The Netherlands became in 2002 the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia, and although this practice has not been without controversy forever, it is now, ten years later, when it has jumped back into the media for getting in touch with babies . In Holland, euthanasia is practiced on babies with spina bifida.
Now a study questions this practice, criticizing it, and pointing out that newborns with this congenital disease studied at its center "barely had pain." If the newborns had pain, they could be relieved with paracetamol, or morphine, whatever the severity of their condition, according to the authors.
In his opinion, parents (who are the ones giving final consent) are being wrongly informed about the situation of their children when weighing this procedure.
The Dutch euthanasia law is intended only for patients who can request it of their own accord, so it does not cover newborns. To practice it in these cases and avoid problems with justice, doctors apply the so-called "Groningen protocol", prepared in 2003 by the University Hospital of that city, which regulates the euthanasia to newborns with incurable diseases.
According to this protocol, added to the current euthanasia law without modifying it, doctors are obliged to ensure that the situation of the newborn has no cure or possibility of improvement and occurs with great suffering.
Then they have to consult with another colleague, the parents are informed and it is up to them to give their consent for the help to die. The application of the chosen medications is also regulated. The procedure is not only for spina bifida, but also includes other fatal ailments that can affect the newborn.
Between 1997 and 2004, 22 newborns were helped to die with this congenital malformation of the neural tube, which does not close the spine and leaves the spinal cord in the air. It is legally considered that they had done well in desperate situations of "unbearable suffering."
The study on euthanasia in babies
The study, published in the journal "Pediatrics" has the title Discomfort and Pain in Newborns With Myelomeningocele: A Prospective Evaluation ("Discomfort and pain in newborns with myelomeningocele: a prospective evaluation "). Myelomeningocele is the most common type of spina bifida.
The article has been signed, among others, by pediatric neurosurgeon Rob de Jong of the Erasmus hospital in Rotterdam. The author, along with his team of researchers, have followed for five years the evolution of 28 children with spina bifida in different degrees of complication.
In eight of the cases, the injury was severe. However, only 3.3% of the measurements made showed discomfort due to pain, which could always be fought well.
The authors think that the term "unbearable suffering", included in the Groningen protocol, is not adequate. So, for them, we should think better about the practice of euthanasia, since the reasons should be incontestable.
Eduard Verhagen, the pediatrician who promoted the Groningen protocol, has underlined the intention of the code of ethics: “Unbearable suffering goes beyond pain. We talk about the future expectations of these little ones. ”
The truth is that he would never want to see me in such a dilemma, because I never know how he would react in such an extreme and painful situation in which the baby's uncertain future is linked to serious physical and mental problems. However, I now remember that there are associations that care about the quality of life of children with spina bifida and their families.
But above all I remember that it is simple to minimize the risks that the baby has this neuronal tube defect: take folic acid before and during pregnancy. However, despite this there will always be cases in which children with this disease are born, which is the second cause of physical disability in childhood (after cerebral palsy).
At the moment, in Holland you can Euthanize babies with spina bifida if certain conditions are met, although it is logical that this practice raises controversy. What is your opinion about it?
