Assisted Suicide Ruled Legal In Canada

[Victorian Gray]

A serious question, can this in any way ever turn into something doctors have to do? Is there any laws that say 'if you're a doctor (cake store), you have to do assisted suicide procedures (bake a cake for a gay wedding)?
Also, if this is anything like any other medical care in Canada, you'll die while waiting on it anyway so it's fairly redundant.

And you know this because you are a Canadian living in Canada who has used our health care system?

 

[cbrunny]

A serious question, can this in any way ever turn into something doctors have to do? Is there any laws that say 'if you're a doctor (cake store), you have to do assisted suicide procedures (bake a cake for a gay wedding)?
Also, if this is anything like any other medical care in Canada, you'll die while waiting on it anyway so it's fairly redundant.

Our system isn't perfect but what you're suggesting is wholly false and absurd. Our system is vastly superior to America's though.

 

[stormkroe]

And you know this because you are a Canadian living in Canada who has used our health care system?

Almost, I'm an American living in Canada for 10 years, 4 kids. I've used the health care system quite extensively. Some of my highlights were a child choking on a marble while the nurses and doctor stood around the emergency room, refusing to do anything because they weren't pediatricians and instead dispatched an ambulance to edmonton (2hr drive), he would have died as his throat continued swelling shut but thank God he krakatoa-vomitted it out while laying on me on the hospital bed. I have excruciating neck pain, arms go numb, 13 month to get into an MRI to find 3 herniated disks in my neck alone. Last month was the 1 year mark since it was done, have been hounding the doctors ever since to do something/set up an appointment with a specialist, have never received a single call back.
Hospital sent my wife home after 23 hours of hard labor (actual hard labor) because they were understaffed (city of 32k people, had one doctor that night).
I sat in the waiting room for 3 hours during the day (1pm) with a cracked rib while 3 patients came and went, only to be seen and told that they didn't have any pain meds.
Gave blood for a thyroid test, passed out from low blood volume, when i woke up I couldn't see out of my left eye, they sent me home.
I know it's all anecdotal, but my list could go on and on, and I get the same story from every person that I talk to. My wife has lost 2 grand parents as the direct result of the 'waiting game' and simple poor medical treatment.
It could be a regional thing, perhaps eastern canada gets all of Alberta's good doctors along with it provincial surpluses?

Cbrunny, I'm not in any way suggesting that a doctor can be forced to assist suicide, I'm still confident that my question is worded properly as to be specifically non-suggestive. I'm honestly asking the question because people are going to, or already HAVE, start screaming it accusingly. I don't know if there is any laws stating they can't refuse a medical procedure, I also didn't know that a business couldn't refuse to sell a cake to whoever they wanted.
Thanks

 

[cbrunny]

None of those sorts of things have ever happened to me or anyone that I know. Sounds like you have a really shitty hospital wherever you live. I'm guessing that because Edmonton is a 2 hr drive from you, it's either Calgary - which makes no sense because Calgary would have a pediatrician - or the middle of butt-fuck-nowhere. I don't know anything about Alberta's healthcare as I live in Ontario, but doesn't Alberta have a two-tier system?

I would expect that Doctors are able to refuse to perform some treatments in certain situations. I don't see how the government could force a doctor to kill someone under the Charter. Might take some jurisprudence but I'm sure it will work itself out.

 

[cbrunny]

I heard on the radio a but more information on what the actual ruling said. It's quite interesting. They're not striking down the law the way it's written. The court's intent was to preserve the law as written as a protection from pressure or coercion for a patient to "choose" euthanasia. That is still illegal, and that was what the original law was written to do. But what the court is saying is that for people who have certain competencies to make the decision on their own, they can choose euthanasia in a way that doesn't break this law.

Parliament still has a chance to respond. My guess is the CPC will do nothing, because they know this will be a divisive issue. Any policy they put forward will move voters to the centre, and it makes more sense for them to do nothing at all.

 

[PokerGuy]

None of those sorts of things have ever happened to me or anyone that I know.

Then you must not know very many people who have received medical care.

As with anything, there are pros and cons to every system. The pros to the kanuck system are that you won't go bankrupt because of a medical issue and everyone has basic healthcare. The cons are that anything that isn't an emergency becomes a waiting game, which has a major impact on a lot of people. The wait time for MRI's, hip/knee/joint replacements/CT scans and other "non emergency" procedures is insane.

If you are poor, the kanuck system is definitely better for you. If you are not, the US system is generally much better.

 

[BoberFett]

I don't know what my opinion is on it but I find it funny that there are definitely people who are against assisted suicide yet for capital punishment and at the same time probably think themselves small-government libertarians.

And I find it funny that there are people are for raping of babies and think of themselves as liberals.

Nice strawman, douchebag.

 

[KMFJD]

None of those sorts of things have ever happened to me or anyone that I know. Sounds like you have a really shitty hospital wherever you live. I'm guessing that because Edmonton is a 2 hr drive from you, it's either Calgary - which makes no sense because Calgary would have a pediatrician - or the middle of butt-fuck-nowhere. I don't know anything about Alberta's healthcare as I live in Ontario, but doesn't Alberta have a two-tier system?

I would expect that Doctors are able to refuse to perform some treatments in certain situations. I don't see how the government could force a doctor to kill someone under the Charter. Might take some jurisprudence but I'm sure it will work itself out.

It took me 9 months to get an MRI and another3 months wait for day surgery, operation did not help at all, referred to another specialist for hand/upper arm pain, that appointment is in 11 months. Southern Ontario wait times are just as brutal

 

[Darwin333]

Those two notions are not at all contradictory. Capital punishment is just that -- punishment for a heinous crime and permanent removal of the offender from society so they can't further offend. Assisted suicide is completely different and unrelated, your position on one issue has no logical bearing on your position on the other.

Yeah but putting them in jail for life not only does the same thing but its cheaper.

 

[Darwin333]

Well, ok, I guess. That's a bit confusing without an example though, or stats on how common that sort of thing happens. The American system is basically built on a means-to-pay model though, and in the case of straight out of pocket healthcare costs why should the hospital not do the procedure? What's the incentive to say no to a paying customer with a fistfull of cash?

Mind you, I think the American model is batshit stupid, and I'm strongly in favour of a universal single payer like we have in Canada.

That "paying customer" in these cases are almost always the taxpayers. One huge reason our health care costs are so high is end of life treatment. We spend hundreds of thousands to extend a persons life a few months when that person would rather end their suffering.

The VAST majority of these people are old and on Medicaid/medicare (whichever the one old folks use).

 

[Darwin333]

I agree. If someone has some long, debilitating illness that will ultimately result in death (terminal cancer, ALS, etc...), I don't see why people can't choose to take their life in a peaceful way, on their own terms. How can we claim to value life when we're effectively forcing people to suffer? I know I wouldn't want to live as a vegetable with a working mind if I had ALS.

Taking that a bit further, what gives us the right to force anyone to live if they don't want to anymore?

A truly free person should be able to choose if they want to continue living or not.