Canadian legislators may soon pass a law extending the right to physician assistance in dying, also known as physician-assisted suicide, to the mentally ill.
The possibility of such a move, which would bring Canadian policy somewhat into line with Dutch and Belgian policies, stems from a 2015 decision by the nation’s highest court that mentally competent Canadian adults suffering “intolerably and enduringly” from a physical ailment have the right to a doctor’s help in dying. Since that decision, Canadian lawmakers have been working to revise their statutes so they conform to the high court’s ruling. -- More...