Quebec's assisted dying law remains in effect after Court of Appeal overturns Superior Court ruling

MONTREAL | Physician-assisted dying will remain legal in Quebec now that the Superior court's judgement to suspend the law has been overturned by a Court of Appeal.On December 1, the Superior Court made the judgement to suspend the law, which came into effect on December 10, because of concerns that the law would conflict with certain sections of the criminal code. But the Court of Appeal overturned that decision, saying Canada's Supreme court struck down those sections in February when it lifted the ban on physician-assisted dying across the country."We're quite satisfied (with the Court of Appeal's decision)," said Quebec's Health Minister Dr. Gaetan Barrette in an interview with CBC News. "It says clearly that the way things are done in this province are respectful of the current legislation."But not all doctors feel that the Court of Appeal made the right decision. Dr. Paul Saba, a family physician and president of the Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice, which led the fight against assisted-dying legislation, told CBC News that "nobody should be euthanized."He pointed out that physicians sometimes err in their diagnoses. "We don't always know," he said."Governments are there to protect people...and yet we're taking people who are at the most vulnerable time in their lives because they're faced with an illness," he went on. "Is this truly a free choice?"But Dr. Barrette maintains that the choice does, in fact, belong to the patients and that this new legislation is simply part of the "continuum of options."Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal administration are seeking a six-month extension on the Supreme Court of Canada's deadline which, if granted, would give the federal government until August to design the laws before physician-assisted dying becomes legal nation-wide."We will continue to work with Quebec, as well as the other provinces and territories, to develop a co-ordinated approach to physician-assisted dying across the country," Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said in a statement to CBC News.

Quebec's assisted dying law remains in effect after Court of Appeal overturns Superior Court ruling

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics

Business Topic