“Quebec Euthanasia Bill Violates International Law”
Quebec’s proposed law on euthanasia will allow a lethal substance to be injected into an adult person at “the end of life” (which is not defined in the proposed law) who has unsupportable suffering. Quebec’s health care system is managed by the provincial government of Quebec, Canada.
According to the Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice, this system is plagued by deficiencies including lack of access to family doctors (for 25% of its population), to pediatricians for children and to specialists and specialized tests (resulting in long wait-times). Moreover, up to 80% of its people lack access to palliative care in some regions.
Thus, according to the Coalition, many Quebecers will be forced to accept a lethal injection to end their suffering when faced with the possibility of dying painfully without access to adequate health and palliative care.
[ Also Read: Moms Demand Action to End Gun Sales on Facebook ]
In a video “Quebecers call out to the world,” different citizens from a cross section of Quebec society share their personal stories and explain the dangers and abuses that would follow if such a law is enacted.
Quebec’s proposed law on euthanasia is modeled after a 2002 Belgian law. While initially euthanasia was only to be practiced on adults suffering physically with an incurable disease, subsequently adults who are depressed or tired of life are being euthanized.
On Feb. 13, 2014, the Belgian legislature has extended the law to children without age limit, according to the Coalition.
[ Also Read: What Was Hillary Clinton’s Role in the Benghazi Attack? ]
Accordingly, Belgium’s euthanasia of children will violate the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child that guarantees children rights including “right to life”, “the survival and development of the child”, “adequate medical services”, and “protection against all forms of neglect and cruelty”.
Citizens of the World Request that:
- Palliative care be adopted as the best practice for end-of-life care.
- Euthanasia be officially excluded and sanctioned as a form of end-of-life care.
- States and their regions seeking to practice euthanasia withdraw such proposals.
- States who practice euthanasia and/or enacted such laws terminate this cruelty.
Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice made this announcement today, Feb. 17.
Photo courtesy: Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice
