Senate votes to substantially alter assisted dying bill
- Thread starter mentalfloss
- Start date
I am not sure that I know what it means to abuse a right. Generally, my right ends where yours begins.
tl;dr: The Senate and Commons have agreed on the physician-assisted dying bill.
Well, folks, it happened a few minutes ago.
The Senate passed Bill C-14, the medical assistance in dying bill, by a vote of 44 to 28. The resultant bill found agreement on a number of amendments that the Senate had proposed to the Commons, perhaps the most notable of which being that anyone who wishes to seek out assistance in dying must, beforehand, have a palliative care consultation.
The main source of controversy today, however, was on whether the Senate should have insisted on its more impactful amendment -- i.e., to remove the requirement that someone's death must be reasonably foreseeable before seeking assistance to die. Senator the Hon. Serge Joyal, P.C., O.C., Q.C., had made a last-minute effort to temporarily suspend the reasonable foreseeability requirement pending a reference to the Supreme Court, but senators defeated the amendment.
All that remains, now, is royal assent.
Well, folks, it happened a few minutes ago.
The Senate passed Bill C-14, the medical assistance in dying bill, by a vote of 44 to 28. The resultant bill found agreement on a number of amendments that the Senate had proposed to the Commons, perhaps the most notable of which being that anyone who wishes to seek out assistance in dying must, beforehand, have a palliative care consultation.
The main source of controversy today, however, was on whether the Senate should have insisted on its more impactful amendment -- i.e., to remove the requirement that someone's death must be reasonably foreseeable before seeking assistance to die. Senator the Hon. Serge Joyal, P.C., O.C., Q.C., had made a last-minute effort to temporarily suspend the reasonable foreseeability requirement pending a reference to the Supreme Court, but senators defeated the amendment.
All that remains, now, is royal assent.
The bill stands for now but even the PM admitted today that things could change in the future - and they will. This is not the end of it by far.
What the MPs are saying is that the courts will sort it out for them, eventually. If the judiciary decides all the Constitutional questions for them, what is the point of having a House of Commons? They abdicate their responsibilities for too often. ... a bunch of mashmallows.
Howard Shapray is widely known as a great guy, a fine lawyer and a devoted father and husband. After a lengthy struggle with incurable disease, Howard's wife, Elayne, ended her life with the assistance of a physician. Elayne Shapray was a witness in the Carter case where, in a 9-0 per curiam decision, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld the right to physician assisted death.
Howard penned a tribute to Elayne, her good works, her lengthy battles and her death, on her own terms, in her own time. Those who don't understand the Carter decision or who, like the government of the day, can't muster the courage to follow the clear law of our land, need to learn about Elayne and what she and her family went through.
Howard penned a tribute to Elayne, her good works, her lengthy battles and her death, on her own terms, in her own time. Those who don't understand the Carter decision or who, like the government of the day, can't muster the courage to follow the clear law of our land, need to learn about Elayne and what she and her family went through.