“Bravo Cardinal Collins!” for publicly addressing physician-assisted death.

“Bravo Cardinal Collins!” for publicly addressing physician-assisted death.

(Physician-assisted death includes physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide means the physician prescribes but does not administer the lethal drugs; with voluntary euthanasia, a physician gives a lethal dose of medication as requested by the individual.)

For our clarity Cardinal Collins identified some of the parliamentary committee’s recommendations to those crafting the law:

• A desire to allow, beginning in three years, access to euthanasia/assisted suicide for minors (those under 18).
• The ability for those diagnosed with conditions like dementia to pre-schedule their deaths.
• Insistence that those with psychiatric conditions be eligible for euthanasia/assisted suicide.
• A requirement that any institution receiving public funding, including Catholic hospitals, long-term care facilities and hospices, provide euthanasia/assisted suicide, thus forcing them to repudiate the very principles that are the foundation of their immense service to us all.
• A requirement that doctors who refuse to kill a patient must make sure that someone else does it. No other country in the world requires such a violation of conscience.

The Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute is proud to belong to the Coalition for HealthCARE and Conscience that Cardinal Collins spoke about in his message (https://www.archtoronto.org/euthanasia). Along with Cardinal Collins, we encourage you to:

• be informed about physician assisted dying;
• express your concerns to your Member of Parliament;
• protect the vulnerable; and
• insist healthcare professionals retain conscience rights in the practice of medicine.

The website of the Coalition for HealthCARE and Conscience provides more detailed information as well as the means to write to your elected official:

http://www.canadiansforconscience.ca/.