By Independent News Roundup
By Frank Bergman
A growing group of leading experts in the Netherlands is raising urgent concerns as the country’s euthanasia regime continues expanding, now increasingly targeting young people and even minors with assisted suicide.
The warning comes as officials push policies that critics say are normalizing assisted death in cases involving psychological suffering.
The push comes despite mounting evidence that younger individuals may not be capable of making such irreversible decisions.
A coalition of professors, academics, and child psychiatry professionals is sounding the alarm over euthanasia requests from individuals under the age of 25.
According to their findings, younger people are far more vulnerable to external pressures, including social influence and online messaging, while their brain development is still incomplete.
They warn that these factors can lead to impulsive, short-sighted decisions.
It raises serious concerns about whether consent in such cases can truly be considered informed or stable.
The experts also stressed that conditions affecting younger individuals are far less likely to be permanent, meaning many could recover with proper treatment and support rather than being fast-tracked toward death.
The concerns come as euthanasia continues to rise across the Netherlands.
Official data shows that euthanasia now accounts for approximately 6 percent of all deaths in the country.
This figure continues to climb year after year.
In 2025 alone, 10,341 people were euthanized, according to the regional euthanasia review committee.
While most cases involved elderly patients, the report confirmed that at least one involved a minor between the ages of 12 and 18.
Additional figures raise further concern:
Seven cases are now under investigation after doctors allegedly failed to meet required standards of care.
Critics warn that the “other reasons” category opens the door to abuse, including potential coercion or pressure from family members.
The Netherlands is not alone.
Similar concerns are emerging across Europe.
In Spain, 25-year-old Noelia Castillo Ramos was euthanized despite a prolonged legal battle by her parents to prevent the procedure.
Her case raised alarm because Spain’s Constitutional Court has ruled that euthanasia should not be permitted when suffering stems from mental illness, stating that the state has a duty to protect such individuals from suicide.
Yet the procedure still went ahead.
The Christian Lawyers organization, which represented her parents, warned that the case highlights failures in the law, arguing it enables assisted death without sufficient mental health treatment.
Spain’s Catholic bishops issued a stark warning in response to the expanding use of euthanasia.
“Euthanasia and assisted suicide are not medical acts, but deliberate interruptions of the bond of care, and represent a social defeat when presented as a response to human suffering,” they said.
Addressing cases like Castillo’s, they added:
“We are not dealing with a fatal illness, but with deep wounds that cry out for attention, treatment, and hope.”
They emphasized that human dignity is not dependent on health, autonomy, or personal perception, stating:
“The dignity of the human person does not depend on their state of health, their subjective perception of life, or their degree of autonomy, but is an intrinsic value that must be recognized, protected, and upheld in all circumstances.”
As euthanasia laws expand, critics warn that the normalization of assisted death—especially among vulnerable groups such as young people—marks a profound shift in how societies respond to suffering.
“When life hurts, the answer is not to shorten the path, but to walk it together,” the bishops concluded.
“Only in this way can we build a truly just society, where no one feels alone or excluded.”
For many observers, the trajectory is becoming clear. What began as a narrowly defined medical exception is evolving into a broader system where death is increasingly presented as a solution.
The expansion raises urgent questions about where the line will be drawn next.
.svg){kind=logo}
