BY
A bill legalizing medically-assisted suicide in Canada strikes the right
balance between defending fundamental freedoms and protecting against abuses,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Saturday, predicting confusion if it is
not approved.
The draft
legislation, introduced by Trudeau's Liberal government in April, would allow
people with incurable illnesses or disabilities to end their lives with a
medical professional's help, but stopped short of extending the right to minors
and the mentally ill.
"There
are people who think we should have gone further with this bill, there are
people who think we already went too far," Trudeau told reporters at a
Liberal convention in Winnipeg.
"Making
this first step a responsible, prudent one that gets the balance right between
protecting vulnerable Canadians and defending rights and freedoms is what we
have focused on and I'm confident that we got that balance right."
The
Supreme Court of Canada overturned a ban on medical-assisted suicide last year
and gave the new government until June 6 to come up with a law, adding Canada
to the handful of Western countries that allow the practice.
Trudeau
said he expected Parliament to meet that deadline. He added, however, that
failing to do so could lead to uneven access to assisted dying across Canada.
If new legislation is not in place by June 6, last year's Supreme Court ruling
comes into effect, allowing assisted dying for those with a "grievous and
irremediable" medical condition.
Some
Canadians who should have access to medically-assisted death may not get it if
doctors conclude there isn't legal protection for them, while others may gain
access to it when they should not, he said.
Trudeau's
Liberals hold a majority of seats in Canada's House of Commons, but not in the Senate.
Bills must pass both chambers on their way to becoming law.
(Reporting
by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Paul Simao)
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