Wesley Smith: Canada's Death Courts

This article was published by Wesley Smith on his blog on February 10, 2016.

Wesley Smith

By Wesley Smith

Until Canada’s radical Supreme Court ruling imposing a positive right to euthanasia on the entire country goes into effect, suicidal ill and disabled people can apply to a court for a license to be killed. 

Death courts. 

From the “Practice Advisory” published by the Ontario court: 

Commencement of Application  

An application to the Superior Court of Justice for authorization for a physician assisted death shall be commenced by notice of application under Rule 14 of the Rules of Civil Procedure and be in accordance with this Practice Advisory.  

Content of Notice of Application  

The notice of application shall state that the application shall be heard by a judge on a date to be fixed by the registrar at the place of hearing, such date not being earlier than fifteen days after the application is commenced and not being later than thirty days after the application is commenced. Depending upon the circumstances, certain applications may be heard sooner on an emergency basis. The nature of the relief sought on the application must be brought to the attention of the registrar by the applicant at the time of filing so that a hearing date within these time periods, or sooner, can be fixed. 

This is just stunning. A judge is going to dispassionately review an application to be killed, and then, rule thumbs up or down. 

I doubt there will be many refusals. The Supreme Court’s ruling is so broad and radical that virtually any medical condition beyond a tooth ache can qualify for euthanasia. 

And once the ruling goes into effect, even this minor impediment to death will be erased. 

This from a country that considers itself too enlightened to countenance a death penalty.

Poor Canada. We hardly knew ye.