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| Alex Schadenberg |
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
The Quebec government
appears intent on legalizing euthanasia, that they refer to as "assisted death" by defining euthanasia as a form of
healthcare.
When analyzing the Quebec Quebec
is planning to implement a euthanasia law that mirrors the Belgian law.
Euthanasia is the intentional causing of death, whereby the
death occurs directly from that act. Euthanasia has always been defined as part
of the Homicide Act in the Criminal Code because, whatever the motive is,
euthanasia is an act of killing.
How can killing be defined as a
form of healthcare?
By defining euthanasia as a healthcare, access to
euthanasia will inevitably be extended to everyone, because everyone is provided given equal access to healthcare. People who want to increase access to euthanasia, in the near future, will employ the equality provision in the Canada's Charter of Rights to convince the courts to logically extend euthanasia. The Quebec government seems to have intentionally defined euthanasia as medical treatment in order to introduce it in a limited form and then let the courts extend it to nearly everyone.
It should concern people that Quebec
has chosen to mirror the Belgium
euthanasia law. Belgium
legalized euthanasia in 2002 and research has found significant abuse primarily
related to the imprecise and wide-open definitions that the Belgium
law uses.
Three recent studies from the Flanders
region of Belgium
found that:
It is important to note, that even though independent
studies have found significant abuses of the Belgium
euthanasia law are occurring, not one doctor has been prosecuted in Belgium .
Now the
Considering the concerns in Quebec
related to the cost containment of healthcare and the concern with medical
errors, is it not likely that Quebec
will follow the lead of Belgium ?
The only way to effectively protect people is by maintaining
euthanasia as an illegal act and ensuring the proper care of people with
chronic or terminal conditions.
Be careful what you wish for it
may become something that you didn’t wish for.
The book by Alex Schadenberg, Exposing Vulnerable People to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide uncovers data proving that unreported euthanasia deaths and the abuse of the euthanasia laws in jurisdictions, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, where it is legal, uncovers euthanasia deaths without request not only occur but represent a threat to vulnerable patient groups.
Order the book: Exposing Vulnerable People to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide.
3 comments:
This is very scary and shouldn't be ignored!!!
It has the potential to be like dressing up The Nazi Holocaust in more appealing costumes but for the same purpose.
What a convenient way to get rid of our elderly, people with special needs, and people who are "unpopular" for one reason or the other!
I don't think there's going to be a holocaust of elderly and disabled people if assisted suicide or euthanasia were legalized. The same issues arise with withdrawing life-sustaining care or hastening deaths with palliative care (both of which are perfectly legal) and there hasn't been a huge influx of people "getting rid" of "unpopulars" as you say. I actually agree with the Quebec legislation in principle, but I also agree that there would need to be extremely stringent safeguards in place. Oregon and Washington have such safeguards in place and there is no evidence there of the "Nazi Holocaust" you fear.
But frankly I wouldn't worry much about the Quebec legislation anyway. They can call euthanasia "healthcare" or whatever they want but it will fall under ss. 241(b) (assisted suicide) and 222 (homicide) of the Criminal Code. The fact remains, the intent of such acts will be to kill or aid suicide and so clearly violate the Code. And yes, the Criminal Code still applies to Quebec too, despite what they may think.
There really is NO NEED to make such a policy. As a Registered Nurse for 30 years I have encountered many people in the end of life situation. Compassion and common sense is the question here. If someone is in pain we allievate that pain with drugs. Can those drug cause death....yes....but only in the sense of relieving suffering in the end stages of life. Drugs may hasten death because the patient is peaceful and not screaming in pain. Be careful what doors you open....many of them can open avenues for abuse and don't think for a moment that can't happen.
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