EDMONTON – The National Parole Board has removed the parole condition of psychological counseling for convicted child killer Robert Latimer, who murdered Tracy, his 12-year old daughter with Cerebral Palsy, in 1993 by putting her in the cabin of his truck and piping exhaust fumes into it. His crime was called “compassionate homicide” by many and sparked debate on euthanasia. After being [...]
The Quebec government has tabled a bill proposing to legalize euthanasia after several years of debate and consultation. The Belgium-style Bill 52, “An Act respecting end-of-life care,” introduced on June 12 by Véronique Hivon, minister for social services and youth protection, would define “end-of-life care” as “palliative care provided to persons at the end of their lives, including terminal palliative sedation, and [...]
On May 18 approximately 1,700 people gathered in Quebec City to protest the provincial government’s plan to legalize euthanasia. Plans for the Springtime March, coordinated by the Rassemblement québécois contre l’euthanasie (RQCE), were made after the government’s “Dying with Dignity” committee toured Quebec and sought the opinions of individuals and organizations on the issue. The Springtime March was the beginning of a [...]
Two surveys indicate that palliative care physicians have a different position on euthanasia and assisted suicide from doctors in general. The results of a survey of the members of the Canadian Medical Association released in February showed that 20 per cent of respondents would euthanize patients if it was legal and 16 per cent would participate in assisted suicide. More than four [...]
A new Environics poll shows that Canadians are somewhat reluctant to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia. While nearly two-thirds respondents support assisted suicide (63 per cent) and more than half want euthanasia legalized (55 per cent), only 29 per cent, “strongly support” assisted suicide and 18 per cent “strongly support” euthanasia. Furthermore, almost half of Canadians seem unsure about their positions regarding [...]
Exposing Vulnerable People to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide by Alex Schadenberg (Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, 66 pages, $20 for ebook or paper) It can be difficult to keep on top of the latest medical studies and reports, let alone understand what they are saying (and as importantly, not saying). Alex Schadenberg’s Exposing Vulnerable People to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide is a brief volume [...]
Quebec’s Parti Quebecois Premier Pauline Marois has said the province will follow the government-appointed commission’s recommendation that Quebec bypass the Canadian Criminal Code prohibition on euthanasia by passing so-called “dying with dignity” legislation, which would treat the deliberate killing of patients as a medical rather than legal matter. The Special Commission on Dying with Dignity’s report said Quebec could chose not to [...]
Dr. Barrie de Veber with his Wife Iola at a dinner honouring his many contributions to society. More than 100 people attended the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition national convention Nov. 17 in London, Ont., to hear from speakers from legal, medical and disabilities backgrounds address the issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide, and to honour Dr. Barrie de Veber at a [...]
Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition addressed three groups in northern Ontario. A talk with Alex Schadenberg organized by a Northern Ontario pro-life group was given positive coverage in the local newspaper. Schadenberg, the executive director and international chair of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, spoke at the Encore Club in Kirkland Lake on Sept.19. The event was planned by [...]
Justice Lynn Smith The federal government has come out strongly against assisted suicide in an appeal against a British Columbia judgment declaring the ban to be unconstitutional. On Oct. 26, it filed its legal argument with the B.C. Court of Appeal, claiming that assisted suicide is prohibited in order to protect the most vulnerable members of society who might otherwise [...]
The long awaited 2010 nationwide examination of the euthanasia law in the Netherlands was published in the July 11 Lancet. The study found: the number of euthanasia deaths has grown significantly since 2005 (4050 in 2010, 2425 in 2005); the under-reporting of euthanasia in the Netherlands has grown since 2005 (23 per cent in 2010, 20 per cent in 2005); there is [...]
On June 15, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Lynn Smith said that the Criminal Code prohibitions on euthanasia and assisted suicide were unconstitutional, finding that they “unjustifiably infringe the equality rights” of one of plaintiffs in the case, Gloria Taylor, who has Lou Gehrig’s disease and wants assistance to end her own life. Justice Smith also said the prohibitions unjustifiably violate the [...]
The Select Committee on Dying with Dignity Committee, commissioned by the Quebec National Assembly to study euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide, released it’s report, “Dying with Dignity,” on March 22. The committee called for the province to legalize euthanasia, suggesting modest restrictions that anti-euthanasia groups say do nothing to protect the vulnerable. Ignoring federal Criminal Code prohibitions on euthanasia and [...]
The Select Committee on Dying with Dignity Committee in Quebec released its report today recommending that Quebec ignore the federal law that protects all Canadians, by legalizing euthanasia according to the Belgian model. The report defies Parliament’s overwhelming defeat of a similar bill to legalize euthanasia by a margin of 228 to 59, after a full-debate and across party lines. The [...]
If you were incurably ill and facing impending death, would you want your medical team to continue with aggressive and painful medical treatments in the hope of a miracle cure? Or would you prefer to be placed in palliative care to help you through the inevitable dying process? Most people would opt for palliative care. However, sometimes, close family members of [...]