Alberta government considers new euthanasia regulations
null / Credit: Ariya J/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2024 / 13:10 pm (CNA).
The provincial government of Alberta, Canada, is considering several possible regulations on euthanasia there in the face of growing popularity of the practice throughout the country.
The government is actively seeking citizen input on “oversight of medical assistance in dying [MAID],” with Alberta residents invited to offer input through Dec. 20 on a proposed new series of regulations.
Among the possible new regulations on which citizens can offer input are “the creation of a new public agency and legislation to provide oversight” of the euthanasia program as well as “limitations on criteria for MAID eligibility and on MAID as an option for patients.”
Also under consideration is “the creation of a MAID decision dispute mechanism for families and eligible others” that would allow loved ones to argue against a family member’s being allowed to participate in the program.
Mickey Amery, the Alberta provincial minister of justice and attorney general, said in announcing the survey that euthanasia “is a very complex and often personal issue and is an important, sensitive, and emotional matter for patients and their families.”
“It is important to ensure this process has the necessary supports to protect the most vulnerable,” the minister said, calling on Albertans “who have experience with and opinions on MAID” to take the survey.
The government said it hopes to ensure that MAID regulations protect “vulnerable Albertans, specifically those living with disabilities or suffering from mental health challenges.”
Alex Schadenberg, the executive director of the Ontario-based Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC), told CNA that while Canadian federal law guarantees access to euthanasia, “provincial governments have jurisdiction over how it is implemented.”
“The federal law lacks effective definition; therefore provincial governments can add definition to the law,” he said.
By way of example he noted that federal rules require two doctors or nurse practitioners to approve euthanasia “but the province can add an independent approval from the government to provide oversight.”
Assisted suicide in Canada has become increasingly popular since it was first legalized in 2016. Government statistics in 2022 indicated that MAID was the sixth-leading cause for death in Canada, with 13,241 “MAID provisions” reported that year, accounting for 4.1% of all deaths nationwide.
In recent months and years concerns have been raised that euthanasia provisions in Canadian law are insufficient to protect vulnerable patients from taking part in MAID programs.
The government of Quebec recently began allowing euthanasia for individuals who cannot consent at the time of the procedure, permitting “advance requests” for assisted suicide for those diagnosed with incapacitating illness such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Earlier this year a judge in Alberta ruled that a woman with autism could be granted her request to die by MAID, overruling efforts by the woman’s father to halt the deadly procedure.
In February, the Canadian federal government postponed until 2027 plans to expand its euthanasia program to include those suffering from mental illness after a parliamentary report said the country’s health system is “not ready.”
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder” and “gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and the respect due to the living God, his Creator” (No. 2324).
This teaching was reaffirmed in the 2020 Vatican document Samaritanus Bonus, and Pope Francis has spoken frequently against euthanasia and assisted suicide and in favor of palliative care.
Schadenberg told CNA that among its positions the EPC opposes MAID being associated with palliative or hospice care and that medical institutions should be permitted to opt out of providing MAID to patients.
“We opposed MAID being considered as a type of medical treatment,” he said.
“There is much that can be done but essentially we oppose killing people,” he added.
