Bishops oppose doctor-assisted euthanasia

Catholics argue death should only occur at its natural time, and not before

QUEBEC – Roman catholic bishops in Quebec are pondering action to prevent the provincial government from giving the green light to proposed doctor-assisted euthanasia.

The Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops took an expected stand Thursday against a recommendation from a landmark report – entitled Dying with Dignity – that would make it legal for doctors to help the terminally ill die under “exceptional circumstances.”

The report, tabled in the provincial legislature last week, is the work of a commission made up of nine members from all political parties who studied end-oflife issues for two years.

The bishops hailed the commission’s recommendations to make significant improvements to palliative care and to make it available at home. But they don’t share the report’s conclusion that Quebec should offer its citizens a legal option for medical assistance to die.

“We are dissociating ourselves from recommenda- tions to provide medical aid for dying,” the bishops said in a statement, noting that this doesn’t mean they are insensitive to human suffering.

“Changing the words ‘assisted suicide and euthanasia’ for ‘medical aid to die’ doesn’t change the reality,” they added.

The Quebec bishops opposed euthanasia during commission hearings. They testified that Quebec should make the end of life as “humanizing” as possible and that death should occur at its natural time, not before that time with the practise of euthanasia or assisted suicide.

The assembly noted in its statement Thursday that it continues to ponder this “very important” question.

“We’ll decide what relevant means of intervention to use to ensure the government takes into consideration forceful demands repeated throughout the commission’s process to respect the sanctity of life. There are numerous moral and ethical consequences related to that,” the statement read.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal in Canada. But the report suggested Quebec could introduce such legislation because of its provincial jurisdiction over health and the administration of justice.

If Quebec were to go ahead with such legislation, it would be the first province to do so.

The province has yet to officially respond to the report, but Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc has said he is “open” to the proposed changes.