Québec Superior Court decision prevents December 10 launch of Québec euthanasia law.

For Immediate Release - December 1, 2015

Justice Michel Pinsonnault of the Québec Superior Court made the right decision, today,  by preventing the Québec euthanasia law from coming into effect on December 10, 2015.
The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) intervened in the court case by the Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice.

EPC is a national non-profit corporation that exists to build a broad based network of groups and individuals that support measures that will create an effective social barrier to euthanasia and assisted suicide.

EPC argued that euthanasia does not constitute health care. EPC Executive Director, Alex Schadenberg, stated:

Euthanasia is done by lethal injection which does not constitute a form of health care.

EPC is also convinced that Québec does not have jurisdiction to legalize euthanasia. EPC legal counsel, Hugh Scher, stated that the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the role of the federal government to legislate on the issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The federal government either has sole jurisdiction or shared jurisdiction concerning these issues. The decision was necessary based on the federal right to legislate on these issues.

Amy Hasbrouck, the Director of Toujours Vivant – Not Dead Yet said:

Inconsistency between federal and provincial regulation for death could foster confusion and dangerous errors. We must handle these policies with extreme care.

For more information contact:

Hugh Scher, EPC legal counsel (Toronto): (416) 816-6115 or hugh@sdlaw.ca
Amy Hasbrouck, Toujours Vivant – Not Dead Yet (Montréal): (450) 921-3057 or tigrlily61@gmail.com
Alex Schadenberg, EPC Executive Director (London): (519) 851-1434 or info@epcc.ca