At his earliest opportunity following the death of Sue Rodriguez.  MP Svemd Robinson introduced a bill in the House of Commons to legalize physician assisted suicide.  Bill C-215 would amend s.241 of the Criminal code to read:  “No qualified medical practitioner commits an offence where the practitioner aids a terminally ill person to commit suicide a) at the request of and with the approval of at least one other qualified medical practitioner.”

In response to Mr. Robinson’s bill, MP Don Boudria drafter a motion supporting the current s.241 of the Criminal Code.  Motion M-218 reads: “That this House affirm its support for Section 241 of the Criminal Code of Canada which forbids the counselling, procuring, aiding or abetting of a person to commit suicide and, that this House further affirm that the absence of said section in criminal law could lead to a reduction in patient- physician trust, the lessening of the value of human life, and an erosion of moral and ethical values.”

Mr. Robinson’s bill has been selected for debate and is #23 in the Order of Precedence for Private Members’ Business.  It is expected that the bill will be deemed “votable” by the committee of MPs which oversees Private Members’ Business, in which case it will be debated for three one-hour periods on a rotating schedule and then voted upon.  Prime Minister Jean Cretien has stated that any vote on assisted suicide in the House of Commons will be a “free vote” where MPs are free to vote by their conscience rather than by party policy.

Mr. Boudria’s motion is not yet on the Order of Precedence as his name was selected for a bill, not a motion, in the draw for Private Members’ Business.

Campaign Life Coalition has urged pro-lifers to write immediately to their MPs in support Mr. Boudria’s motion and against Mr. Robinson’s bill.  “There is intense lobbying on both sides of this issue.”  Says Sue Hierlihy of the Campaign Life Coalition National Public Affairs Office in Ottawa.  “Pro-lifers must let their MPs, most of whom are new to this issue, know that Canadians do not support the push for assisted-suicide or any other form of euthanasia.”

The address for Members of Parliament is: House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6.