</s>THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A judge in the Netherlands has ruled that a 12-year-old boy does not have to undergo chemotherapy if he does not want it.

The ruling Friday came after the boy’s father asked a judge to order the treatment. The mother of the boy supported her son in his opposition to the chemotherapy.

The court in Alkmaar said in a statement that the chemotherapy was part of treatment for the boy, identified only as David, following the successful surgical removal last year of a brain tumour.

After consulting a psychiatric report into David’s ability to make the decision, a judge at the court said that David “is capable of a reasonable evaluation of his interests and realizes the consequences — including the negative ones — of his decision.”</s>A 12-year-old boy from North Holland with cancer has the right to refuse chemotherapy, a Dutch court ruled on Friday.

David, who was operated on for a brain tumour last year, does not have to undergo further follow-up chemotherapy, according to a legal judgement.

His tumour was successfully removed last November and he had radiation treatment, then asked for alternative therapies instead of chemotherapy due to its side effects.

The boy – who has not been identified – has divorced parents, and while his mother reportedly supports alternative therapies, his father went to court to try to ensure David had further medical care against his will.

David had been living with his mother on the island of Texel, according to reports, but was taken into the care of social services last December, when the mother refused to cooperate with the first round of radiation treatment.

But a judge in Alkmaar ruled on Friday that David has the right to decide on further medical care, even if this reduces his chances of survival.

"He is especially concerned about the side effects of chemotherapy and the deterioration in his quality of life," said the judgement.

"He is not depressed, has a strong will to live but can also think about death. David is 100 per cent [mentally] competent.”

It adds that a child of 12 years old can weigh his own interests in this situation: “Major medical procedures require his consent, taking into his right to self-determination…David has made his decision in terms of his quality of life now.”
A judge in Alkmaar, the Netherlands, grants a 12-year-old boy the right to decide for himself on whether or not to continue chemotherapy. The ruling was based on a psychiatric evaluation of the patient as being "capable of a reasonable evaluation of his interests and realizes the consequences — including the negative ones — of his decision."