Q: I would like to know more about the law on euthanasia that Belgium recently passed.
—Gerald Wade, Stockbridge
A: Belgium is close to becoming the first country to remove age restrictions on euthanasia, meaning terminally ill children can be assisted to die, under these circumstances, according published reports:
The child must be terminally ill
The child must be close to death
The child must be beyond medical assistance
The child must be judged able to understand what euthanasia means
The child’s parents must give consent
Belgium’s senate passed the bill in December, and earlier this month, the country’s lower house of Parliament passed it 86-44 with 12 abstentions. King Philippe’s signature is considered a formality and all that’s needed to make the measure a law.
Q: For the last several years I’ve had my accounts frozen at the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). To what extent am I vulnerable to identity theft and/or fraudulent credit card charges?
—Barry Radulski, Dunwoody
A: Credit freezes "may not stop misuse of your existing accounts or some other types of identity theft," the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states on its website. Companies you do business with have "access to your credit report for some purposes" and identity thieves could access and take information from your report before it's discovered, The Washington Post recently reported. Consumer advocate and author Clark Howard wrote last year that freezing your credit is "the cheapest insurance you can buy against identity theft."
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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