir, Azerbaijan, SOC
HEER Alfred, Switzerland, ALDE
HERKEL Andres, Estonia, EPP/CD
HOVHANNISYAN Arpine, Armenia, EPP/CD
KALMÁR Ferenc, Hungary, EPP/CD
KANDELAKI Giorgi, Georgia, EPP/CD
KARADJOVA Deniza, Bulgaria, SOC
KARAPETYAN Naira, Armenia, EPP/CD
KYRIAKIDES Stella, Cyprus, EPP/CD
LEIGH Edward, United Kingdom, EDG
MAGHRADZE Guguli, Georgia, SOC
MARJANOVIĆ Vesna, Serbia, SOC
MATUŠIĆ Frano, Croatia, EPP/CD
MAYER Edgar, Austria, EPP/CD
MEALE Alan, United Kingdom, SOC
MORENO PALANQUES Rubén, Spain, EPP/CD
NIKOLOSKI Aleksandar, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', EPP/CD
OSCARSSON Mikael, Sweden, EPP/CD
PALIHOVICI Liliana, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD
PREDA Cezar Florin, Romania, EPP/CD
QUINTANILLA Carmen, Spain, EPP/CD
REILLY Kathryn, Ireland, UEL
RIVARD Michel, Canada
RUSTAMYAN Armen, Armenia, SOC
RZAYEV Rovshan, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD
SHLEGEL Robert, Russian Federation, EDG
SIDYAKIN Alexander, Russian Federation, EDG
SOBOLEV Serhiy, Ukraine, EPP/CD
STEFANELLI Lorella, San Marino, EPP/CD
STRENZ Karin, Germany, EPP/CD
TIMCHENKO Vyacheslav, Russian Federation, EDG
--------------
Total 58

1. EPP/CD: Group of the European People's Party
SOC: Socialist Group
ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
EDG: European Democrat Group
UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

NR: Representatives not belonging to a Political Group

Links to similar articles:
─ Belgian Protest: Stop the extension of euthanasia to children.
─ Belgian doctor admits to not reporting euthanasia deaths.
─ Is the Belgian Euthanasia Control and Evaluation commission a sham?
─ Euthanasia in Belgium: Safeguards and controls do not work.
─ Petition to the Belgium government: Stop euthanasia of minors.