Practically speaking, we need to have an adult conversation of the pros and cons of euthanasia and where to draw the line.
Struggling with housing or inflation? Waiting in pain for a hip replacement in “the world’s greatest health-care system”?In our endeavour to maximize individual liberty, euthanasia has become an inalienable Canadian right.
My concern has always been that in striving to give Canadians what we now call a rational death, how many of our poor and downtrodden will we harm? There was an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation about a planet where committing ritual suicide was mandated at age 65. Years ago, when I cared for suicidal patients in the emergency room, I wondered if the time would come when I would be obliged to, in some way, assist in completion of the act.The waiting lists are long. Treatment is expensive and takes time.
One advocate says, “If you can’t practise medicine because you can’t do an effective referral, then you shouldn’t be in medicine.”