Is Canada expanding euthanasia?

The following article was published by OneNewsNow on October 1, 2018.

America's neighbors to the north are waiting for news from a panel of experts that is considering ways to develop euthanasia beyond current practices.

Alex Schadenberg

Shortly after the Canadian Supreme Court forced doctor-assisted suicide on the nation by judicial fiat, the government asked the Council of Canadian Academies to generate a report on the euthanasia of children, the mentally ill, and people who have lost the capacity to request it themselves.

Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) tells OneNewsNow the report will not be released until December, but he already has his concerns.

"My concern is that it appears that there's some sort of decisions already being made," he says. "We're seeing in the journal articles -- different ethics journals or in the case of the pediatric journals -- this heated discussion about how they're going to now do the euthanasia of children and things like that."

He points out that the latter is technically illegal, but based off what the EPC is learning, it appears decisions have already been made on the matter; the discussion now is just how to do it.

Schadenberg is further concerned this means assisted suicide will be expanded in Canada.

"Obviously speaking, I don't know," he admits. "I haven't seen the report, but it certainly is my concern that the direction of things is the expansion of euthanasia."

Meanwhile, however, distinguished American psychiatrists have printed articles making a very strong case against euthanizing mental patients, and a top psychiatrist in the Netherlands is raising legitimate questions about the practice.

• Laying the groundwork for child euthanasia in Canada. 
• Dr Mark Komrad: Submission to New Zealand government committee.