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C384-Canadian Proposed Euthanasia Bill - A dilemna for Doctors
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by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | August 29, 2009 at 05:13 am
2725 views | 65 Recommendations | 28 comments
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This fall Bill C-384, which would make physician assisted suicide legal, will come up for second reading in the Canadian Parliament this fall. This is the furthest such a bill has ever gone in Canada.
It is the third time in four years that Francine Lalonde, MP, BLOC Quebecois, has sponsored such a bill. Has the time come for the Canadian Parliament to debate this issue?
Having observed two of my friends succumb to cancer recently and after having seen the pleading by the the Rodriguez woman that had ALS, I think the time has come to get serious with this issue.
It is the common decency that we grant animals. In fact, if we let an animal suffer unduly and not resort to euthanasia it would be considered cruelty. So does it not follow that we should also extend this decency to human beings?
The process that would be required to get euthanasia approved should be steadfast to ensure it doesn't become a cover for murder. There are also ethical consideration for physicians whose interpretation of their oath would not permit them to participate.
In some instances, religious considerations are also to be considered. As far as Parliament goes, I believe this should be a free vote and not pushed along party lines. I think I know where Stephen Harper and Stockwell Day stand on this issue?
Where do people in NP stand?
Such arguments will be aired again this fall when Bill C-384, which would make euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide legal, will come up for second reading, the furthest such a bill has ever gone in Canada. It is the third time in four years that Bloc MP Francine Lalonde has sponsored such a bill.
Ms. Lalonde, who has battled cancer for the past two years, said she was only diagnosed after she introduced the bill in 2005. She said before her diagnosis, pain was a theoretical issue. But after what she experienced while she was ill, “pain was no longer theoretical” and so seeing a bill like this passed meant even more.
She is not overly optimistic that will happen. It is a question, she said, of whether parliamentarians have “the guts or courage” to reflect what appears to be the popular will.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (28)
at 05:35 on August 29th, 2009
Below is an excerpt of a Book, by noted Authour Colleen Rice We follow the actions of Colleen Rice, who, with the assistance of her daughter, ends her life of suffering from cancer. This act of self-deliverance is portrayed as a rational and dignified attempt to bring closure to a life that Rice no longer felt was worth living. Oh yeah, one more thing, the Authour is my Mom.
at 05:37 on August 29th, 2009
Barry you forgot the link.
at 05:43 on August 29th, 2009
Not really crazy about going there Karl.
You should know my Mom, whose buddies 60 minutes Partner in Crime both Barbara Walters and Lesley Stahl attended the wake and used her story in the media as well as a few other of her friends, my Mom was I think the first to use Oregons assisted suicide law
at 05:45 on August 29th, 2009
OK thanks Barry.
at 05:46 on August 29th, 2009
This is such a complicated subject but it needs to be addressed. With the ability of modern medicine to keep people alive but not cure them it becomes even more relevant.
at 05:52 on August 29th, 2009
Yep, I agree with you Barbara, there seems to be Tons of expensive treatments, but no cure, but then there is no money in Cures now is there?
at 05:55 on August 29th, 2009
Isn't it amazing that even in medicine it comes down to how good it is for business?
at 06:24 on August 29th, 2009
When I was in the military and working for the CDC, we concluded a cure was possible, but seemed money for Big Pharma was more lucrative in ongoing treatments than a cure,
at 06:39 on August 29th, 2009
Yep we know who rules the medical field.
at 07:40 on August 29th, 2009
I'm sure this will get me in to trouble, but I think this bill should be passed, I do think people should have the right to choose, I just do.
at 07:44 on August 29th, 2009
I think I would want that right and I would like to have that choice long before my mind is gone.
at 09:25 on August 29th, 2009
Why in trouble?
It is something that needs to be discussed, very openly and without the sanctimonious shouting down, it needs to be in the open because it is a matter that Dr's should not be subjected to lawsuits, people should be ultimately in what it is that they are asking of a medical professional.
I would much prefer that a cure was found for all illnesses like cancer, I lost both my parents to it. But if it comes that people, after the right and correct amount of counciling , decide that they cannot continue with the life they have who are we to say that they should suffer more and until the end?
Controversial indeed, but lets be open to the discussion.
at 09:09 on August 29th, 2009
Whose life is it anyway?
at 09:33 on August 29th, 2009
There was a thread a week ago about palliative care and an article in the New York Times. I found the article to be enlightening and introduced me to the specialty of Palliative Care.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/health/20doctors.html
I support the right of individuals to have a choice regarding end of life care and in the cases where quality of life is diminished. There is a wonderful movie The Sea Inside that tells the life story of the Spaniard Ramon Sampedro who fought for thirty years to win the right to end his life with dignity. I urge you to watch his story.
When we support choice, we also support the right of individuals to have the right to all medical interventions to continue or prolong their life as well. I have not seen the Canadian bill, but it should also state that individuals should have the right of self determination.
at 09:28 on August 29th, 2009
This is a story I put up last night, ACP, and is the kind of euthanasia that I am 100% against!
at 09:51 on August 29th, 2009
I read that story earlier Cynic, including the 18 pages and forgot to go back to recommend it. Thanks for that story.
at 11:13 on August 29th, 2009
No one likes to "go there" and talk about it, but the bottom line is most of us would like to control our own destiny. If this gets passed it would make it a lot easier for those of us put in that predicament.
at 13:19 on August 29th, 2009
Yep and I like easy. This would take the guesswork away from the health care specialists.
at 12:07 on August 29th, 2009
As long as we are mentally capable, clear about our wish to die and record that intention with a witness then why should we not control our own life? I am sure many doctors will not want to participate in assisted suicide but that is their right as well.
at 13:20 on August 29th, 2009
Yes and those doctors that do not want to participate should not be required to do so.
at 13:46 on August 29th, 2009
Agreed. Just like abortion.
at 16:49 on August 29th, 2009
I support this bill as well. Processes for people making these choices have been in place in many countries for years and have worked well and been structured to avoid abuse. It should require an independent assessment to ensure there is no foul play.
I recall a documentary I saw about physician assisted suicide in some Northern European country. The widow of a man who was terminally ill talked about how her husband had confirmed with his doctor, that if the pain became to great to bear, that his doctor would help him commit suicide. She said that this had been a great ease to his fears about his death and he was able to be at peace. In fact, he never felt the pain was too great and eventually died without assistance. If I find myself in a similar situation, I will want these options available to me.
at 17:23 on August 29th, 2009
Thank you for your comments. They are much appreciated.
at 10:33 on August 30th, 2009
Do we really believe the illusion that we as human beings control the time of our death, the time of our birth?
at 10:39 on August 30th, 2009
Thanks for your comments.
at 15:29 on October 29th, 2009
We are re-inventing the wheel and wasting a tremendous amount of time, energy and money unnecessarily; The Netherlands legalized euthanasia in very specific cases and in very specific circumstances - Google euthanasia Netherlands. My father just passed away. He was hospitalized 6 wks ago and deteriorated to the point where he looked like a concentration camp survivor. The sight of him shocked every single person that saw him and reduced them to tears instantly. He was basically brain dead and kept going with a concoction of drugs for the last 2 wks, fighting for every breath until he eventually slipped away. It was a cruel and shocking process to witness (my families deepest thanks to the Palliative Care nurses at Ontario's Blue Water hospital in Sarnia; my Dad's care was first class).We need to get with the Dutch program and be civilized about it. We treat animals better!I have to do my best to stir up what I hope is a silent majority of people that would support a sensible euthanasia law in this country. Think Dutch - pass it on!
at 15:40 on October 29th, 2009
Thank you for sharing this very personal story.
at 16:07 on October 29th, 2009
Ron
Thank you for sharing you personal story. I just watched a movie about this where a female doctor euthanizes her six year old terminally ill and suffering in pain child. She is imprisoned for 15 years, and the cost to her emotionally from being estranged from her family and friends takes its toll. The movie did not explicitly take a point of view in favor of or against euthansasia; in fact, its only revealed at the end of the movie where the viewer can decide for themselves. The ravages of the mother's life is at once poignant and sad, yet at the end I felt she did the right thing.