Although this editorial is concerned with the Canadian situation, many of the arguments made apply to the proposed Massachusetts “Death with Dignity” Act which would legalize Doctor Prescribed Suicide here in the Commonwealth. Quick summary: there are too many risks–it’s just too dangerous.
Why We Should be Afraid of Assisted Suicide in Canada
by Will Johnston, Margaret Dore and Alex Schadenberg
Carter vs. Attorney General of Canada brings a constitutional challenge to Canada’s laws prohibiting assisted suicide and euthanasia. The case also seeks to legalize these practices as a medical treatment. Last year, a bill in Parliament seeking a similar result was overwhelmingly defeated.
The plaintiffs include the family of Kay Carter, a British Columbia woman with significant disabilities who died via assisted suicide in Switzerland in 2010. The case will be heard Monday.
This article’s focus is physician-assisted suicide. Legalizing this practice would be a recipe for elder abuse. Legalization would also empower the Canadian health-care system to the detriment of individual patient rights.
