A woman who watched her husband die a gruesome death, only to discover she too had lung cancer is one of several patients and physicians asking the court to strike down Canada's assisted-suicide laws.
Susan Bracken of Barrie, Ont., filed an affidavit with the B.C. Supreme Court, saying she strongly believes that a person should have the right to choose to die.
"I have seen how horrible disease and the dying process can be, and that is why I am seeking deliverance from that type of suffering for myself and why I'm pushing for change," she said in the sworn statement.
Since reading this quote a few weeks ago I have been thinking about this very sensitive and difficult issue. A report has just been released here in Canada that suggests we may be moving towards a national discussion on the subject.
An expert panel made up of six Canadian and international experts in bioethics, clinical medicine, health law, and philosophy released it's report on Tuesday. The panel concludes that assisted suicide and euthanasia should be made legal in Canada for competent individuals who make free and informed choices that their life is not worth living. It calls for a "permissive yet carefully regulated and monitored system" for assisted death. It suggests that the federal government should consider legislation to establish a national body to monitor and report on assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Opponents of the plan cite fears that it will be a "slippery slope" that will allow the death of vulnerable citizens for the wrong reasons. The panel addressed that issue as well, stating:
"The evidence from other jurisdictions ... does not support claims that decriminalization will actually result in vulnerable persons being subject to abuse or a slide down a slippery slope from voluntary to non-voluntary euthanasia"
This report is very timely, as there is currently a case before the British Columbia Supreme
Court. A 63-year-old B.C. woman with a fatal neurodegenerative disease ( ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease ) wants her doctor to be able to help her end her life before she becomes incapacitated. The case, which is being presented by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, was fast tracked because of her illness.
I am glad that we are beginning to discuss this issue as I think that it will become more and more of a concern as the generation of baby boomers reaches a time when end of life decisions must be made.
My personal opinion is that assisted suicide should be allowed,but only under very carefully controlled conditions to prevent abuse. I believe that those who are suffering with no hope of relief should be allowed to die with dignity and a minimum of pain when they decide that the time has come.
The beloved vet and author of "All Creatures Great and Small", James Herriot, was a proponent of assisted suicide. As he was dying of cancer, he commented that many times over the years he had been able to provide relief from pain for the animals he cared for, but that there was no such escape for him.
Many of us have had the experience of holding a beloved pet in our arms as the vet gently injects the solution that will make them relax, then fall peacefully asleep, free from what we humans too often must endure. We felt comfort in knowing that we did the right thing by not letting them suffer.
I consider this to be a gift that we can give our animal friends. The gift of release from pain and fear. If I am ever in that place, I hope that my loved ones will be able to give me that same gift.