Quebec: Euthanasia hearings spark questions over Ottawa's role

Description: [of the article from The National Post]

Quebec could take a cue from B.C.'s “selective” stance on prosecuting assisted suicide cases, according to the head of a provincial commission who suggests the public may be open to a solution that doesn't involve asking the federal government to change the Criminal Code.

"It's been suggested that British Columbia has been far more selective in charging people with assisted suicide," said Geoff Kelley, a Liberal member of Quebec's National Assembly and president of the commission, which begins public hearings today. "Palliative care, questions of the code of ethics for medical professions, all those are under the provincial jurisdiction, as are questions of the administration of justice."

Hoping to reignite a national debate about assisted suicide and the way patients die, the ethics of euthanasia will be debated by Quebecers through a travelling commission that will make stops in 10 cities, starting today in Montreal, before its conclusion. The commission, entitled "Dying with Dignity," first held hearings for medical, legal and ethical experts in February. Now, the provincial politicians want to hear from the public in Quebec.

And although the Criminal Code of Canada, a federal statute provinces can't change, currently deems euthanasia illegal, Quebec is determined to weigh in on the issue.

At the forefront of the debate in Quebec are people like Ghislain Leblond, a 65-year-old former deputy minister in the government who suffers from a neurological degenerative illness.

The man, now wheelchair bound, is fighting to get the right, if his life becomes unbearable, to request - and be given - assistance to die. "This is not something easy for me or for my family. No one wishes to be euthanized," Mr. Leblond said in an interview. "But if what I fear the most - which is to become totally paralyzed and a prisoner of my body - happens, I want to have the freedom to decide to seek assistance to put an end to my life."

Mr. Leblond wants Quebec to follow the example of Belgium, which allows assisted suicide under strict guidelines. "It's a question of freedom of choice and people will be able to make a decision according to their values," he said. Two U.S. states, Oregon and Washington, have adopted a law similar to that of Belgium, while the Netherlands and Luxembourg have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The Canadian Medical Association says it does not support euthanasia or assisted suicide, but Dr. Gaetan Barrette, president of Quebec's Federation des medecins specialistes, says the CMA's policy is hard-line, influenced by religious beliefs, and needs to change.

[There is information in the Notes section below.]
[There are other related stories in the Links section below.]

Links:

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Source:

Laidlaw, Katherine, Marianne White. "Euthanasia hearings spark questions over Ottawa's role". National Post. Monday, Sept. 6, 2010. <www.nationalpost.com/news/Euthanasia+hearings+spark+questions+over+Ottawa+role/3487313/story.html>. The National Post, 1450 Don Mills Road, Suite 300, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3R5.

Tags:

Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.

  • assisted suicide

  • euthanasia

  • public hearings

  • Quebec

  • Canada

Notes:

Other stories on the Pending Advisories page include:

  • The lawsuit against a Toronto hospital that claims doctors secretly placed a DNR order on a patient's chart, and ignored the health proxy's at-the-scene instructions to attempt resuscitation. Professor Thaddeus Pope says that, if the allegations are true, it is as bad as it looks.

  • The start of the Australian right-to-die television advertising campaign of Exit International.

  • Libby Wilson comments on the arrest the two friends of Douglas Sinclair on their return from Dignitas.

  • Derek Humphry's update on the availability of lethal drugs.

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201009070272.
Mailed: Tuesday, September 7, 2010 14:23:12 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Etcetera:

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>. 

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