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DEBATE: Should medically assisted suicide be legalized in Canada?
DEBATE: Should medically assisted suicide be legalized in Canada?
FOR Wanda Morris, Dying with Dignity
AGAINST Dr. Moira McQueen, Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute
Centre for Inquiry is hosting a debate concerning medically assisted suicide and whether it should be legalized in Canada. Join us for an evening of passion and insight as we explore this controversial and compelling topic.
Date, Time: Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 7 pm
Location: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) Auditorium G162, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Cost: Free for members of Centre for Inquiry, Dying with Dignity, and the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute
$10 General/$5 Students
Wanda Morris is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of business experience. She has held senior positions in both the profit and not-for-profit sectors. Wanda also holds a Master of Arts Degree in Transforming Spirituality and is a member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Prior to becoming Dying with Dignity’s Executive Director on November 1, 2010, Wanda was on the Board of Directors, most recently as the Vice President. Wanda is also an advisor to the Right to Die Society.
Viewpoint: I think as a society we are too scared of death. We need to see death as part of the cycle of life and not go to extraordinary lengths (and expense) to preserve life when death is the kinder option. As Canadians we have a number of rights. Now it’s time that we have one more. If a time comes when I am suffering and want to end my life, I hope I can choose my time, gather my loved ones around me and gently go into the good night.
Dr. Moira McQueen graduated in law from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and worked as a lawyer for several years, specializing in family law and juvenile court.
After her Master of Divinity Degree from the Faculty of Theology, University of St. Michael’s College and the Toronto School of Theology, she earned a PhD in moral theology, also from St. Michael’s. She has been teaching moral theology at the Faculty of Theology since 1994, and has written and co-authored several articles in bioethics, fundamental ethics and other areas. Her book Bioethics Matters was published by Novalis in 2008 and the revised edition in 2011. She is interested in the interdisciplinary aspects of theology, law and medicine as they apply in daily life.
Dr. McQueen was appointed Executive Director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute in July, 2004. The Institute has a mandate to conduct research and education in bioethics from a Roman Catholic perspective, and pursues bioethical issues in palliative and end of life care, reproductive technologies, stem cell experimentation and regenerative medicine, genetics, mental health and other current areas.
Dr. McQueen is deeply involved in community education through CCBI’s courses in bioethics for parishes, and through training and consultancy sessions with school boards, health care institutions, priests’ seminars, conferences, lectures and media appearances.