The Declaration of the Rights of the Childlays down ten principles (2):

1. The right to equality, without distinction on account of race, religion or national origin.

2. The right to special protection for the childs physical, mental and social development.

3. The right to a name and a nationality.

4. The right to adequate nutrition, housing and medical services.

5. The right to special education and treatment when a child is physically or mentally
handicapped.

6. The right to understanding and love by parents and society.

7. The right to recreational activities and free education.

8. The right to be among the first to receive relief in all circumstances.

9. The right to protection against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation.

10. The right to be brought up in a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among

peoples, and universal brotherhood.

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Where Is Euthanasia Legal?

Euthanasia is defined as the act of intentionally ending a persons life so as to help relieve
suffering or pain. If for example a doctor was to give a patient suffering from a terminal
condition such as cancer an overdose of drugs that would end the patients life, this would be
considered as euthanasia. Deliberately aiding, or encouraging a person to commit suicide would
also be considered as assisted suicide. A good example would be obtaining powerful sedatives
for a terminally ill person with full awareness that the medication would be used for suicide. In
which countries is euthanasia legal? What about euthanasia legality in the US?

In Which Countries Is Euthanasia Legal?

In some countries, euthanasia is legal and there have been various government policies that have
implemented in support of the practice that is also referred to as mercy killing.
1. Belgium
Belgium is one of the countries that have legalized euthanasia and this law has been in place
since September 2002. The law states that two doctors need to be involved in the process and a
psychologist as well if the competency of the patient is in doubt. Both the patient and doctor
decide on the best course of action to take in ending the patients life and this could be through a
prescribed overdose or lethal injection.
2. Colombia
On May 20th 2010, the Colombian Constitutional Court ruled that no one would be held
criminally accountable for terminating the life of a patient who is terminally ill and had
authorized euthanasia. The court went to further define the term terminally ill as a person with
condition such as AIDS, kidney failure, liver failure, cancer and other terminal conditions that
come with extreme suffering. That said; euthanasia laws in Columbia do not authorize
intentionally ending the lives of patient suffering from degenerative diseases such as Lou
Gehrigs disease, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.

3. India
India is yet another country where euthanasia is legal. However, the law only recognizes passive
euthanasia as legal. This law was passed by the Supreme Court of India in 2011 as a means to
legally withdraw life support in patients who are in a permanent vegetative state. Active
euthanasia is however still illegal and this includes using lethal compounds to end a persons life.
4. Ireland
In Ireland, active euthanasia is illegal. However, it is not illegal to withdraw life support or other
treatments if the patient or a next of kin requests for it. According to a poll published on the Irish
Times, 57 percent of adults love to see doctor assisted suicide legalized if the patient requests it.
5. Luxembourg
Luxembourg was the third country in the EU to legalize euthanasia. The law was passed in a
parliamentary bill that allowed doctors to end the lives of a terminally ill patient. This law
requires that such a decision be reached with the approval of a panel of experts and two doctors.
6. Mexico
Although active euthanasia is illegal in Mexico, the law allows for passive euthanasia to take
place. Close relatives of a terminally ill unconscious patient or the patient could refuse further
treatment. This law has been applicable since 2008 and a similar law which sought to have some
extended provisions that decriminalize active euthanasia is pending approval.
7. Netherlands
In Netherlands, euthanasia and doctor assisted suicide are both legal. Although the law was
passed in 2002, the courts have permitted the practice since the 1980s and doctors are generally
not obligated to keep patients alive contrary to their wishes. For over 20 years, the Netherlands
courts have not been prosecuting physicians who facilitate euthanasia.

Where in America Is Euthanasia Legal?

Euthanasia is also legal in some states in the U.S and these include Oregon, Washington,
Montana and Vermont.

In Oregon, euthanasia was legalized under the Death With Dignity (DWD) Act which
was implemented in 1997. The law allows patients with terminally ill or hopelessly ill
conditions to request for lethal medication. The requirements are that the patient must
have made two verbal requests and another in writing with a witness for the doctors to
end his or her life. Two doctors also need to agree on the diagnosis, the prognosis of the
disease and the capability of the patient. The patient will have to personally administer
the medication.

Washington became the second state to legalize euthanasia after Oregon in 2008 and this
was done via the Washington Death with Dignity Act. The Washington law is pretty
similar to the Oregon law as it also requires that the patient makes two oral requests and a
written one as well. The requests need to be 15 days apart and the patient must be
suffering from a terminally ill condition with a life expectancy of six months or less.

In December 2009, in Montana, the euthanasia law was passed in the Montana First
Judicial District Court in a case dubbed Baxter v. Montana. The ruling stated that a
competent patient had the right to die with dignity. The law allows the physician to assist
the patient by providing prescription lethal medication which the patient will take on their
own.

Most recently in May 20th 2013, Vermont also joined the list of states that have legalized
euthanasia. The law was introduced through act 39 of the End of Life Choices. The law
also requires that the patient provide two oral and one written request. Its important to
note that the patient needs to be a resident in all of the above states to participate in
euthanasia.

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April, 2015.
Holland is first country to legalise euthanasia
By Isabel Conway in The Hague

Wednesday 29 November 2000

1
Print
AAA

The Netherlands became the first country in the world formally to legalise euthanasia yesterday,
when the lower house of parliament approved a "mercy killing" Bill by a two-thirds majority.
The Netherlands became the first country in the world formally to legalise euthanasia yesterday,
when the lower house of parliament approved a "mercy killing" Bill by a two-thirds majority.
Under the controversial new law, doctors will be immune from prosecution provided they follow
strict guidelines, when performing euthanasia. The Bill now goes to the Dutch upper house, the
Senate, for approval before becoming law.
Following vociferous protests while the Bill was being debated, the Dutch coalition government
dropped a proposal to allow terminally ill children as young as 12 to decide on euthanasia against
their parents' wishes.

But, taking the view that minors "have the capacity to make an informed judgement", parliament
has declared incurably ill teenagers aged 16 and above eligible for euthanasia without parental
consent. The Bill also recognises the legal validity of written declarations of wishes concerning
the termination of life.
Euthanasia has been the subject of a 25-year debate in the Holland is first country
to legalise euthanasia
By Isabel Conway in The Hague

Wednesday 29 November 2000

1
Print
AAA

The Netherlands became the first country in the world formally to legalise euthanasia yesterday,
when the lower house of parliament approved a "mercy killing" Bill by a two-thirds majority.
The Netherlands became the first country in the world formally to legalise euthanasia yesterday,
when the lower house of parliament approved a "mercy killing" Bill by a two-thirds majority.
Under the controversial new law, doctors will be immune from prosecution provided they follow
strict guidelines, when performing euthanasia. The Bill now goes to the Dutch upper house, the
Senate, for approval before becoming law.
Following vociferous protests while the Bill was being debated, the Dutch coalition government
dropped a proposal to allow terminally ill children as young as 12 to decide on euthanasia against
their parents' wishes.
But, taking the view that minors "have the capacity to make an informed judgement", parliament
has declared incurably ill teenagers aged 16 and above eligible for euthanasia without parental
consent. The Bill also recognises the legal validity of written declarations of wishes concerning
the termination of life.
Netherlands, pitting right-to-die campaigners and the medical profession against Holland's
religious communities. They are outraged by the new law claiming it "will open the floodgates"
and give their doctors "a licence to kill".
"Only God can decide when life ends," warned a Calvinist Party leader, Menno de Bruijn.
"Already many old and lonely people are made to feel there is no point in living, now those

suffering from dementia will be at increased risk of having others decide on whether they live or
die." The Christian Democrats also opposed the Bill.
Euthanasia has been tolerated in the Netherlands for decades. There are at least 3,000 plus
"assisted deaths" a year, representing about 2.3 per cent of all deaths. Although termination of
life on request has technically remained a criminal act, it was permitted in practice if doctors
fulfilled strict criteria set out in a 28-point reporting procedure.
The Bill restates that the patient must be in intolerable pain, face "a future of unremitting and
unbearable suffering" and must make the request. There must be no reasonable alternative
solution to the patient's situation; their doctor must always consult another independent physician
and the euthanasia must be performed with due medical care.
Regional committees set up in 1997 will continue to review whether these criteria have been met
and will be empowered to report any suspicious cases to the state prosecution service, parliament
was told.
The 100,000 members of the Netherlands Voluntary Euthanasia Society and the Royal Dutch
Medical Association welcomed the Bill as a victory for patients' rights. It was agenuine and
courageous effort to remove Dutch policy on mercy killing from a legal grey area, they said.
Euthanasia is effectively decriminalised in Switzerland, Colombia and Belgium, but no country
has actually legalised the practice. It is illegal in the United States, although voters in the state of
Oregon approved doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill in 1994.
The Vatican condemned the Bill. "It is a very sad record for the Netherlands to become first to
want to approve a law that goes against human dignity," said the Vatican spokesman, Joaquin
Navarro-Valls. He said the law went against international declarations on medical ethics that had
been adopted for years by the medical community.

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