Brian Jenkins

With the court proceedings on the legality of euthanasia in Canada currently under way in British Columbia, I found the following three news stories insightful, in addition to the one appearing on our own site (see November 14), to contextualize the issues of euthanasia and assisted-suicide.

The first two are commentaries, appearing in yesterday's Journal de Montréal. First, Richard Martineau is critical of the recent study released by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) advocating for the decriminalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide. According to Martineau, the RSC study lacks "encadrage" - i.e., properly defining the circumstances permitting end-of-life decisions. Abuses are inevitable, he writes, drawing examples from the United States and Switzerland.

Yet what worries Mr. Martineau the most is euthanising persons for economic rather than humanitarian reasons.

Second, Jean-Luc Mongrain, in "La vie à quel prix?", raises both philosophical and theological questions concerning end-of-life issues. So, unlike his peer who favours euthanasia, Mr. Mongrain is indeterminate.

The third article covers the release on Wednesday of a bi-partisan Parlimentary ad hoc committee report advocating for an improved emphasis on palliative care. In addition to delving into the report, Peter Baklinski at LifeSiteNews weaves together the events in British Columbia, the study of the RSC, and a couple of interviews, including quotes from Jean Vanier, in his article.

I hope these three stories prove helpful to better understand current events and the issues involved.