On August 8, the Calgary (Alberta, Canada) Herald published a strong editorial opinion against a new attempt by proponents of assisted suicide to have Canada’s law criminal law prohibiting assisting in a suicide declared unconstitutional.
The first part of the editorial deals with legal issues relevant only in Canada, but the second part gets to the heart of why assisted suicide should not be legal. The reason is simple: there is ample evidence from the places where assisted suicide is legal that legalization threatens vulnerable people. Below in italics are the parts of the editorial, entitled “Human Life Must Be Valued”, that are of universal interest.
*************************************************************************************************************************************
Founder (of the Farewell Foundation, the group that has brought the case for legalization of assisted suicide) Russel Ogden says his group is arguing on behalf of Canadians who are terminally ill and wish for a “self-chosen death,” based on the Swiss model. (Switzerland is one of only four European countries where assisted suicide is legal)
Yet the very body of research Ogden points to, which he says shows people can have their right to”self-determination” respected, while protecting vulnerable individuals from being coerced into ending their lives, shows assisted suicide is a slippery slope.
Under the Swiss model that Ogden endorses, assisted suicide is only advocated for people who have the mental capacity to give consent and are sufficiently well informed. The drug causing death can only be dispensed by a doctor’s prescription, requiring the person to be physically able to carry out the final act themselves, rather than an active action taken by the doctor.
In theory, one has to be of sound mind under the Swiss model, and terminally ill. In practice, there have been documented cases involving the mentally ill, the elderly and others with non-fatal but debilitating diseases.
Assisted suicide might start with the terminally ill, but eventually, there will be pressure to extend that right to the physically disabled, mentally handicapped, the depressed, or the aged.
Defining the kind of illness that qualifies a person for assisted suicide has been a sticking point in many jurisdictions.
In the Netherlands, Dutch law states anyone over the age of 16 who is in mental anguish or is depressed can request physician-assisted suicide. …in 2005, the New England Journal of Medicine reported that Dutch doctors were euthanizing infants born with spina bifida and
cleft palates.
Regrettably, those who are vulnerable become swept up in the pressure to end their lives, or are exposed to exploitation.
Thankfully, there is a body of research that documents the experience of assisted suicide in other countries, and offers ample evidence of why Canada should put its money and resources into palliative care.
© Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald