Ottawa, Canada, Feb 27, 2020 / 09:35 am
The Catholic bishops of Canada issued a statement on Wednesday, condemning parliament's efforts to further expand medically assisted suicide to those who do not have terminal illnesses.
The legislation, known as Bill C-7, was introduced in parliament on February 23. In addition to permitting people without terminal illnesses to end their lives, the bill also creates the possibility for patients to issue advance directives, authorizing their own death in advance.
According to the language of the bill, it would "remove the requirement for a person's natural death to be reasonably foreseeable in order to be eligible for medical assistance in dying," and would "introduce a two-track approach to procedural safeguards" depending on if a person's natural death is "reasonably foreseeable."
"The Catholic Bishops of Canada wish to express the greatest concern and dismay in regards to the (introduction) of Bill C-7 which seeks to expand the eligibility criteria for euthanasia and assisted suicide," said the bishops Feb. 26.