CTV News Montreal

Updated: Tue Nov. 03 2009 7:52:53 PM

ctvmontreal.ca

The Quebec College of Physicians has taken a formal position endorsing euthanasia "in certain exceptional situations."

The doctors' group says euthanasia should be an option when a patient's death is "imminent or inevitable".

Dr. Yves Robert, secretary of the college, said patients and doctors would have to weigh the issue carefully before pursuing that option.

"The will of the patient is taken into account, the professional judgment is taken into account. When they agree together (...) a part of appropriate care could be euthanasia -- it could be provided," he said.

A recent survey showed nearly 75 per cent of Quebec's medical specialists believe euthanasia should be legalized under strict regulations, and many admitted they have seen it practiced in hospitals.

Robert said there is currently no provision for euthanasia in the criminal code, which means doctors could face murder charges -- even if it is a patient's will to die.

"Some of them, exceptional cases where an additional dose gives or provokes death, could be legally interpreted as being murder," he said.

Heated debate

Some experts say an endorsement of euthanasia is opening the door to disaster.

"This is open to incredible abuse, as there is no law that can cover all the situations, there is no law that can cover all the doctors," said David Roy, a professor at the University of Montreal.

Meanwhile, a bill on the issue is due for debate in parliament.

It was sponsored by Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde, and seeks to legalize euthanasia for those in physical and mental distress.

Helene Bolduc, of the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity, said she is pleased to see the subject drawing new attention.

"It was a taboo before to talk about that. Now I think the parliament, the lawyers, nurses -- everyone is going to say we have to look at this issue," she said.

Please Add Comments

Jordan
- The doctors' group says euthanasia should be an option when a patient's death is "imminent or inevitable".

Isn't death imminent and inevitable for us all?

Wake up people! Not a single person who's ever existed has ever earned the right to be born or exist altogether, so we shouldn't have the right to ask others to help us die or speed up the process. Pain, suffering, and death are a part of living that we all expect and should embrace.

Life is a privilege not a right so stop taking it for granted. If you want to end your own life, it's your prerogative and your own responsibility (meaning its a personal CHOICE, not a RIGHT), however it's extremely important that we all acknowledge that doing so is both counterproductive and selfish since every other resource is more easily replaceable than a person's life force energy. Even if a person's in a vegetative state with a negligible chance of recovery, they have an obligation to the species to stay alive for study and help contribute to scientific and medical research if nothing else.

Religious beliefs and morals aside...Speeding up your own or another person's demise is selfish and unnecessary...and that's the bottom line.

Pat
I work in the medical field, I’ve seen too many time people suffering beyond belief, in tremendous pain and we keep asking ourselves why the doctors keep on prescribing medication after medication to prolong this suffering. “Because they are obliged to”. Even in some cases we’ve seen family members who keep their relatives alive due to the fact that if the person who they are in charge of should pass away they tend to lose money (sad but true!!). On the other side of this argument, decisions to change one’s family member level of care status could result in family breakups, fighting & court battles. This is a touchy subject and when or ever this should be allowed to proceed, the law should be direct and straight forward in it definition on euthanasia. One more point to this argument, I’ve seen patients knocking on deaths door for months, come back & thrive.