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Update: 970 reported assisted deaths in Canada

Apr 28, 2017

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

On April 26 Health Canada released an interim update on “medical assistance in dying.” The report indicates that there were 970 reported assisted deaths. The data was based on a full year in Québec and 6.5 months (June 17 – Dec 31) in the rest of Canada. But, in fact, there may be more.

There were 463 reported assisted deaths in Québec. (Nunavut and the Yukon territories did not submit information based on privacy concerns and the small number of assisted deaths.) Another 507 assisted deaths were reported in the rest of Canada. Of those 507 assisted deaths, 504 were euthanasia deaths (lethal injection) and three were assisted suicide deaths (lethal prescription).

According to the report, not every province has a legal requirement to report assisted deaths.

The 970 reported assisted deaths represented 0.6% of all deaths in Canada. Other than Québec, where there were 463 deaths in the full year, these deaths occurred in 6.5 months (June 17 – Dec 31).

The percentage of assisted deaths is highest in British Columbia, where there were 188 assisted deaths. British Columbia has two euthanasia clinics. There were189 assisted deaths in Ontario.

The number of assisted deaths is high compared to Belgium, which has approximately 1/3 of Canada’s population. In Belgium there were 235 reported assisted deaths in its first full year (2003), 349 in its second full year, and 393 in its third full year after legalization.

Recently CBC news reported that there were more than 1,324 assisted deaths in Canada up through March 31. However the CBC news data did not include all of the assisted deaths in British Columbia and it did not include Québec assisted deaths since December 31.

The Netherlands recently reported that there were 6,091 reported assisted deaths in 2016 representing 4% of all deaths. Based on the current number of assisted deaths, it is possible that Canada will surpass the Netherlands and Belgium.

The euthanasia lobby is pressuring to have euthanasia extended to people with mental illness, people who are under 18 and for people who are incompetent, but who stated in their advanced directive that they would want to die by euthanasia.

Ontario is the only jurisdiction that is forcing physicians, who oppose killing their patients, to effectively refer their patients for euthanasia.

Doctors should not be forced to refer their patients for euthanasia.

Editor’s note. This appeared on Mr. Schadenberg’s blog and is reposted with permission.

Categories: Assisted Suicide