I gave babies lethal jabs, doctor admits

A doctor has admitted ending the lives of four sick babies with a lethal injection. His interview - to be broadcast on television tonight - is set to reignite the euthanasia debate.

Dutch paediatrician Eduard Verhagen is campaigning for Netherlands law to be relaxed so medics do not fear prosecution.

He said: "All four babies had spina bifida - not the usual type, but severely affected children where this was not the only problem. They were in constant pain.

"In the last minutes or seconds you see the pain relax and they fall asleep ... at the end, after the injection, their fists unclench and there is relief for everyone in the room. Finally they get what they should have been given earlier."

Dr Verhagen, 42, a father of three, who works at the Groningen Hospital, added: "Death can be more humane than continued life if it involves extreme suffering."

The Channel 4 News interview comes as the Royal College of Nursing debated euthanasia, with some delegates urging it to back a Private Member's Bill likely to be reintroduced after the election.