NDP justice critic Francoise Boivin reacts to the Supreme Court of Canada decision on assisted suicide following question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, February 6, 2015.
On Feb. 6, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously ruled that physician – assisted dying is constitutional, and that denying a person this choice violates section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the section that discusses a citizen’s right to life, liberty and security.
The decision—which reverses the court’s own ruling in 1993—set off a debate between those who agree with physician – assisted suicide and those who oppose it. The Record’s website and Facebook pages have been host to lively and spirited discussions. (You can read a blog post by Rev. Matthew Ruttan titled, Assisted Suicide: Is it Ethical? Or Murder? Or Both?).
But what are churches saying?
“The Presbyterian Church in Canada adopted statements on euthanasia and assisted dying most recently in 1994, 1995 and 1996,” said Rev. Stephen Kendall, the church’s principal clerk. “While these statements do not accept the legalization of assisted dying, they reiterate our commitment as Christians to form caring communities that make God’s love real for those who are suffering or facing death.”
Kendall urged Presbyterians to read the reports found at presbyterian.ca.
The Anglican Church responded with a statement by its Primate, the Most Rev. Fred Hiltz. He referred to Care in Dying, a study adopted by the 1998 General Synod.
“Grounded in the hope we embrace as Christians, this document called for a renewal of the church’s commitment to the provision of the best quality of palliative care in keeping with the dignity and sanctity of human life. … [W]e bear witness to the possibility that human life can have dignity and meaning even in the context of the realities of pain, suffering, and death.”
However, Hiltz noted that his church has “reopened the conversation,” and a task force on physician – assisted death has been established. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada has “also renewed their engagement in this conversation.”
Paul – André Durocher, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, responded definitively:
“My brother Bishops and I entreat governments and courts to interpret today’s judgment in its narrowest terms, resisting any calls to go beyond this to so – called acts of ‘mercy killing’ and euthanasia,” reads the statement posted on the Conference’s website.
“Helping someone commit suicide … is neither an act of justice or mercy, nor is it part of palliative care,” he continues.
The United Church has no policy on assisted dying and has not responded.
The Government of Canada has 12 months to respond to the Supreme Court’s judgment, which likely means drafting new legislation in light of the court’s ruling.
“I anticipate and hope that there will be parliamentary hearings so that the PCC has full opportunity to submit a brief,” said Stephen Allen, general secretary of the church’s Justice Ministries department. “The brief could state the PCC’s opposition to doctor assisted suicide, and recommend criteria that could be included in any legislation.”
Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton, general secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches, an ecumenical organization of which the PCC is a member, encouraged people to re – read the council’s material on euthanasia, adopted in 1996. “It was a substantive debate, and a deep one,” she said. (Visit
councilofchurches.ca for the report.)
