Recommendations from the Joint Parliamentary Committee on physician-assisted suicide are more extreme than Canadians expected. Among them:

• No minimum age requirement for euthanasia/assisted suicide, in order to include mature minors
• Advance directives for assisted dying so that a person doesn’t have to consent or be competent at the time of their assisted death
• Ending the lives of some with disabilities or mental illness, who aren’t terminally ill
• Requiring a doctor or institution to participate, even if it is against their strongly-held religious beliefs

“We are honestly surprised that we have not heard more feedback from constituents on this issue, since a parliamentary report on this very subject was released earlier this week.” This statement came from an MP’s office, in response to an email from a constituent about euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The government is scheduled to vote on the recommendations on June 6th. There is still a small window of opportunity to influence the new legislation. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) has been following this issue closely and recommends three points of action for anyone who is the least bit concerned:

1. Learn more about the issue - see the briefing kit and other information prepared by EFC
2. Sign the Declaration on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
3. Call or email your MP as soon as possible to let them know that if they pass a law allowing euthanasia and assisted suicide, you want very stringent safeguards in place to protect vulnerable Canadians.

A sample letter you can send to your MP is available here.
Information on how to contact your MP is available here.
Recommended Reading: Euthanasia + Palliative Care: A Guide For Canadians Download a copy here.