Québec election temporarily kills euthanasia bill.

Québec National Assembly

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Today, Québec Premier Pauline Marois called an election for April 7, causing the Québec euthanasia bill to become temporarily dead. The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition expects that a similar or possibly identical euthanasia bill will likely be introduced in the Québec National Assembly after the election.

The PQ government is currently a minority government with 54 of 125 seats in the Québec National Assembly. Recent polls indicate that the Québec separatist government, under Premier Marois, may do well in this election.

The Québec government had promised to vote on the euthanasia bill 52 before leaving for their break but on Thursday, February 20, the Québec National Assembly left for a break without completing the debate or voting on euthanasia Bill 52. 

• Bill 52 gave Québec doctors the right to lethally inject their patients when they are physically or psychological suffering. 

• Bill 52 did not limit euthanasia to terminally ill people. The bill stated that a person must be “at the end of life” but the bill did not define end of life. Bill 52 allowed euthanasia for psychological suffering, which wasn't defined. 

• Bill 52 targeted people with disabilities. Bill 52 stated that a person must be in “an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability.” Since Bill 52 did not define "end of life" euthanasia could be extended to people with disabilities.  

• Euthanasia is homicide in the federal Criminal Code. Bill 52 defined killing by lethal injection as "health care" in order to avoid the Criminal Code protections from euthanasia. 

Bill 52 was unconstitutional and would have been challenged in the court.
Bill 52 was imprecise and open to abuse.
Bill 52 was lethal.

Link to other articles:
• Québec’s euthanasia Bill 52 is lethal.
• Expert’s condemn Québec’s Bill 52. 
• Quebec doctors are planning to expand euthanasia even before its legal.