the Hague, 29 feb (EFE).-A Dutch neurologist published this week in the journal “Pediatrics” children with spina bifida do not suffer so much as I was thought until now, which has opened a debate in the Netherlands about the legitimacy of applying euthanasia to newborns with this malformation.
The newspaper “De Volkskrant” today highlights the possible dilemma the new theory can make for parents whose babies with spina bifida was practiced euthanasia.
A father with that experience explains in the newspaper cited that no doubt in any moment of decision, above all because in the case of his son the malformation was in a high area of the spine, thereby increasing the risk of developing disabilities.
Neurologist Rob de Jong investigated a sample of 28 infants with spina bifida the degree of suffering of babies, concluding that in practice they have moderate pain which can be alleviated with a simple acetaminophen.
These alleged high levels of suffering have led in the past to practise euthanasia to two dozens of babies in the hospital of Groningen (North Holland).
The shock that triggered the knowledge of such practices in 2008 has led quoted hospital to implement a strict protocol in such cases, which among other things involves rigorous testing to determine the degree of suffering of babies with this evil.
Holland included in 2007 on social security the ultrasound at 20 weeks of pregnancy, which can be detected if the fetus has spina bifida.
According to “De Volkskrant”, in between 70 and 90 per cent of cases parents opt for abortion if it is detected the disease in the fetus at this stage of pregnancy, which has considerably reduced the number of newborns with spina bifida in the Netherlands. EFE
