Trial balloon on “Living Wills”

Norm Sterling Conservative MPP for Carleton, introduced into the Ontario Legislature on April 26, a private member’s Bill to sanction Living Wills. Mr. Sterling aimed to gauge the response of the House to legislation which would open the door to legalized euthanasia in the province. The bill had the tacit support of Attorney General Ian Scott, but was allowed to die.

The bill would enable someone to give an individual power of attorney to permit or refuse medical treatment for him.

Sterling has had the backing of Dying with Dignity, an organization which promotes euthanasia.

Although members of the House greeted the proposed legislation with varying degrees of enthusiasm, Sterling was visibly angry when he realized that it was going to be defeated at the whim of the Liberal caucus on this occasion, and that he wasn’t going to get much credit for his efforts.

David Reveille, the NDP member for Riverdale, spoke approvingly of another pro-euthanasia organization, the notorious U.S. based Hemlock Society. Hans Daigler, the Liberal MPP for Nepean near Ottawa, thought that the measure should be known as a “Natural Death Will.”