Is suicide a right: The case of Canada

Canada already has one of the most liberal “assisted dying” laws. Terminally and chronically ill Canadians can be killed with the help of a doctor. This is called “assisted dying” or “assisted suicide”.

Canada is currently discussing the “assisted dying” of the mentally ill, people with psychological problems and children under 18. In March 2024, “assisted dying” of the mentally ill will become possible…

The country’s Supreme Court decriminalized assisted dying in 2015, ruling that forcing Canadians to cope with unbearable suffering violates fundamental rights to liberty and security. In other words, the court based its ruling on the rights to “liberty” and “security”…While Canada’s current “assisted dying law” only applies to people who are terminally ill or physically disabled, or living with chronic, incurable conditions, the law is expanding with new interpretations and regulations every day.

About 13,200 Canadians were killed by assisted dying last year. By 2023, more than 30,000 people had been killed in this way. When this year’s figures are added, the number is estimated to be close to 50,000…

There is concern that deaths are increasing every year.

No other country gives this right to so many people with so many different characteristics. Approved patients have the option to end their lives by using lethal drugs given by a doctor or nurse, or by taking medication prescribed to them.

In Canada, a person does not have to be in excruciating pain to qualify for this right. Special circumstances, such as a permanent disability or a refusal of treatment, can also qualify for “assisted dying”.

Canada is so liberal on this issue that doctors can offer euthanasia or “assisted suicide” to their patients. i.e. the doctor comes to the patient and says, “your situation doesn’t look good, we’d better kill you”.

The already broad scope of assisted dying is being widened by new demands. Some lobby groups want to include lonely people with no medical problems, people who do not want to live, etc.

Until recently, mental illness was one of the groups denied this right. But under a law scheduled to come into force in March, assisted dying will also be accessible to people whose only medical condition is mental illness. Canada will thus become one of the 5-6 countries that allow assisted dying for this category of people.

The mentally ill and those under 18 are also being considered for inclusion in this system. A series of procedures are being considered for this, but these decisions are highly debated. While consent to one’s own death is already a controversial issue, the fact that death can be the choice of others makes the issue more complex.

Canada’s new laws make it possible for people who think they may develop diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease to request pre-assisted dying… With a petition, you can request “assisted dying” if this happens to you in the future.

The move has divided Canadians; some see it as a sign that the country’s public health system is not providing adequate psychiatric care. In their view, death is being portrayed as a path to death because people are not being adequately served. If such patients use “assisted suicide”, the government will save a lot of money on health care costs.

Conservative Party members accuse the government of promoting a “culture of death”, while the left-wing opposition wants the government to focus on expanding health policy to include more mental health services.

Some doctors say that with these changes, patients who lose hope will avoid heavy and lengthy treatment processes and may prefer a short death.