Euthanasia in Quebec ‘no longer exceptional but commonplace’

Quebecers are increasingly viewing euthanasia as a legitimate alternative to natural death, the head of a Government quango has said.

Dr Michel Bureau, president of Quebec’s Commission on end-of-life care, believes so-called ‘safeguards’ could be in danger of being violated, as increasing numbers of people seek euthanasia for “all kinds of illnesses”.

Since Quebec legalised euthanasia in 2014, the number of those who have been killed by medics has rocketed from 63 in 2015-2016, to 3,663 in 2021-2022.

League of shame

The percentage of deaths by euthanasia in the Canadian province is forecast to top the seven per cent mark in 2023.

Bureau said: “That’s more than anywhere else in the world: 4.5 times more than Switzerland, three times more than Belgium, more than the Netherlands.”

He explained: “We’re now no longer dealing with an exceptional treatment, but a treatment that is very frequent.”

Earlier this month, the Commission warned doctors against administering lethal drugs to ineligible patients and urged them to allow more time between appointments for applicants to reconsider their decision to be euthanised.

Eugenics

In June, Quebec expanded euthanasia to those deemed to have a “significant and persistent disability”.

The change in the law will also force palliative care hospices to provide euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, criticised the new law for promoting the “eugenic concept, that certain lives are not worth living” and warned that it will cover more sections of society in the future.