HALIFAX, Feb 27 (LSN) – Nova Scotia Provincial Court Judge Hughes Randall threw out the murder charge against Halifax respirologist Nancy Morrison, accused of the “mercy-killing” of patient Paul Mills at the city’s QEII Health Sciences Centre in November, 1996. He ruled today that the Crown did not have enough evidence to warrant a trial. Prosecutors are considering whether to proceed with a “preferred indictment,” to get around the ruling. It is uncertain what charges the Crown would pursue in that case. Crown Attorney Craig Botterill announced in December he felt manslaughter was a more appropriate charge than murder, indicating he felt most people would view a murder charge in such a case to be “harsh and oppressive.” Pro-life observers are stunned and gravely concerned by the ruling. Many see it as part of a trend toward undermining Canada’s laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide. Citing the recent Latimer decision and others like it, many feel the pro-euthanasia strategy is to have euthanasia suspects charged with lesser offenses, or given light sentences, until such time as the law can be overturned, and justifying such things by appeal to the media’s version of “public opinion.”
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CHARGES DROPPED IN HALIFAX EUTHANASIA CASE
HALIFAX, Feb 27 (LSN) – Nova Scotia Provincial Court Judge Hughes Randall threw out the murder charge against Halifax respirologist Nancy Morrison, accused of the “mercy-killing” of patient Paul Mills at the city’s QEII Health Sciences Centre in November, 1996. He ruled today that the Crown did not have enough evidence to warrant a trial. Prosecutors are considering whether to proceed with a “preferred indictment,” to get around the ruling. It is uncertain what charges the Crown would pursue in that case. Crown Attorney Craig Botterill announced in December he felt manslaughter was a more appropriate charge than murder, indicating […]
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