Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
Clarke writes:
Last week, Scotland resolutely rejected assisted suicide. Alberta announced major new legislation to protect individuals from the practice. And the clock is ticking in the United Kingdom’s House of Lords on a bill that would legalize the practice in England and Wales.
Clarke explains that the recent defeat of Scotland's assisted suicide bill by a vote of 69 to 57 happened with cross-party opposition to the bill. Clarke also refers to the introduction in Alberta of Bill 18, a government bill that will use provincial jurisdiction to institute greater protections for Albertans concerning euthanasia.
Alberta Bill 18 will:
- require the individual to have a 12 month terminal prognosis, thus preventing Track 2 euthanasia approvals. Track 2 refers to euthanasia for people who are not terminally ill.
- prevent the expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness alone,
- prevent the expansion of euthanasia to "mature minors", people who cannot consent and prevent euthanasia by advanced request,
- prevent out of province referrals,
- require the assessor to contact other practitioners who have cared for the patient, before approval.
- require (MAiD) euthanasia practitioners to receive specific training,
- prevent health care practitioners from introducing euthanasia, without a request,
- require Regulatory Colleges to sanction practitioners who violate the act.
- provide conscience rights by enabling practitioners to refuse to participate or provide assessments for (MAiD) euthanasia,
- enable institutions to refuse to participate or provide assessments for euthanasia,
- create an exclusion zone for euthanasia around an institution that refuses to participate,
- require practitioners who refuse to participate or provide assessments to provide information to patients wanting to access euthanasia.
Over the last four years, deaths in Alberta from Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) regime increased by 109 percent. In her announcement, Alberta’s premier, Danielle Smith, was clear that the proposed law is “about protecting vulnerable Albertans.” As the federal government seeks to expand MAID across the country, including by moving to allow assisted suicide solely on the basis of mental health concerns, Alberta is drawing a line to protect its most vulnerable. If passed, the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act would prohibit MAID for minors and when the sole condition is mental illness, in addition to introducing other key protections and delineating a right to conscientious objection.
Clarke maintains that safeguards cannot make euthanasia or assisted suicide safe but Alberta Bill 18 is headed in the right direction by dealing with some of the most egregious parts of Canada's euthanasia law.
The key factors as to why euthanasia and assisted suicide have lost their luster are the radical implementation and expansion of Canada's euthanasia law and the incredible referendum overturning the Slovenian assisted suicide law. In fact, Canada's euthanasia law had a direct affect on Slovenia's successful referendum campaign.
Canada origally legalized euthanasia for people who were terminally ill and suffering. Canadians were told the the law would only be a last resort, but from the beginning the language of the law lacked definition which immediately led to a type of expansion.
In less than 5 years Canada expanded the law legally by removing the requirement that a person be terminally ili, eliminated the "reflection period" for those who are terminally ill to allow a same-day death, eliminating the requirement that a person be capable of consenting at the time of the killing and allowing euthanasia for mental illness alone. Parliament delayed euthanasia for mental illness alone. It is now scheduled to begin on March 17, 2027.
The euthanasia stories from Canada have had an incredible affect on the world-wide euthanasia debate. The world asks how a 26-year-old diabetic man with a serious history with mental health issue, who lives in Ontario, could be killed by euthanasia in Vancouver BC after not being approved to be killed by doctors in his own province.
The world asks how a man with a back disability can be approved for euthanasia, even though he is only asking to be killed because of housing issues. The same question comes up concerning an Ontario woman with Multiple Chemical Sensitivies who was living in social housing. She was killed by euthanasia even though she actually needed suitable housing.
These are only a few of the incredible number of stories from Canada that are changing the international perception of euthanasia and assisted suicide. For those who do not oppose killing people, euthanasia and assisted suicide are becoming an interesting theoretical experiment without an effective practical implementation.
The incredible referendum campaign that overturned Slovenia's assisted suicide law is another key factor. Here is an article I wrote about this campaign. (Read article).
Slovenia is the first country to legalize assisted suicide and then overturn the law. We all now how difficult it is to run a referendum campaign, but the Slovenian campaign stuck to their talking points and did not avoid the truth of what euthanasia and assisted suicide actually are,
The average person continues to have an aversion to killing people. So long as we focus on what euthanasia and assisted suicide actually are, we can win the debate. When become afraid of saying the truth and argue that euthanasia and assisted suicide are not necessary, that means that it is OK but not necessary. Why isn't it necessary?
Killing is not only not necessary but it is always wrong to give medical practitioners the right in law to kill you. Also, once legal it cannot be controlled. Killing is contagious.
