Physicians in Quebec continue to push for infant euthanasia

The Quebec College of Physicians has confirmed in recent reports that the group still wants infants to be eligible for euthanasia in Canada, following the lead of the Netherlands.

Key Takeaways:

• Since legalizing euthanasia, Canada has reached one of the highest rates of the fatal practice in the world.

• The nation is already set to legalize euthanasia for the mentally ill.

• A group of Quebec physicians is continuing to push for infants to be eligible for euthanasia.

• Infant euthanasia is already legal in the Netherlands.

The Details:

Several reports, in both The Atlantic and the Daily Mail, have revealed that the Quebec College of Physicians (CMQ) is pushing for infants to be eligible for Medical Aid In Dying (MAID), or euthanasia. This has been the group's stance since at least 2022, and it seemingly has not changed its position, even as Canada's euthanasia rate has grown to the highest in the world.

"The CMQ reiterates that medical assistance in dying may be an appropriate treatment for babies suffering from extreme pain that cannot be relieved and who have severe malformations or serious polysymptomatic syndromes that destroy any prospect of survival," the group said in an e-mail to the Daily Mail. "The CMQ believes that parents should have the opportunity to obtain this care for their infant under these well-defined circumstances."

Specifically, the CMQ wants the country to follow the "Groninger Protocol," which is in place in the Netherlands. Under these guidelines, an infant can be killed if at least one doctor will assert that the child's life will result in "unbearable suffering," and if both parents consent.

Disability rights groups have argued that this equals nothing short of state-sanctioned eugenics based on ableism.

Zoom Out:

Assisted suicide and euthanasia have become increasingly romanticized, and as such, are being legalized across the globe. But the reality of assisted suicide is much more troubling than many realize, as advocacy groups typically claim it is just to prevent a terminally ill person from suffering a painful, prolonged death.

One needs look only to both Canada and the Netherlands to see what legalization leads to.

The Netherlands allows both infants and children to be killed, and over the decades the number of deaths have risen, with the Netherlands reaching record highs in recent years. There, virtually anyone can be killed for any reason — including healthy couples who simply want to die together.

In Canada, euthanasia has become widespread, with euthanasia for mental illness already legalized and set to take effect in 2027. Recent reports reveal that over half of the people euthanized in Canada were not imminently close to dying, but did have a diagnosed disability. A 2023 parliamentary committee already recommended that euthanasia should be available for both children and prisoners.

The Bottom Line:

Legalized euthanasia never remains rare; it seems to spread like a cancer. When state-sanctioned killing is permitted, the guardrails and safeguards are quickly eroded; soon, no one is safe. Disability advocates are right to fear that the most vulnerable are the ones most at risk from MAiD laws; now, even infants — who cannot consent to their own deaths — may soon be at risk in Canada.