Assisted Suicide in Canada.

[webc5]

The Supreme Court of Canada is looking at the constitution of Canada's assisted suicide law and will soon give out it's decision. I'm just wondering what you guys think the court will say? Will they say that it's a legal right to die with dignity in Canada or will the old law stand? If the law is found unconstitutional will it be similar to the Bedford Decision where the old prostitution law was found unconstitutional and parliament has a year to draft new law or lose the old law? It's possible the our assisted suicide law is found unconstitutional no party will want to touch it and we lose the old law and by default assisted suicide who be legal in Canada.

[Guest]

I don't know what the SCOC will say, but the idea that anyone could be forced to live on when they want to end their life, for whatever reason, at whatever stage, ill or not, is abhorrent to me.

So is the idea that any medical professional who agrees to help might face sanctions.

I hope the SCOC agrees.

[eyeball]

I hope so too but if it doesn't I trust those Canadians who are still determined to end their lives on their own terms will continue to step around those who refuse to lead or get out of their way.

Edited December 26, 2014 by eyeball

[webc5]

What if someone wanted to end their life because they were depressed?

[TimG]

What if someone wanted to end their life because they were depressed?

Depressed people commit suicide all of the time. No matter what we do there will some examples of injustice created by the law. To mitigate this the law should err on the side of respecting the individual's right to make their own choices.

[webc5]

I'm confused so are you for or against assisted suicide if someone was depressed and wanted to end their life?

[TimG]

I'm confused so are you for or against assisted suicide if someone was depressed and wanted to end their life?

It would be sad but it is their life, their choice. But I would hope that medical professionals would make an effort to explain to the depressed that their condition can be treated.

[WestCoastRunner]

I'm confused so are you for or against assisted suicide if someone was depressed and wanted to end their life?

This thread is about 'assisted suicide' is it not? I am quite sure that a physician will not provide assistance to the suicide of a clinically diagnosed 'depressed' individual. There are highly successful treatments for individuals with depression.

Edited December 27, 2014 by WestCoastRunner

[eyeball]

Yes this thread is about the SC ruling on assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, as opposed to being about right-wing social-conservative slippery slopes.

Dozens of those already exist elsewhere on the forum.

[Topaz]

I'm 1000% behind this under certain guarded conditions. A person must put their wish in a living Will, before they become ill, two doctors must agree on the fact, there is no help for the person. This law would be a CHOICE made only by people who want this done and would be carried out by doctors and the person named in the Living Will to make sure everything is done by the wish of the person dying. There wouldn't be any chance of the killing someone, for their money, as some many people who are against this has stated. If we given mercy to out pets, why can't we do the same to our loved one is this is what they want??

[Guest]

I don't think whether or not there is "help" for the person should be an issue. If it is a factor, you're taking their choice away and giving it to someone else.

[jacee]

This thread is about 'assisted suicide' is it not? I am quite sure that a physician will not provide assistance to the suicide of a clinically diagnosed 'depressed' individual. There are highly successful treatments for individuals with depression.

I agree that should be tried, but in these cases there is usually no further treatment for the terminal conditions that lead one to want to end one's suffering.

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[jbg]

I don't know what the SCOC will say, but the idea that anyone could be forced to live on when they want to end their life, for whatever reason, at whatever stage, ill or not, is abhorrent to me.

In general I agree. I personally just went throuigh a horrible three year period where my mother declined from being an active realtor to being demented, first intermittently and then steadily. In the last five months she has been unable to even by placed in a wheelchair. She could move maybe 2.54 centimeters on her own. Finally she stopped breathing last week. Only a DNR order prevented more extended horror.

So is the idea that any medical professional who agrees to help might face sanctions.

This is a very different question. I think that there should be at least some meaured relunctance before we encourage doctors to engage in lethal practices. Remember, some doctors are psychiatrists. They have an obligation, in many cases, to persuade people not to take their own lives. I would like there to be some form of collective decision, whether among several doctors, or a doctor and several family members, or a doctor and the holder of a health care proxy. We have to be very careful in converting healers into killers.

[Guest]

I wouldn't say encourage. I would say allow.

[jbg]

I wouldn't say encourage. I would say allow.

When I say "encourage" I mean that if a patient or his/her proxy requests a doctor to help a person die, the doctor would have little choice but to cooperate.

[Guest]

I don't agree. I see a situation where those doctors who agree with the right to assisted suicide would be available and willing to help, whereas those who oppose the idea would be exempt.

Edited December 30, 2014 by bcsapper

[hitops]

In principle, generally I would support this. Personally I find it clearly morally wrong, however people should have the right in a free society to end their lives if they want.

In practice, however, I would oppose it if it came on the ballot for some reason. This is because, as a physician, I would not want to chance the slippery slope where the argument would be made that as public servants, we can be forced to perform assisted suicide. I would never want to be part of that myself, and while I'm sure at first any physician who wanted would be exempt, once something is established the goalposts always get moved. For the sake of the long view, I would want to stay as far away from that line of reasoning as possible.

Edited December 29, 2014 by hitops

[eyeball]

Are Canadian doctor's forced to perform abortions? I get what you're saying about moving goalposts but that's a political problem with how we govern ourselves. I would hope that by actually going to some of the stupider places politics can take us we might learn better than to blindly follow the post movers.

Letting politicians and bureaucrats mess with life and death issues might offer us an opportunity to learn a much needed lesson. I realize that might be the slipperiest slope of them all and it is in our nature to plunge headlong down them but nothing ventured nothing gained as they say.

[WestCoastRunner]

I agree that should be tried, but in these cases there is usually no further treatment for the terminal conditions that lead one to want to end one's suffering.

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This would be a tough call to make on the behalf of a physician. Especially in the case of depression.

[jacee]

This would be a tough call to make on the behalf of a physician. Especially in the case of depression.

I think it's safe to assume that anyone who is terminally ill is likely depressed.

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[Signals.Cpl]

I think it's safe to assume that anyone who is terminally ill is likely depressed.

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But everyone who is depressed is not necessarily terminally ill… there is a significant difference between someone who has no hope of getting healthy committing suicide with the assistance of a doctor and an individual who is depressed and has a very good chance of being cured.

Assisted suicide should be a last resort for those who are terminally ill and would like to choose the time, place and manner of death to allow them dignity for their last days, but it most definitely should not be a "treatment" option for depression and other such mental issues. There has to be a vilid reason and a valid reason that is not likely to change at some point in the near future.

[jacee]

But everyone who is depressed is not necessarily terminally ill there is a significant difference between someone who has no hope of getting healthy committing suicide with the assistance of a doctor and an individual who is depressed and has a very good chance of being cured.

Assisted suicide should be a last resort for those who are terminally ill and would like to choose the time, place and manner of death to allow them dignity for their last days, but it most definitely should not be a "treatment" option for depression and other such mental issues. There has to be a vilid reason and a valid reason that is not likely to change at some point in the near future.

Agreed.

People who are just depressed aren't the topic here, as they don't need assistance to commit suicide.

People with terminal or debilitating illness are the ones who ask for assisted suicide. Most of them are likely depressed too and likely on meds for that too.

It's a non issue.

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[jacee]

What if someone wanted to end their life because they were depressed?

Ah that's where this got derailed.

Well if someone's depressed and wants to end their life, they can. They don't need "assisted" suicide. That's for people who can't do it themselves.

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[eyeball]

Why can't terminal conservatives just live and die according to their own Sharia-like values and rules and leave the rest of society alone?

[Guest]

Ah that's where this got derailed.

Well if someone's depressed and wants to end their life, they can. They don't need "assisted" suicide. That's for people who can't do it themselves.

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That's a good point. It can get messy, though. I think the assisted option should be available, if requested.