Canada: Worrisome Bill C-14 on Euthanasia

On Thursday April 14, the federal government introduced an act on « active help in dying », hastened by the one-year limit to formulate a position after the Supreme Court judgment which ordered decriminalization of euthanasia.

Whereas the federal government could have campaigned against the Supreme Court decision which judged a euthanasia case, leaving the door wide open, even besides terminal phase illnesses, they chose a much broader draft law. In fact, the text targets both euthanasia and assisted suicide for patients “in an advanced state of irremediable decline of capacities” and where death is “reasonably foreseeable”.

Doctors, nurses and pharmacists will be involved in the process. There is no trace in the text of either a conscience clause or any verification of procedure. During the press conference the Justice and Health Ministers specified that the issue of euthanasia for minors or individuals who are mentally ill was not addressed but will remain open.

For the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, this draft law is “a perfect alibi for any murderous act.”