Quebec commission warns some euthanasia deaths don’t comply with the law

The Quebec Commission on End-of-Life Care has issued a warning that some of the province’s euthanasia deaths aren’t complying with the law.

In a memo sent to physicians last week, the commission warned its doctors to make sure they are in line with the law before approving Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) deaths. Dr. Michel Bureau, president of Quebec’s Commission on End-of-Life Care, noted that the commission reviews around 500 requests for MAiD deaths each month, but two or three of those don’t meet official guidelines.

“At times, [physicians] don’t know really if they are right or not and at times, they’re not,” Bureau said, according to CBC.

In the memo, the commission reminds doctors that old age alone doesn’t qualify one for a MAiD death, and a confirming opinion from a second doctor is a requirement, not a suggestion.

Quebec has seen its MAiD deaths skyrocket, and, as of January, it had the highest rate of euthanasia deaths in the world. Even so, the commission expects these deaths to continue to rise, with euthanasia expected to account for seven percent of all deaths this year, compared to five percent last year.

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Despite the rapid increase and the fear that some deaths may not be legal, not everyone is happy with the commission’s report. Georges L’Espérance, president of the Quebec Association for the Right to Die in Dignity, dismissed the memo and said he fears it could actually dissuade doctors from facilitating MAiD deaths.

“The problem is that many doctors will be intimidated by that kind of memo,” he said. “They will say that they don’t want to [administer] any MAiD because they have fear.”

Alex Schadenberg, president of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, warned that because Quebec has a self-reporting system for euthanasia deaths, he believes the percentage of abuses being committed within the system is likely much higher. “The reporting procedure requires the doctor who carried out the euthanasia death to also report the euthanasia death,” he said. “This self-reporting system enables doctors to ‘cover-up’ controversial euthanasia deaths.”

“Why,” Schadenberg asks, “[have] none of the doctors been sanctioned for killing patients outside of the law?”