Assisted suicide bill likely won't pass: Murphy
Published Saturday November 21st, 2009
MP says majority of Grits and Tories seem to be against bill
OTTAWA - A controversial private member's bill that would essentially legalize assisted suicide in Canada likely won't pass a vote in Parliament, Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe MP Brian Murphy said this week.
"We've been getting a deluge of petition papers from the Catholic church and other special interest groups who are against it," said Murphy, who said the majority of Liberals and Conservatives seem to be opposed to Bill C-384.
Bill C-384 was introduced in May by Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde, whose husband is the communications director of a euthanasia lobby group. It is labeled as an act to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to give people the right to die with dignity. It would amend Section 222 of the Criminal Code, which deals with assisted suicide. It would allow a medical practitioner to aid a person who is experiencing severe physical or mental pain without any prospect of relief or is suffering from a terminal illness to die with dignity once the person has expressed his or her free and informed consent to die.
Murphy is a former Moncton mayor and lawyer who now serves as vice-chairman of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. He said the feeling around Parliament Hill on the bill is that it opens too many doors of interpretation, which could lead to a "slippery slope" for the medical community and people who are determined to fight their illnesses. For example, he said it could result in people with terminal cancer getting less treatment than they deserve.
The bill is up for debate this fall but a date for a vote has not yet been set.
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We treat our pets with more dignity that we do other humans.
"For example," he (Murphy) said "it could result in people with terminal cancer getting less treatment than they deserve." How can that be even a consideration?
Ethically speaking, the doctors have to provide required treatment, failing that would be a dereliction of their duty. If the patient states they don't want treatment that is fair ball but 'getting less treatment than they deserve' is a very STUPID comment for that backbencher to make, not that I don't expect such from him!!