The drive to allow terminally ill individuals to exercise their right to end their own life with the help of doctors has found a new ally in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The recently elected leader looks to comply with a Supreme Court of Canada ruling from 2015, that the previous administration had refused to act upon, which called for a comprehensive national approach to assisted suicide formulated by the government. But Trudeau had been a supported for a change since the death of his father, himself a former Prime Minister, from prostate cancer and Parkinson’s Disease which ultimately saw him refusing treatment in order to hasten the end. But there is much opposition from religious groups who have moral qualms about assisted suicide which lead to the unusual step for Trudeau’s Liberal party to no push all it’s members to vote on the bill. However, the legislation is expected to pass through the House of Commons due to the sizable majority Trudeau currently holds.
See Ian Austen, Canadian Prime Minister Seeks to Legalize Physician-Assisted Suicide, The New York Times, April 14, 2016.
