Quebec’s euthanasia law reopens national right-to-die debate

The euthanasia debate has jumped onto the political agenda, with the country’s health ministers calling for discussion on allowing physicians to help patients end their lives. Even the federal government, which has steadfastly refused to change the Criminal Code to allow assisted suicide nationally, is ready to join the conversation.

The sudden eagerness to talk about what had once been a taboo topic marks a U-turn for politicians, who have previously avoided the subject even as the public has vigorously debated it and polls have indicated majority support for doctor-assisted death. The burgeoning discussion parallels the country’s steady demographic shift, as the population ages and baby boomers enter old age.

It was sparked in part by a proposed Quebec law that would allow physicians to help patients die under certain circumstances – a measure that, if it stands, could open the door to provinces taking action on euthanasia without Ottawa’s help. The debate was also prompted by a video plea from Donald Low, a high-ranking Ontario medical official, who called for the legalization of euthanasia shortly before he died of cancer last month.

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