Ottawa, Canada, Nov 2, 2017 / 05:01 am
Only one year after assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia became legal for adults in Canada, a new study is showing that some of the country's pediatricians are being faced with questions about the practices for minors.
The study, which surveyed 1,050 doctors and was published by the Canadian Paediatric Society, found that more than ten percent of Canadian pediatricians have had conversations with parents or minors about the option of assisted suicide or euthanasia for terminal patients under the age of 18.
The survey discovered that 60 children explicitly discussed the possibility of assisted suicide with their doctors, and parents of over 400 children also brought up the fatal procedure in discussion with their child's pediatrician.
Most youths discussing assisted suicide or euthanasia with their physician were between the ages of 14 and 18, and these discussions are much rarer than discussion withs parents. Parents discussing assisted suicide or euthanasia with pediatricians were mostly acting on behalf of children 12 months or younger.