Newsletter

Canadian doctors confront the “neutrality” and “fairness” myths

Since legalization of euthanasia in Canada (euphemistically labelled “Medical Assistance in Dying” / MAID), there has been significant domestic push-back from both doctor and patient-based sources in which our Alliance has played an active part, both here and abroad.

Obviously, for those on both sides of this issue, international opinion is a very important part of the struggle, because that opinion will ultimately decide whether history records the ...

In recent issues of this Newsletter we have considered the dangers of different ongoing schemes for enlarging the qualifying criteria for euthanasia, to include people with dementia (by advance directive), “mature” minors (with or without parental consent or knowledge) and those for whom psychiatric illness is the sole underlying condition.

Unfortunately, by virtue of a challenge currently undertaken by Mr. Jean Truchon and Ms. Nicole Gladu before the Québec ...

Maintaining humanity at the heart of pediatric care…

Dear friends,

Euthanasia (MAID) was originally sold to the public, and to our profession, as an extraordinary response to a request made by a competent adult whose death was at hand, and whose unbearable suffering could be relieved (so it was said) by no other means. But the intention to rapidly extend the practice of euthanasia well beyond those limits was evident from the ...

Advance directives authorizing death. We can do better…

Even before the adoption of the laws permitting euthanasia in Quebec and Canada, which require that it be requested by a capable adult, the pressure to extend it to incapable persons was looming. This possibility is now being considered by an advisory panel to the Canadian government (Council of Canadian Academies), and the recently elected political party in ...