Canada s New Laws Regarding Doctor Assisted Suicide

According to the Criminal Code of Canada, physician-assisted suicide is illegal in Canada. However, due to the changing minds of Canadians and their values over a course of time, Canada created new laws that directed the act of assisted suicide by a physician. However, it is an ongoing debate whether these laws are problematic or beneficial. Canada’s new laws regarding doctor-assisted suicide are effective because patients can die with dignity, there are benefits to the healthcare system and there will be less emotional turmoil for patients and their families. To begin, patients can die with dignity. Dying with dignity is the philosophical concept that a terminally ill individual should be allowed to die naturally and comfortably instead of experiencing a life of deep unconsciousness prolonged by mechanical support systems. (Death with Dignity) In 1993, Sue Rodriguez, a sufferer of ALS, believed that the time and manner of her death should not be determined by her illness or b y the law. She expressed that it should be legal for a physician to end her life for her at a time she has chosen. (Fenton) Rodriguez took her case to the Supreme Court of British Columbia, she argued that Section 241(b) of the Criminal Code, everyone who aids or abets a person in committing suicide commits an indictable offence, violates her rights in the Charter under Section 7, that everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security, 12, that everyone has the right not to be subjected to anyShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Dilemmas Of Euthanasia Essay1638 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ethical Dilemmas of Euthanasia in Canada with the Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide This systematic analysis of the professional literature will explore the ethical dilemmas that Canadian medical professionals face while considering euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, the latter of which was made legal in Canada on June 17, 2016 (Chochinov and Frazee, 2016). 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