Conservative MP introduces assisted suicide bills

Stephen Fletcher, quadriplegic, calls for debate in parliament

Dying with Dignity executive director Wanda Morris and Conservative MP Stephen Fletcher
introduce two private member's bills relating to assisted suicide. (Deborah Gyapong / CCN)

Conservative MP Stephen Fletcher sees physician assisted suicide in Canada as "inevitable" and introduced two private member's bills for it March 27. The CBC reports:

One of the two bills deals specifically with the Criminal Code of Canada and would allow doctors to help patients end their lives under very strict circumstances.

The other piece of legislation would set up a commission to monitor a system of physician-assisted suicide across the country. According to Fletcher, it would collect data to create profiles of the people who file requests so that "hopefully we can have better public policy as we go forward."

Anti-euthanasia groups, like the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition and the Campaign Life Coalition, are voicing their opposition. EPC executive director Alex Schadenberg:

“The polling we’ve done indicates that the more facts Canadians have about euthanasia and assisted suicide, the more Canadians will oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide."

Read more about what these groups are saying on The B.C. Catholic website.