Physician Assisted Suicide

I think the Supreme Court of Canada got it right in stating that individuals have the right to chose when they die. The next step is for the government to create a law that both reflects public opinion (Forum Research's  poll in 2011 indicated that 67% of Canadians were in favour; Angus Reid reported in late 2014 that the number had risen to 79%) and ensures that the new law protects people from being coerced to make this choice . For those who have had relatives dying a painful death and who have had to watch them suffer needlessly, I can only hope that they take some solace from the fact that our awareness of their grief has helped to shape our opinion.

I am not clear as to why people oppose others having a choice. There seem to be two types of arguments. One is that it puts people who are frail or disabled at risk.  While I can appreciate that someone might be concerned that tricking elderly people to sign the forms might be one way of resolving the expected upcoming crisis in nursing home beds - surely there will be enough safeguards in place to ensure that the individuals are competent to make that decision.  Other countries have figured out how to do that, we can too. I am more curious as to why people are so concerned that individual who are disabled are at risk. I am very aware of the eugenics movement in North America in the 1920-30s. The care that people who were disabled received in the community and in institutions well into the 80s was inadequate, abusive and in many cases increased or compounded the disability. Although we are a long way from being perfect in our support systems, I don't think that the conscious sterilization, incarceration or the murder of disabled people can happen again. However, if we were truly concerned about the lives of those who have a disability we would do something about the lack of meaningful opportunities for them and the fact that 50% of all people who are disabled in Canada live on about $10,000 a year.

I am co-guardian of a woman I have known for 30 or so years. She cannot express herself verbally, is not mobile and needs assistance in all activities of daily living. She is, by most people's definition, profoundly disabled. In the hundreds of hours I have spent with her and in meetings about her no one ever has suggested that her life has no value. I cannot imagine a time when anyone who knows her would ever suggests such a thing. People such as her are not at risk of being intentionally killed by their doctor.  In a country that does provide universal medical care - perhaps the fears have some legitimacy. But not in Canada. At least not yet.

The second argument about why people should not be able to decide to ask for help to end their life has something to do with morality or faith. I am quite confused about this approach. I heard someone say on TV that it is important that people need to experience the full range of experiences that they are offered; another said that doctors are getting so much better at providing palliative care that people should not give up. Bull crap!!!If someone is going to give me enough drugs so that I am alive and mainly comfortable but cannot meaningfully participate in my life - give me a bit more and I will pass on.

As we baby boomers continue to age and demand increased services designed for us (as we always have), physician assisted suicide will, for many people, be just another service to expect. We have always assumed that we had the right to chose what we thought was best for us.   This is no different.