This is according to a study by the Volkskrant. The numbers are small, but for the parents involved, the experiences are traumatic. “I had the strong impression that I had done something illegal,” says a mother who went to Belgium. “Because of the Dutch attitude, I wondered: are we degenerate parents, that we don’t think this is a quality of life?”
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The reticence among Dutch doctors is due to the fear of justice. Abortion after 24 weeks is punishable, unless certain due care criteria are met. The committee that reviews this, forwards every abortion case involving a viable child to the Public Prosecution Service, even if the case has been approved.
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As a result, these doctors experience the threat of criminal prosecution. In Belgium, there is no such fear: with us, a late abortion is seen as a medical decision.
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