The Globe and Mail published an article yesterday about a group from Vancouver called the Farewell Foundation For The Right To Die. They are pushing both British Columbia and the federal government to change the laws surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide, specifically to legalize the type of physician-assisted suicide that is available in such places as Dignitas in Switzerland and Oregon.
Euthanasia has been a simmering issue in Canada, not having flared up since Sue Rodriguez lost her Supreme Court battle to end her life in 1993; she had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. According to Russel Ogden of the Farewell Foundation, more than 70% of Canadians support a person’s right to physician-assisted suicide. If the Farewell Foundation has any say, it looks like this is going to become a very hot issue in the near future.
