By Lasia Kretzel

Robert Latimer applauds Supreme Court doctor assisted death ruling

Feb 8, 2015 | 2:58 PM

A Saskatchewan father who chose to end his severely disabled daughter’s life is pleased with the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision to strike down the ban on doctor assisted death.

Robert Latimer went to prison in 1997 and sparked a national debate on euthanasia and the rights of the disabled for mercy killing his 12-year-old daughter Tracy. 

He said the ruling surprised him but he thinks it gives hope to those in pain.

“It’s a recognition of the need for the stopping of people’s suffering,” he said.

On Friday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled the Criminal Code’s ban on doctor-assisted suicide violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It gave parliament a 12-month window to draft new legislation.

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The new laws will allow a clearly consenting individual with a “grievous and irremediable” illness to have a doctor help them end their life. The illness does not need to be terminal. Doctors would not be compelled to assist a patient in their death.

President of the Saskatchewan Medical Association, Doctor Dalibo Slavik says doctors will now be asking many questions, like who will decide if a patient’s pain is intolerable? How can a doctor really tell a person’s mental competency?
 
“They’re already using opiates to treat the pain, are they in a position to make a decision as to that they do want to commit suicide?
 
Slavik says the issue is complex because doctors take the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm. This ruling flips the rules around.

Reaction from Saskatchewan residents on the ruling was mixed with some saying it would have or will help return a sense of choice to family members while others said residents need better end-of-life care.

“There are people out there. There is a need for something where they don’t have to be continually kept alive because of some moral compasses come out of some religion or something,” Latimer said. 

In a press release, the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition said they are disappointed with the court’s ruling.

“The Supreme Court is naïve to think that assisted suicide will not be abused, when abuse already occurs,” the release said, adding the organization hopes Ottawa uses the notwithstanding clause to prevent the legislation from moving forward.

The coalition fears assisted death will remove support, financial or otherwise, from other non-lethal resources for those suffering from illness or living with a disability. 

Latimer said he doesn’t see how ending the suffering of one person, in his case his daughter, threatens another. 

“All these disabled groups, it’s pretty unfortunate and their circumstances are certainly terrible, but for them to feel threatened by us not cutting a feeding tube into our daughter.. that’s so hurtful to them that that didn’t happen, that’s issues they’re going to have to sort out amongst themselves,” he said.

Latimer said he hopes for a future where fewer people have to endure lasting suffering but he wants the option to be available for those who are hurting today.

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