TORONTO: The Canadian bishops’ committee has urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reconsider the government’s plan to reduce euthanasia. Archbishop Richard Gagnon, president of the bishop’s committee, appealed to the prime minister to change the euthanasia law only after a more thorough, impartial and thorough study. Archbishop Richard Gagnon called for delays in legislation to examine social, medical and moral facts.
The bishop chairman has written letters to three members of the cabinet and leaders of the other four parties along with Justin Trudeau. In a letter, Archbishop Gagnon noted that efforts to include minors, mentally retarded and mentally ill people in euthanasia point to a loophole in the current law. In September, the largest trial court in Quebec ordered that people not only with life-threatening illnesses but also with the death of others be brought under the euthanasia law.
The government refused to appeal the decision. The law is expected to come into force in March. Recently, the Department of Justice has asked a few questions about people’s views on euthanasia. The Archbishop also criticized the government’s actions. He pointed out that a moral issue of life and death should not be decided by referendum.
