OTTAWA, Ontario — The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced legislation on Thursday to legalize physician-assisted suicide for Canadians with serious medical conditions.
OTTAWA, Ontario — The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced legislation on Thursday to legalize physician-assisted suicide for Canadians with serious medical conditions.
The proposed law limits physician-assisted suicides to Canadians and residents, who are eligible to participate in the national health care system, preventing a surge in medical tourism among the dying from other countries. Assisted suicide is legal in only a few U.S. states, including Oregon and Vermont.
Under Canada’s proposed law, people who want to die will be able to either commit suicide with medication provided by their doctors or have the doctors administer the dose. Family members will be allowed to assist patients with their death.
It is likely the legislation will pass, given the Liberal Party’s strong majority in the House of Commons. However, the government has promised to further study the issue after the legislation is passed and may make changes to the system.
“For some, medical assistance in dying will be troubling,” said Jody Wilson-Raybould, the justice minister, at a news conference on Thursday. “For others, this legislation will not go far enough.”
The bill would restrict assisted deaths to adults and would not, in the current version, allow people to request assisted death before they develop a serious or terminal medical condition.
Doctors will not be required to help people die, but they must refer patients to another physician if they have an objection to participating.
If the bill passes, Canada will join a group of countries that permit some form of assisted suicide including Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.
Although the bill is expected to pass, Trudeau’s party will not require its members to support the legislation. A few Liberal members of Parliament have said that it conflicts with their religious beliefs.
What may be difficult, however, is approving the legislation by June 6, the date on which the current criminal prohibition expires.
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