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EUTHANASIA AND PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE

Last year, Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler stated that he would welcome a debate in Parliament on euthanasia. Well, he is having just that.

Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde introduced Bill C-407 in the House of Commons on June 15, 2005 calling it the "right to die" with dignity bill. It is anything but.

The bill provides that anyone 18 years of age or over who "appears to be lucid" may request that he/she be assisted to die by either a medical practitioner or another person assisted by a medical practitioner, if that person is terminally ill or suffering severe physical or mental pain with no prospect of relief. That is, the person does not necessarily have to be terminally ill, but only depressed. Obviously, such a bill has alarming implications for society.

REAL Women sent a letter to every MP in both official languages on October 20, 2005 in which we stated:

Our concern about this bill is that it leaves vulnerable individuals without legal protection from possible abuse.

This conclusion is based on the fact that Bill C-407 provides that a person may be assisted in the deliberate termination of his/her life providing only that he/she is 18 years of age, appears to be lucid, is not necessarily terminally ill, but experiencing "severe physical or mental pain" for which he/she may have refused treatment.

Such a definition easily describes those who may be depressed or under emotional pressure from others to end their lives.

Such individuals require medical care, counselling, and legal protection, not a quick death. If such individuals are properly treated they may well go on to live enriched, meaningful and productive lives.

Compassion and care, both physical and emotional, must be provided by society, not Bill C-407 that will allow only a swift and deliberate termination of life.

Judging by the response to REAL Women's letter by the MP's, Bill C-407 was not well liked by them. In fact, some MPs who have never supported REAL Women at all in the past, wrote to us stating that they share our concerns about Bill C-407.

Further, on October 25, 2005, some 100 Canadian physicians and lawyers sent a document to all MPs expressing their deep concerns about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.
The signatures to this document included specialists (61) in psychiatry, cardiology, family and internal medicine, oncology, surgery, anaesthesiology, neurology, radiology, medical ethics and palliative care. The document was also endorsed by 39 lawyers.
The statement warns that "while euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide may superficially appear attractive, they have profound adverse effects on the social fabric of society, on attitudes towards death and illness, and on attitudes towards those who are ill or have disabilities."

The brief warns that in the Netherlands, where euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide have been legalized, at least 1,000 patients, including children and newborn babies, are being killed by doctors every year without consent. Nearly one in ten deaths of newborn babies in Holland occurs after doctors administer medication to babies with the explicit purpose of hastening their death.

The statement also quotes UK palliative care specialists who warn that "Euthanasia, once accepted, is uncontrollable for philosophical, logical and practical reasons. Patients will certainly die without and against their wishes if any such legislation is introduced."

The physicians further state: "It is easier and cheaper to kill a patient than to treat." The brief warns that once euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide has been legalized, it would put immense pressure on those who, due to illness or disability, consider themselves to be a burden to relatives or society. Patients or individuals with disabilities will be pressured, warns the letter, into euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide.

This document can be read on REAL Women's website, www.realwomenca.com. If this is not available to you, write, phone or fax our national office for a copy.

Also, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler sent a memorandum to members of the Liberal caucus expressing his concerns about the bill and why he would not be supporting it. He also outlined his objections to the bill in a letter to REAL Women.

Mr. Cotler's letter, however, sent a shiver down our backs, as he outlined in it how such a bill for physician-assisted suicide could be improved. He stated:

In order to guard against the potential to move towards what is often described as the 'slippery slope' in facilitating the unwanted death of elderly, physically or mentally vulnerable persons, a very stringent regime would have to be introduced, and Bill C-407 falls short of accomplishing this. "Bill C-407 lacks an appropriate mechanism to guard against abuses [and] does not require detailed reporting or establish a committee to review reports as is found in comparable legislation in Oregon, the Netherlands and Belgium, nor does the Bill [sic] address how to deal with cases of abuse, e.g. by creating a specific offence.

Mr. Cotler's parliamentary Secretary, Paul Macklin (Northumberland - Quinte West), argued during the first hour of debate on the second reading of the bill, on October 31, 2005, that Bill C-407 "is premature". The second hour of debate has been scheduled for December.

Mr. Cotler was also quoted in the National Post (November 3, 2005) as stating,

"I think we need to look at what is being done in other jurisdictions, other countries, which have started to look at that and see if we can come up with the kind of law that might enjoy a consensus."

Mr. Cotler, next, published a letter in the National Post (Nov. 5, 2005) in which he claimed that he did not want to introduce legislation on assisted suicide "at this time". We realize that he does not want to introduce the legislation now, just before a federal election -- but after the election….?

In short, it is clear that Mr. Cotler intends to introduce a more comprehensive bill on euthanasia, should the Liberals win re-election in the next federal election. This bill will include Mr. Cotler's own "safeguards", which Mr. Cotler seems to believe Canadians would support. He stated:

While many Canadians may not disapprove of permitting those who suffer from severe physical pain with no prospect of relief to access assistance in dying, few would tolerate the idea of allowing those who suffer from severe mental pain with no prospect of relief to have the same access to assisted death.

It seems that the Liberal government has a death wish for this country in more ways than one. This government, which is responsible for same-sex marriage and homosexual rights is now looking at euthanasia, in addition to prostitution and wider access to the non-medical use of drugs. From this, it is painfully clear that the Liberals will not stop until the last vestiges of Judeo-Christian ethics have been erased from our nation's laws.

The gravest problem we face if the Liberals gain a new mandate after the next election is that this government will do whatever it wants to do despite the public's views. Obviously, the next election will be absolutely pivotal to the future of this nation.

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