Senate Passes Assisted-Dying Legislation

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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senate passes assisted-dying legislationCanada has successfully passed its first-ever historic doctor-assisted dying law. After a row between the Senate and the House of Commons, the bill was finalized to exclude those who are suffering intolerably but not at the end of life. Through previously refused by the Senate, the bill was passed the second time as senators backed down from their fight and passed the Liberal government’s historic bill. The law received royal assent on Friday evening.

The new law primarily sets out national guidelines with strict safeguards for medical assistance in dying. According to the law, there is a very stern eligibility criteria for assisted death including requirement of two independent witnesses and medical opinions. Most notably, the eligibility criteria does not include natural deaths that are not “reasonably foreseeable,” which was the major reason for rejection of the bill by Senate for the first time.

Senators wanted the bill to include patients who are not terminally ill. Newly appointed independent senator, André Pratte, mentioned that “I am convinced the government is making a serious and cruel mistake by taking away the right to medically assisted dying from a group of patients, those who are not terminally ill yet suffering terribly.” It was added “but the government will answer to the people for that error. And hopefully, in the not too distant future, the courts will remedy that mistake.” The bill was amended by the House of Commons on Thursday to include almost all of the Senate’s seven recommendations but not the major proposal to remove the end-of-life requirement.

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