Demand for conscience clause on assisted dying

Three quarters of Canadians in a new poll have come out in support of the campaign by the country’s bishops for doctors and nurses to be allowed to opt out of involvement in assisted suicide, writes Peter Kavanagh.

The survey, released on the eve of the return of Parliament and the unveiling of new legislation setting limits and boundaries on the “right to die”, reveals uneasiness among some of the proposals. Seventy-five per cent of those questioned in the Nanos Research/Globe and Mail poll were adamant that the conscience rights of medical professions be respected.

Around half (51 per cent) opposed making doctor-assisted suicide available to the mentally ill while 58 per cent disagreed with the idea that minors be able to request assistance in dying. A Supreme Court of Canada ruling in February of 2015 found that there was a “right to die” but the details as to how, for whom and under what circumstances are up to the Government to determine.