(LifeSiteNews) — A pro-life group has warned that should recommendations from a new federal government report saying Canada’s euthanasia laws be expanded to children, those with mental illness, and people with dementia who ask for it in advance become law, it would mean the country will have the most liberal assisted suicide laws in the world.
The report titled “Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada: Choices for Canadians” was tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday and included a list of 23 recommendations about what Canada should do next concerning the nation’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) laws.
The report was compiled by the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying, which is made up of 17 MPs and senators from all parties.
The report drew immediate backlash from the pro-life Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC).
One of the most concerning parts of the report as noted by the EPC is recommendation 16, which reads:
That the Government of Canada amend the eligibility criteria for MAID set out in the Criminal Code to include minors deemed to have the requisite decision-making capacity upon assessment.
In a blog post yesterday, Alex Schadenberg of the EPC wrote that the recommendations by the special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying “would give Canada the most permissive euthanasia law in the world.”
“Given the current state of Canada, where vulnerable people continue to be pressured to euthanasia on a frequent basis, it is inappropriate for the government to consider these radical expansions to the euthanasia law,” Schadenberg noted. “There should instead be a greater focus on how governments in Canada can help people who may be feeling that their life is not worth living.”
The report also included six other recommendations relating to expanding euthanasia to children, or as the report refers them to as “mature minors.”
Other recommendations relating to children read as follows:
Recommendation 14 – That the Government of Canada undertake consultations with minors on the topic of MAID, including minors with terminal illnesses, minors with disabilities, minors in the child welfare system and Indigenous minors, within five years of the tabling of this report.
Recommendation 15 – That the Government of Canada provide funding through Health Canada and other relevant departments for research into the views and experiences of minors with respect to MAID, including minors with terminal illnesses, minors with disabilities, minors in the child welfare system and Indigenous minors, to be completed within five years of the tabling of this report.
Recommendation 17 – That the Government of Canada restrict MAID for mature minors to those whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.
Recommendation 18 – That the Government of Canada work with provinces, territories and First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and organizations to establish standards for assessing the capacity of mature minors seeking MAID.
Recommendation 19 – That the Government of Canada establish a requirement that, where appropriate, the parents or guardians of a mature minor be consulted in the course of the assessment process for MAID, but that the will of a minor who is found to have the requisite decision-making capacity ultimately take priority.
Recommendation 20 – That the Government of Canada appoint an independent expert panel to evaluate the Criminal Code provisions relating to MAID for mature minors within five years of the day on which those provisions receive Royal Assent, and that the panel report their findings to Parliament.
The report comes despite a recent poll showing that most Canadians have concerns over expanding euthanasia to those suffering from mental illness, with only 31 percent of Canadians being in favor of letting people with mental illness access MAiD.
The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau legalized euthanasia in 2016 and has continued to push for further expansions to who can qualify for state-sanctioned death.
The expansion to include those suffering solely from mental illness came as part of the 2021 passage of Bill C-7, which also allowed the chronically ill – not just the terminally ill – to qualify for doctor-assisted death.
The mental illness expansion was originally set to take effect next month. However, after massive pushback from pro-life groups, conservative politicians, and others, the Trudeau Liberals have since decided to delay the introduction of the full effects of Bill C-7 until 2024 via Bill C-39.
Conservative MPs offer a dissenting opinion to report, saying it’s ‘reckless’ to expand MAiD to kids
Despite the report’s recommendation that Canada’s MAiD laws be expanded to children, Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) MPs on the committee were clear in their objection to relaxing euthanasia laws.
CPC MPs expressed their disapproval of how the federal government has quickly expanded MAiD laws, calling it “reckless.”
“The committee turned a blind eye to the many problems with the existing MAID regime, and instead produced a report that recommended radical expansion,” said CPC MP Michael Cooper, who serves as a committee vice-chair.
The CPC MPs noted that the Trudeau Liberals have refused to put “evidence ahead of ideology” by expanding MAiD laws to those with mental illness.
When it comes to offering the procedure to children, CPC MPs wrote that “it would be irresponsible for the Liberal government to move ahead with any expansion of MAID for mature minors.”
“Conservatives do not support MAID for mature minors at this time,” they concluded.
The CPC dissenting report ended with the following statement:
The Liberals’ rushed and reckless approach to Canada’s MAID regime has put the lives of vulnerable Canadians at risk. We caution the Liberal government against repeating the mistakes they made concerning MAID MD-SUMC. MAID policy must be grounded in evidence, consultation with impacted groups, and with serious consideration given to protecting the vulnerable.
Last week, CPC MP Ed Fast introduced a new private member’s Bill C-314 that would repeal expansion of Canada’s euthanasia laws to those suffering solely from mental illness.
Fast’s bill received immediate praise from Canada’s top pro-life organization, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), after it passed its first reading.
In a statement posted over two weeks ago, CPC MP Michael Cooper, who serves as the Conservative Shadow Minister of Democratic Reform, said on behalf of his party that the Liberal’s one-year delay of MAiD “for mental illness is an admission of failure.”
Canada’s increasingly permissive laws have allowed euthanasia to rise 32 percent since 2020, with more than 10,000 people dying in 2021 alone.