The people who will survive this year

In 2021, the Canadian government passed Bill C-7 to expand euthanasia to persons whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable.

The new law excluded those whose sole condition is a mental illness but only for two years, until March 17, 2023.

We have got to stop using words like “eligibility” and “availability” as if euthanasia is a perk or a benefit. Euthanasia is the premature ending of a person’s life by killing.

Many Canadians suffering with mental illness had today’s date circled on their calendars. They anticipated scheduling an appointment to be killed in a Canadian hospital. Whatever their reasons for doing so, those are what we must urgently address this year.

Now, thanks to mounting global pressure and scrutiny, the Government has delayed the expansion of euthanasia to those for whom a mental illness is the sole condition for one year, until March 17, 2024.

While this is a relief and will save thousands of lives, the clock starts now.

We have one year to make the case in the media, in culture, in politics, in law, in families, in communities, and in medical offices that death doesn’t have to be the answer.

Unfortunately, many Canadians with mental illness are already being euthanized, though, under the auspices of meeting other “criteria” like having a disability or illness. It is dehumanizing to tell someone that they qualify for death.

This year, we need your support to oppose euthanasia and to provide the ethics education to medical professionals that will make a decisive difference in our society.

To contribute, please click here.

 

 

This post first appeared in Vital Bylines. Sign up below to receive Vital Bylines weekly.

Categories

Recent Posts

You Might Also Like

  • By: Nicole Scheidl on June 24, 2025

    Dr. Paul Adams Award awarded to Dr. Jaro Kotalik Dr. Jaro Kotalik’s half-century commitment to human dignity merits our highest recognition and we are excited to honour him at our Saturday evening conference banquet during which he will receive the Dr. Paul Adams Award. Since arriving in Thunder Bay in 1974, Dr. Kotalik has

  • By: Nicole Scheidl on June 24, 2025

    Annual Conference 2025 This year we will engage in a profound exploration of human flourishing through the dual lenses of encounter and presence. Over two thought-provoking days, participants will grapple with critical questions at the intersection of medicine, ethics, and human dignity. From genetic testing and AI in healthcare to fertility awareness and

  • By: Nicole Scheidl on April 8, 2025

    CPL hosting a Panel on Euthanasia in Canada at Civitas. Civitas is a membership-based, non-profit organization that exists “to promote and deepen understanding through the exchange of a wide range of political, economic, social, religious, cultural and philosophical ideas concerning the principles and traditions of a free and ordered society.” CPL is pleased to be

Follow US:

Want to become a member?

YOUR HELP GOES A LONG WAY!

Vital Bylines: Get news and opportunities weekly from CPL.