The upper house of the Dutch parliament tonight approved a euthanasia bill.
The move means the Netherlands will become the first country to allow doctors to help patients end their lives.
The vote in the 75-seat Senate endorsed an earlier vote by the lower house last November. The vote was 46-28 with one person absent.
Earlier thousands of praying pro-life activists rallied outside the Dutch parliament, even though the vote was seen as a formality.
An estimated 10,000 people gathered outside The Hague building sang hymns and quoted the Bible.
The bill is likely to take effect this summer.
In the debate, Health Minister Ms Els Borst said a broad consensus had coalesced after 30 years of discussion. Nearly 90 per cent of the population backed the proposed changes, she said.
Ms Borst rejected domestic and international criticism that the bill gives doctors too much power to decide over a patient's life.
"There are sufficient measures to eliminate those concerns," Ms Borst told the senators.
Euthanasia, she said, will remain a last resort for those who have no other choice but endless suffering.
PA