The Permanent Council of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) today sent a brief to parliamentarians urging them to split Bill C-41, the Medical Assistance in Dying Safeguards Act. The CCCB asks Parliament to maintain the exclusion from euthanasia and assisted suicide where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition, and to remove the advance-request provisions. “Parliament has a responsibility to examine these questions before considering a change with irreversible consequences for people who can no longer give informed consent,” the brief states.
Advance requests would allow euthanasia after a person has lost decision-making capacity, potentially years after signing a request. The brief raises questions about how others would interpret the request and the person’s present responses, whether earlier fears correspond to their later experience, and how inadequate care, isolation, or pressure might influence decisions.
The CCCB is asking for participation in a letter-writing campaign, to send a letter to their Member of Parliament without delay. Get more information and see how, here.