OTTAWA, March 15, 2010 (CCRL) – Bill C-384, the bill sponsored by MP Francine Lalonde that would legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in some circumstances, will once again have its first-hour of debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday, March 16. (It was debated in the last Parliament but was cancelled by the proroguing of Parliament.) Second hour of debate is not yet scheduled, but is likely to occur in mid-May.

As it has from the beginning, the League urges all our members and supporters to contact their MPs expressing opposition to this bill. It poses serious challenges not only to the right to life, but also to the religious and conscientious freedom of doctors and other health care professions. Evidence from the few jurisidictions that legally permit euthanasia and assisted suicide suggests that abuses, including proceeding without patient consent, is a reality.

Euthanasia pressures and conscientious freedom, by Joanne McGarry, CCRL, Nov. 17, 2009
When is euthanasia justified? By Margaret Somerville, Globe and Mail, March 15, 2010
Website of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition