UK moves to legalize medical killing
The British Parliament on Friday backed legislation that would legalize assisted suicide, which could lead to a prison sentence in most of the world.
In a 330-275 vote, the House of Commons approved a bill allowing medical providers to supply terminally ill people with the means to end their own lives. The proposed law would be limited to those with six months or less to live, and would require the signatures of two doctors and a judge for each case.
“The deathbed for far too many is a place of misery torture and degradation, a reign of blood and vomit and tears,” said Conservative MP Kit Malthouse in support of the bill. “I see no compassion and beauty in that: only profound human suffering.”
Labour MP Meg Hillier, one of those who opposed the legislation, warned it would “cross a Rubicon.”
“This is a fundamental change in the relationship between the state and the citizen, and the patient and their doctor,” she said.
Canada: A haunting case study
Support for Hillier’s statement may be found in Canada, which has drawn scandalous headlines for its aggressive expansion of its Medical Assistance in Dying legislation (MAiD).
Since becoming available to nearly all Canadians in March 2021, MAiD has become a go-to option for doctors recommending "treatment" of citizens who are suffering from various medical conditions. Last year, 15,280 Canadians died by MAiD, representing about 4.6% of all deaths. Proponents have described the program as a solution to poverty and an end to discrimination.
Although it was originally approved as an option for patients with terminal illnesses, it is becoming increasingly common for healthcare professionals in Canada to offer MAiD to patients who suffer from non-terminal maladies. Thirty-seven-year-old Kayla Pollock, for example, was twice offered MAiD by hospital staff when she became paralyzed after her COVID-19 Moderna shot. In another case, a man in his late 40s who suffered from a psychiatric condition caused by the COVID-19 vaccine died by assisted suicide. Tracy Polewczuk, who suffers from spina bifida, was twice offered MAiD after she broke her leg. When 52-year-old Christine Gauthier petitioned for a wheelchair lift to be installed in her house, Canada's Veterans Affairs office instead offered her assisted suicide.
Canada hopes to extend the MAiD program even further. In 2027, people suffering from mental illnesses will be eligible for assisted suicide, and the Quebec College of Physicians has advocated for extending it to deformed or severely ill infants. A parliamentary committee has recommended expanding MAiD to “mature minors.”
