Wrong end?

It seems possible to me that E White (letters April 9), has got the wrong end of the stick. Here’s Wikipedia:

‘Canada's law on medical assistance in dying. On 17 June, 2016, Bill C-14 to legalise and regulate assisted dying passed in Canada's Parliament... Canada's law on assisted dying does not allow advance directives, nor does it allow it for minors or people who are suffering from a mental illness.’

So what we see is that Canada’s law was merely passed in June 2016. Laws like this take at least a year, sometimes 18 months, to be put into effect. Also, ‘Current Oncology’ is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed journal. The study itself must have been conducted well before the date of publication. It couldn’t possibly have been a comment on how the new legislation was working.

It seems more likely to me that the study found the legislation would provide more safeguards than current practice in Canada at the time.

As you say, E White, “discernment is necessary when sourcing information from the internet.” My recommendation is to read the proposed Seymour legislation for yourself at www.parliament.govt.nz/End of life choice, and make up your own mind. D COOPER

Kapiti