Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Disability advocate: Supreme court is wrong on assisted suicide.

This letter was published in the Hamilton Spectator on March 3, 2015.

By Steven Passmore

As a person living with a disability, I am deeply concerned with the Supreme Court of Canada ruling, which struck down Canada's laws protecting me from assisted suicide. As a non-elected body, the Supreme Court has made a bad decision which will negatively affect all 35 million Canadians.

We are a nation that prides itself on democracy. In April, 2010, Parliament defeated an assisted suicide bill by a vote of 228 to 59. That was a pretty strong consensus. Nine Supreme Court Justices should not be able to overrule 308 members of parliament (MPs).

In Canada, does democracy still rule?

The Supreme Court of Canada has overstepped its mandate; the justices should have upheld the law and not struck down our current law. I would urge Parliament to use the notwithstanding clause to overrule the Supreme Court of Canada's decision on the basis of democracy.

Steven Passmore, Hamilton, Advocate for Persons with Disabilities and Board Member of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

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