All doctors in Quebec must perform assisted suicide, law says

Doctors in Canada have been told they will be compelled, by law, to practice active euthanasia -- even when end-of-life care may be ill-defined -- and are being provided kits that can cause a coma and stop a human from breathing in order to comply with the law.

In June, Quebec passed Bill 52, an act respecting end-of-life care, which stipulates, among other things, that doctors will have no choice when it comes to practicing euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg, director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), told OneNewsNow: "The government of Quebec, which is planning to impose euthanasia upon its people starting on December 10, has basically told the doctors, 'You will do it.'"

Doctors in Canada have been told they will be compelled, by law, to practice active euthanasia -- even when end-of-life care may be ill-defined -- and are being provided kits that can cause a coma and stop a human from breathing in order to comply with the law.

In June, Quebec passed Bill 52, an act respecting end-of-life care, which stipulates, among other things, that doctors will have no choice when it comes to practicing euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg, director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), told OneNewsNow: "The government of Quebec, which is planning to impose euthanasia upon its people starting on December 10, has basically told the doctors, 'You will do it.'"

Quebec is now circulating literature among health care providers concerning euthanasia "kits," which are ordered by a doctor and filled by a pharmacist. They contain three medicines, one to alleviate anxiety, one to cause a coma, and a third to stop breathing.

The kit is always to contain two doses in case a second attempt is needed.

In a post on the EPC blog, Schadenberg wrote, "Giving doctors the right, in law, to cause the death of their patients will never be safe."

Schadenberg cited several situations in Belgium and the Netherlands, where assisted suicide is legal, in which healthy, depressed people were wrongly helped to die by doctors. "There will always be people who will abuse the power to cause death and there will always be more reasons to cause death," he wrote.

The law risks abuse by doctors, by those who may wish to die because of a mental illness, and those who are susceptible to pressure from family or loved ones, such as the elderly, disabled, or impoverished.

"The fact that very few people ask for euthanasia based on physical suffering, and even in those cases the pain can be mitigated, should give us hope that no one actually needs to die in this way," Schadenberg pointed out.

What makes this situation even more dangerous for doctors and patients is that hospice care facilities that don't want to offer euthanasia may receive retaliatory funding cuts.

Teresa Dellar, West Island Palliative Care Residence's co-founder and executive director, told CBC News she believed most terminal Canadians did not want euthanasia just as most Canadian doctors did not want to offer it.

A factor in patients' decision is their access to palliative care. "Presently palliative care is only available to between 16 to 30 percent of the Canadian population," Dellar said.

West Island Palliative Care Residence has declined to offer assisted suicide. "I think when 100 percent of Canadians have access to palliative care, then we can talk about other issues with end of life," Dellar said. "But right now I think we need to focus on palliative care resources."

Yet these resources might be cut further in favor of euthanasia.

Schadenberg told OneNewsNow the Canadian government has said it "will lessen the funding ... to palliative care centers who refuse to participate" in the euthanasia program.

Schadenberg put it bluntly: "So therefore when your mother or your father is needing good care as they're nearing death, these doctors and nurses who are providing good care will have a tighter budget because they refuse to kill your mother or your father."

This legal requirement of doctors to participate in euthanasia, which critics consider coercion, is province-wide. Under the new law, every institution is required to adopt an end-of-life care policy compliant with the bill.

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So doctor can abuse this new authority and I bet some will. Human life is no longer a priority on this planet. So what will it be in 5 or 10 years? You suffer from depression, anxiety or a simple headache and qualify for the "golden shot"? Or you lose your job and now qualify because you are depressed?

In this instance, "suicide" does not describe the essence of the mandate.
Death with Dignity is a viable alternative for some people than being tortured by machines.

I’ve never understood why people try to stop other people they don’t know from wanting to die. The world is overpopulated and healthcare systems are strained. The only ones who benefit from keeping them alive is the pharmaceutical monsters.

We don’t hesitate to put our beloved pets down when they are suffering. Why don’t we offer the same dignity to humans?

If someone wants to kill themselves they will find a way to do it, so may as well give them a less painful and cleaner method of doing it all while lessening the likelihood of them taking someone else with them.

Euthanasia is not a bad thing, someone has a right to their own life, if they want to end it they should have that option. What I don't agree with is how this law seems to force it onto doctors, that's not fair on the doctors.

I cant see a hell of a lot of angry Religious people taking this to the supreme court or trying to. I'm surprised this even passed.

On a secondary note, i think if someone wants to end their life they should be able to do it. I for one however would rather a faster way, there's no way in hell i'd want to be put into a coma. I'd have thoughts like, what if it didn't work? what if they made my loved ones think i was dead whilst i was on my way to a meat factory or human harvesting facility in new mexico somewhere. A gun is much faster.

Suicide is a personal responsibility.
Don't ask someone else to do your dirty work.

a reply to: DeathSlayer

I guess, this overly complicates filing mal-practice suites. Right?

Think this guy goes for terminal care, getting euthanized, for a final shot... But, some time after, he then discovers, he's alive - and more alive than ever. The doc fixed his ailment, and now, he's alive! But... he really paid for it and wanted, to die, to get culled, nicked, what you call it. Dead. But he's there.

So, he goes to court and appeals for damages. Which the judge agreess to grant. But, why pay any money for this fella, since basically, money is for those who are alive and want to spend it. But this guy is complaining he's alive, and wants actually sooo hard to die. So, to not make things any worse as they already are, this judge thus orders this fella to be executed - as a compensation for his continued suffering under Canadian all-nannying social-care system.

And that is how the Canadians started to call the waiting room for doc visit - as - the death row.

originally posted by: CraftBuilder
I’ve never understood why people try to stop other people they don’t know from wanting to die. The world is overpopulated and healthcare systems are strained.

The fear is that it will end up being imposed on people who don't want to die.
"Dying with dignity" could become the slogan for people being killed to suit the convenience of others.
The euthanasia equivalent of "every child should be a wanted child".

a reply to: skunkape23

Many need assistance like people who are trapped in their own body or are very old.
Obviously it should be the last choice but a choice people should respect.
I have looked after very old people who were in pain 24 hours a day, some used to ask me to just let them die because they wanted to pass away.
It was so hard If I could have I would have helped them.

a reply to: DeathSlayer

All doctors in Quebec must perform assisted suicide, law says.... So is the next move to compel doctors to counsel poor people into 'death with diginity'?

originally posted by: boymonkey74
a reply to: skunkape23

Many need assistance like people who are trapped in their own body or are very old.
Obviously it should be the last choice but a choice people should respect.
I have looked after very old people who were in pain 24 hours a day, some used to ask me to just let them die because they wanted to pass away.
It was so hard If I could have I would have helped them.

I watched my grandma lay in bed for several days, trapped in her own body. Thankfully, she died sooner, rather than later, but because of it, I have made it very clear what I want if I should ever be in that position.

On topic: I think Quebec is going to find themselves short on doctors if they don't re-work this bill. I am all for assisted suicide at the behest of those who are of sound mind to request it. It is their right to die if that is what they desire. But this is a very fine line to walk. And cutting back "palliative" care in favor of euthanasia is just plain wickedness.

Teresa Dellar, West Island Palliative Care Residence's co-founder and executive director, told CBC News she believed most terminal Canadians did not want euthanasia just as most Canadian doctors did not want to offer it.

I'm not sure I'm buying this statement. I think it more likely those who want it don't bother asking for it, because it has heretofore been illegal. So they seek out the most pain-free way to wait for death they can. Which is "palliative" care.
This is a very complicated topic, with a lot factors involved. There is no pat answer, but I will say I think the time for legal assisted suicide has come. But writing legislation for that is no doubt a very unenviable task. There's no way to please everyone, and you can't force doctors to perform it.

I am in favor of euthanasia when it meets a certain criteria which includes the desire of the patient first and foremost, along with support from family members and the patient's physician.

But to force a doctor to perform the procedure is wrong, and I don't see how they can legally do it. They are sworn to do no harm, and they might also have further ethical considerations. I can see how many doctors would shy away from it, and to force them to do it is unconscionable.

Follow the money. Long-term nursing care is very, very expensive.

originally posted by: CraftBuilder
I’ve never understood why people try to stop other people they don’t know from wanting to die. The world is overpopulated and healthcare systems are strained. The only ones who benefit from keeping them alive is the pharmaceutical monsters.

We don’t hesitate to put our beloved pets down when they are suffering. Why don’t we offer the same dignity to humans?

You know when a pet has reached the end - they won't eat or move around. By the time that happens, whatever illness they had, had progressed to terminal stage and they only have week left at most.

With humans, you've got all sorts of complex motives involving wealth; inheritance of property and money, medical bills, care homes, addictions, old age, mobility.

We've had healthy people kill themselves simply because they wanted their inheritance to go to their children and not care homes. We've had care homes issue injunctions against families stopping them from taking elderly relatives home, simply because the care home needed the income.

I'd imagine you could end up with care homes suing doctors for loss of revenue because someone was given assisted suicide.

a reply to: DeathSlayer

Here's some news headlines to consider:

Swiss group to allow assisted dying for elderly who are not terminally ill

Philip Nitschke denies he ‘went too far’ helping depressed Nigel Brayley die

Number of mentally ill patients killed by euthanasia in Holland trebles in a year as doctors warn assisted suicide is 'out of control'

Documentary shows Belgian doctor euthanizing a depressed, suicidal woman

Elderly cousins undergo joint euthanasia for fear of being separated

Doctors Killed His Mom Because She Was Depressed. Now He Speaks Out Against Euthanasia.

Father-of-two in constant pain from nerve damage launches crowd funding appeal to end his life at Dignitas despite not being terminally ill

A healthy, 24-year-old woman to be euthanised in Belgium.

Deaths among young an unintended consequence of euthanasia movement: mother

Study Finds Euthanasia Targets Women and People With Depression or Autism

Growing number of mentally ill Dutch choosing to be killed at euthanasia clinic

Assisted death is not a "do not resuscitate" or a withdrawal of futile life support.

Face it, assisted death legislation provably leads to "mission creep" where the law becomes increasingly non-specific and too inclusive. For instance, euthanasia has been extended to enable minors to avail themselves of it (albeit with parental consent) in the Netherlands and Belgium. Also, a study found that 32% of all assisted deaths in the Flemish region of Belgium are done without explicit request.

Abuse of assisted death legislation is already occurring everywhere it has been enacted.

This is something that we must consider VERY carefully because it may well affect us personally!

What did it mean that the Quebec government was going to enforce this on its own people, as of Dec 10? Enforce suicide? How do you enforce suicide? That's murder.

Just always shocked that people don't clean up their cities, and provinces states. Because I'd have them running for the hills, eyes bugged out of their heads, if everyone was like me, we'd be in eutopia with counsels of citizens overseeing anythign and all hired managers fireable, quickly, without pension and able to be arrested by normal police for all suspected crimes, not waiting for their own to impeach or anything, and all politicians, even corrupt judges, at the whim of their victims for massive suing and criminal cases as well, so there would be no one abusing power.

England and Belgium have been murdering children, who have cancer, for example with euthanisia, instead of hospice and pain killers and treatments to cure.

They're committing murder one on a daily basis, and all the politicians endorsing it and the doctors doing it need to be thrown in jail.

No province in my country is going to do any such thing. PERIOD.

They need to be charged.

originally posted by: ladyinwaiting
I am in favor of euthanasia when it meets a certain criteria which includes the desire of the patient first and foremost, along with support from family members and the patient's physician.

But to force a doctor to perform the procedure is wrong, and I don't see how they can legally do it. They are sworn to do no harm, and they might also have further ethical considerations. I can see how many doctors would shy away from it, and to force them to do it is unconscionable.

Follow the money. Long-term nursing care is very, very expensive.

Oh c'mon, they provide a public service in Canada, and if someone has a right to die now, then they can't refuse that right because they have religious objections ...

Just like I can't refuse to participate in someone's gay wedding because I have religious objections.

It's now a right.