Canada to keep mental illness-only cases out of euthanasia eligibility

Canada’s Justice Minister Sean Fraser said on Wednesday the government will introduce legislation this autumn to exclude mental illness as the sole reason for euthanasia months after a parliamentary committee made a similar recommendation.

• Fraser said he did not anticipate further restrictions on Canada’s euthanasia legislation, which has created one of the world’s most permissive systems for assisted dying.

• Fraser said the bill would also include provisions for advance requests from people seeking to be euthanized if they lose capacity to make that decision in the future, such as in cases of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

• The government will amend Canada’s Criminal Code to ensure doctors who comply with the criteria set out for euthanasia are not prosecuted as criminals.

• Fraser said Canada would only allow euthanasia in provinces that legislate its access to people “who are suffering from incurable illnesses and are experiencing intolerable suffering” and where there are rigorous safeguards in place.

• Advocacy group Dying with Dignity has previously described Canada’s exclusion of people seeking euthanasia for mental illness reasons as a violation of the country’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is actively involved in multiple lawsuits against the Canadian government.

-Reporting by Maria ChengEditing by Rod Nickel/Reuters