Writtten Declaration of Members of the Council of Europe

the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), with the support of 61 members, has registered a written declaration against child euthanasia in Belgium (no. 567).

The declaration recalls previous PACE resolutions in "encourag the member states of the Council of Europe to respect and protect the dignity of terminally ill or dying persons in all respects by upholding the prohibition against intentionally taking the life of terminally ill or dying persons." It further calls on states to "recognis that the right to life, especially with regard to a terminally ill or dying person, is guaranteed by the member states, in accordance with Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights which states that 'no one shall be deprived of his life intentionally."

The PACE declaration agrees, stating that the vote in the Belgian Senate "etrays some of the most vulnerable children in Belgium by accepting that their lives may no longer have any inherent value or worth and that they should die, romotes the unacceptable belief that a life can be unworthy of life which challenges the very basis of civilised society."

Signed 1:

GHILETCHI Valeriu, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD

AMBLER Stella, Canada

AMON Werner, Austria, EPP/CD

BADEA Viorel Riceard, Romania, EPP/CD

BAKRADZE David, Georgia, EPP/CD

BENEYTO José María, Spain, EPP/CD

BENTON Joe, United Kingdom, SOC

BOKUCHAVA Tinatin, Georgia, EPP/CD

BORZOVA Olga, Russian Federation, EDG

BRAUN Márton, Hungary, EPP/CD

CESA Lorenzo, Italy, EPP/CD

CHISU Corneliu, Canada

CLAPPISON James, United Kingdom, EDG

CLUNE Deirdre, Ireland, EPP/CD

CONDE Agustín, Spain, EPP/CD

CORSINI Paolo, Italy, SOC

CRAUSBY David, United Kingdom, SOC

CROSIO Jonny, Italy, EDG

DAVIES David, United Kingdom, EDG

DERVOZ Ismeta, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD

DJUROVIĆ Aleksandra, Serbia, EPP/CD

DONALDSON Jeffrey, United Kingdom, EDG

FABRITIUS Bernd, Germany, EPP/CD

FENECHIU Cătălin Daniel, Romania, ALDE

FISCHER Axel E., Germany, EPP/CD

FRANKEN Hans, Netherlands, EPP/CD

GALATI Giuseppe, Italy, EPP/CD

GERASIMOVA Nadezda, Russian Federation, EDG

GÓRCZYŃSKI Jarosław, Poland, EPP/CD

GORGHIU Alina Ştefania, Romania, ALDE

HAJIYEV Sabir, Azerbaijan, SOC

HEER Alfred, Switzerland, ALDE

HERKEL Andres, Estonia, EPP/CD

HOVHANNISYAN Arpine, Armenia, EPP/CD

KALMÁR Ferenc, Hungary, EPP/CD

KANDELAKI Giorgi, Georgia, EPP/CD

KARADJOVA Deniza, Bulgaria, SOC

KARAPETYAN Naira, Armenia, EPP/CD

KYRIAKIDES Stella, Cyprus, EPP/CD

LEIGH Edward, United Kingdom, EDG

MAGHRADZE Guguli, Georgia, SOC

MARJANOVIĆ Vesna, Serbia, SOC

MATUŠIĆ Frano, Croatia, EPP/CD

MAYER Edgar, Austria, EPP/CD

MEALE Alan, United Kingdom, SOC

MORENO PALANQUES Rubén, Spain, EPP/CD

NIKOLOSKI Aleksandar, ''The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'', EPP/CD

OSCARSSON Mikael, Sweden, EPP/CD

PALIHOVICI Liliana, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD

PREDA Cezar Florin, Romania, EPP/CD

QUINTANILLA Carmen, Spain, EPP/CD

REILLY Kathryn, Ireland, UEL

RIVARD Michel, Canada

RUSTAMYAN Armen, Armenia, SOC

RZAYEV Rovshan, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD

SHLEGEL Robert, Russian Federation, EDG

SIDYAKIN Alexander, Russian Federation, EDG

SOBOLEV Serhiy, Ukraine, EPP/CD

STEFANELLI Lorella, San Marino, EPP/CD

STRENZ Karin, Germany, EPP/CD

TIMCHENKO Vyacheslav, Russian Federation, EDG

EPP/CD: Group of the European People's Party

SOC: Socialist Group

ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

EDG: European Democrat Group

UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

NR: Representatives not belonging to a Political Group