The Trudeau government’s assisted dying bill may have passed in the House of Commons last week, but it still has a ways to go in the Senate — and a court-imposed deadline is looming.
Canadian senators began their debate this week on the controversial Bill C-7, which aims to expand the scope of medical assistance in dying (MAID) to include some individuals whose death is not “reasonably foreseeable.”
As Yasmine Ghania reports, the proposed legislation elicited a strong response, with some senators advocating to include people with mental illness within the bill’s scope, while others raised concerns about what message the expansion of MAID might send to people with disabilities.
“On the one hand, Bill C-7 aims to allow access to MAID to relieve intolerable suffering before death is reasonably foreseeable,” said Sen. Chantal Petitclerc, sponsor of the bill. “On the other hand, we must ensure that efforts are put forward to make sure that persons with disabilities have access to everything they need to live a full and rich life.”
Debate on the bill is slated to end Friday, the deadline imposed by the Quebec Superior Court after a September 2019 ruling invalidated parts of the current MAID law.
As countries around the world work toward a more equitable future, information plays a crucial role in navigating the challenges ahead.
If you like what you read, you can become a regular reader with full access to Canada’s National Observer through a monthly or annual subscription. You can now subscribe for $4.99/month (reg. $15.99) or $45.99/year (reg. $139.99) during our holiday sale.
And now, for today’s top stories:
|