Quebec shows ‘extraordinary leadership’

QUEBEC – A landmark report suggesting Quebec legalize doctorassisted euthanasia could rekindle the national debate on the controversial issue.

The report, introduced at the provincial legislature Thursday, recommended the Quebec government make it legal for doctors to help the terminally ill die, if they want to, under “exceptional circumstances.”

The non-partisan commission, made up of nine members from all political parties, studied the sensitive issue for two years before making its 24 recommendations.

The group said it rejected legalizing assisted suicide – performed by a family member – to recommend “medical aid to die,” which amounts to euthanasia.

Jocelyn Downie, an ethicist and health law professor at Halifax’s Dalhousie University, expects other provinces to draw inspiration from this report.

“I think that Quebec has shown extraordinary leadership in this area,” she said.

Recent polls show 70 per cent of Quebecers and a majority of the province’s doctors support the decriminalization of euthanasia.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition criticized the report Thursday for ignoring strong voices during the hearings against euthanasia and assisted suicide.

“The committee claims to be responding to the changes in social values in Quebec and yet they ignore the fact that the majority of the 271 briefs that were presented before the committee were opposed to euthanasia and assisted suicide,” the coalition wrote in a statement.