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Assisted Suicide No Longer Illegal in Canada


TOMapleLaughs

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OTTAWA Canadas high court has struck down the countrys laws against physician-assisted suicide.

That means it will no longer be against the law for a doctor to help someone who is terminally ill to end their life but the new rules wont kick in for a year.

And it can only be done under several conditions.

In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court ruled the Criminal Code laws prohibiting physician-assisted death infringes Section 7 of the Charter, which states that everyone has right to life, liberty and security of the person.

Here, the prohibition deprives some individuals of life, as it has the effects of forcing some individuals to take their own lives prematurely, for fear that they would be incapable of doing so when they reached the point where suffering was intolerable, read the decision, which was written anonymously by the Court.

The prohibition denies people in this situation the right to make decisions concerning their bodily integrity and medical care and thus trenches on their liberty. And by leaving them to endure intolerable suffering, it impinges on their security of the person.

The court laid out several specific conditions for physician-assisted death:

The person must be a competent adult would clearly consents to the termination of life;

The person must have a grievous and irremediable medical condition, which includes an illness, disease or disability;

The medical condition must cause endless suffering that is intolerable to the person, although that suffering can be physical or psychological.

The court did not lay out guidelines for the process in determining these conditions, nor comment about Parliaments role in the matter.

The government doesnt have to respond but the two sections of the Criminal Code which prevent people from consenting to their own deaths or allow others to aid in their suicide become null in 12 months.

The Canadian Medical Association, which sets the guidelines for 80,000 doctors across the country, has already spent the past year and a half preparing for the decision in event that the law was struck down.

CMA President Chris Simpson told Global News he hoped the association would be consulted in drafting new rules.

The courts decision also confirmed that regulation over health care can be handled by both the provincial and federal government. Last year, Quebec passed its own medical aid in dying law.

Its not the first time the Supreme Court has looked into the issue of assisted suicide. In 1993, the top court reviewed the case of Sue Rodriguez, who suffered from ALS or Lou Gehrigs disease, and wanted to end her own life. In a split decision, the court upheld the law.

In the new ruling, the court found the breadth of the Charter has changed since the early 1990s. It also said the social landscape has evolved, because assisted dying is permitted in other places such as Belgium, Switzerland, and Oregon.

Fridays case was originally brought forward by two B.C. women, who have both since died, who wished to end their illnesses with medical help.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1815749/supreme-court-strikes-down-canadas-assisted-suicide-laws/

I think most Canadians support this, but under certain conditions.

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meh. being illegal probably didn't stop many from doing it. now its kinda like cheating on your girlfriend. It's selfish, and hurts those close to you, but its not illegal.

uh, selfish? lol, what kind of idiot person "close to you" would consider it selfish to kill yourself before your suffering becomes intolerable and crippling?

this is a fantastic development

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meh. being illegal probably didn't stop many from doing it. now its kinda like cheating on your girlfriend. It's selfish, and hurts those close to you, but its not illegal.

Uh... did you read the article? The first few lines even?

Don't think you quite understand what assisted suicide is.

uh, selfish? lol, what kind of idiot person "close to you" would consider it selfish to kill yourself before your suffering becomes intolerable and crippling?

this is a fantastic development

^These.

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It'll be interesting to see how they will treat the prospect of illnesses that are terminal but have fast approaching treatments on the horizon

I was wondering the same thing, as well as what exactly constitutes being in the mentally sound state of mind you have to be in for your consent to count. Seems there will be a lot of grey area that will cause boundless controversies for a while after the prohibition is finally lifted. Though I find it hard to disagree with the decision on the whole.

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Yes it kinda is. I was almost going to make note of it, but it seemed like a probable troll post.

I could definitely find worse, if i bothered looking. But now that I look at it, it is a pretty bad post. Shouldn't have said that, probably. Sorry buddy. Having a family member and close friend both off themselves kinda clouds your judgment sometimes.

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As a medical student, I do not support this bill and I will not be doing this for my future patients. I will refer them to other physicians if they are adamant about it, but I won't be the one to do it. I came to medical school to save people, not kill them.

I don't get to decide when someone is supposed to die.

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As a medical student, I do not support this bill and I will not be doing this for my future patients. I will refer them to other physicians if they are adamant about it, but I won't be the one to do it. I came to medical school to save people, not kill them.

I don't get to decide when someone is supposed to die.

So you couldn't hack it as a vet eh?

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