Brittany Fehr

W0648296

Part One- Report

Will Johnston: Beware of Assisted-suicide Zealots

http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/will-johnston-beware-of-assisted-suicide-zealots

In February of 2016 it is planned that a bill will be passed that will allow public health
practitioners to offer assisted-suicide and euthanasia as a legal service across Canada. Bill C-52
has been passed in Quebec, but it is the only province in which medical aid in dying is
permitted. The fact that this big change to Canadas healthcare is so close creates obvious
concern to many, but it is also viewed in a positive light by others.
Although there are both pros and cons to the new bill, there are some people who seem to
be overly enthusiastic on the subject. It even appears that Quebec is experiencing some of the
effects of the push from activists on this subject. Jean-Pierre Menard helped write Quebecs
euthanasia law which says that palliative care centers arent required to provide euthanasia as a
service, but now he is punishing those very centers that refuse to have anything to do with
euthanasia for reasons of medical judgement and ethics by removing their funding. Along with
Jean-Pierre Menard, the minister of health, Gaetan Barrette, has threatened to revoke hospital
privileges to doctors who wont comply with providing medical aid in dying. It is important
to ensure our hospitals and palliative care centers remain places where patients feel safe and
secure, [in order to do this] we must respect doctors conscience rights, rather than listen to
activists who seek to impose their one-size-fits-all policy on the rest of us(Johnston, Will).
There are two real issues in this article. The first is that there are influential people in the
Quebec medical system who have very strong opinions on the topic of euthanasia. They are
using their power to sway rules and regulations regarding this bill and forcing doctors who dont
agree with this method or arent comfortable with it to perform it. The second issue is that there

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are many concerns that follow this big change in the medical system. People are concerned about
the changes that are going to take place and the risks that come with it.
The second issue is a more prominent problem that is affecting Ontario and all of
Canada, whereas the first issue is more prominent in only Quebec. There are definite pros and
cons regarding the issue of euthanasia and doctor assisted-suicide. A few of the pros are that
allowing this bill to pass will give people a right to die, this can assist suffering patients and
allow them to have the choice of life or death, euthanasia may act in the best interest of the
country, family, and patient. The regulation of euthanasia could lead to effective control, and
allowing these people to pass on can free up healthcare availability to others that may be
deprived of resources and have a hope of living healthy lives. Some cons are that by agreeing to
administer euthanasia we are agreeing that some lives are worth more than others, proper
palliative care makes assisted dying unnecessary, religious arguments, which generally hold that
only God has the right to take life, and euthanasia may be misused and become a slippery slope
to legalized murder. (MapsofWorld).
There are numerous activist groups and organizations fighting for their points of view on
euthanasia. The majority of the organizations that I found were against euthanasia and doctorassisted suicide. Some of these organizations include Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, Living
with Dignity (Quebec), Toronto Right to Life Association, Catholic Organization for Life and
Family, Alliance for Life (Ontario), and The Canadian Medical Association. It seems that none of
these associations and organizations have a lot of impact on the issue of euthanasia and
physician-assisted suicide as the bill is set to pass in February 2016. In the past, however, this
same bill has been overturned numerous times for various reasons, so it is possible that these
activist groups are making some impact on the issue.

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Although there seem to be positive results from legalizing euthanasia in many European
countries I dont think that Canada should follow suit. I believe that if this new law will be
passed there will be abuse of the law to go with it, no matter how many preventative measures
are put in place along with the law. I believe that, although palliative care takes up healthcare
funding, it is important that the elderly are properly taken care of, especially since this specific
population is becoming more prominent in Canada.

Brittany Fehr
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Works Cited
"Euthanasia - End-of-Life Law and Policy in Canada." EndofLife Law and Policy in
Canada RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Nov. 2015.
Johnston, Will. "Will Johnston: Beware of Assisted-suicide Zealots."National Post Will
Johnston Beware of Assisted-suicide Zealots Comments. National Post, 19 Oct. 2015. Web. 01
Nov. 2015.
"Senate Private Bill - S-225, First Reading (41-2)." Senate Private Bill - S-225, First
Reading (41-2). N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
"Should Euthanasia Be Legal? - Facts & Infographic." Should Euthanasia Be
Legal? N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
"Top 10 Pros and Cons - Euthanasia - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d.
Web. 02 Nov. 2015.