Ontario’s euthanasia regulators have tracked 428 cases of possible criminal violations — and not referred a single case to law enforcement, say leaked documents.
For years, there have been clear signals that euthanasia providers in Canada may be breaking the law and getting away with it. That is the finding of the officials who are responsible for monitoring euthanasia deaths to ensure compliance in the province of Ontario. Newly uncovered reports reveal that these authorities have thus far counted over 400 apparent violations — and have kept this information from the public and not pursued a single criminal charge, even against repeat violators and “blatant” offenders.
In Canada, medical assistance in dying, or MAID, is regulated by criminal law. Practitioners must comply with federal and provincial criteria or face lengthy prison sentences. Among other requirements, they must carefully assess whether people who request euthanasia are eligible, uphold all the safeguards against abuse, and report each request and each death.
Euthanasia advocates often tout the strictness of these laws as evidence that the safeguards are working. “Like most clinicians that do this work, I’m acutely aware of what happens … if I break the rules anywhere,” says Stefanie Green, a former president of the leading organization of Canadian euthanasia practitioners, on a podcast. “There’s criminal liability sitting in the back of my head, blaring out loud and neon signs: 14 years in jail.”
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www.thenewatlantis.com
For years, there have been clear signals that euthanasia providers in Canada may be breaking the law and getting away with it. That is the finding of the officials who are responsible for monitoring euthanasia deaths to ensure compliance in the province of Ontario. Newly uncovered reports reveal that these authorities have thus far counted over 400 apparent violations — and have kept this information from the public and not pursued a single criminal charge, even against repeat violators and “blatant” offenders.
In Canada, medical assistance in dying, or MAID, is regulated by criminal law. Practitioners must comply with federal and provincial criteria or face lengthy prison sentences. Among other requirements, they must carefully assess whether people who request euthanasia are eligible, uphold all the safeguards against abuse, and report each request and each death.
Euthanasia advocates often tout the strictness of these laws as evidence that the safeguards are working. “Like most clinicians that do this work, I’m acutely aware of what happens … if I break the rules anywhere,” says Stefanie Green, a former president of the leading organization of Canadian euthanasia practitioners, on a podcast. “There’s criminal liability sitting in the back of my head, blaring out loud and neon signs: 14 years in jail.”
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‘A Blatant Situation’ — New leaks on Canada's failing MAID safeguards
In Ontario, euthanasia regulators tracked 428 possible violations of the law and never referred a case to police
www.thenewatlantis.com
