Belgium is on the brink of expanding its euthanasia program with a new proposal that will allow minors to commit suicide with medical assistance.
Socialist party leaders are also hoping to permit people with Alzheimer's and dementia to do the same. Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition says the situation in Belgium is indeed deteriorating.
"Recent studies have shown that 32 percent of the euthanasia deaths are done without requests, that only 52 percent of the euthanasia deaths are actually reported, [and] they found that nurses are doing euthanasia, even though the law specifically prohibits it," he reports.
Furthermore, couples are permitted to kill themselves when one has a terminal illness and the mate wants to die with him or her.
But Schadenberg is especially disturbed by the reasoning behind allowing children to gain medical assistance to die.
"It's basically because some children who are born with disabilities … they would say that these children are better off dead. So, what we'll do is since some cases are probably already doing this already anyway … we might as well just legalize this or allow that within the law officially," the pro-lifer relays. "In the case of dementia and Alzheimer's -- well, the fact of it is these people are expensive, and it's much cheaper just to kill them."
While he recognizes that may seem crass, Schadenberg laments it is reality in Belgium.
Meanwhile, not one physician has been prosecuted, "although authorities know the law is being violated."