A few days before the euthanasia bill is scheduled to be presented in parliament by the Liberal government in Canada, a new Angus Reid poll showed that the majority of Canadians oppose the proposed doctor-assisted killing of people with severe psychiatric condition but no terminal illness.
The poll showed that 78 percent of the respondents disagree that euthanasia should be allowed on people with dementia and other psychiatric condition, while 86 percent totally agree that psychological suffering should not, on its own, be grounds for assisted death.
The survey, done on March 21-24, collected the views of more than 1,500 Canadians nationwide on euthanasia and assisted suicide.
The survey also indicated that 68 percent of Canadians oppose forcing religiously affiliated hospitals to participate in euthanasia, while 62 percent do not support religiously affiliated nursing homes from having to participate in killing their patients.
Only 36 percent of those surveyed agree that medical professionals opposed to euthanasia should provide an "effective" referral, that is, a doctor who is willing to kill their patient.
Eighty-eight percent of respondents support a waiting period, in contrast with the committee's recommendation for no waiting period between a patient being approved for assisted suicide or euthanasia and the assisted killing of the person.
The Angus Reid survey has a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The parliamentary committee's 21 recommendations, tabled in Parliament in February, are intended to provide the Liberals with a framework for a new law following the Supreme Court's Carter decision striking down the current law as unconstitutional, LifeSite News reported.
The Carter decision takes effect on June 6, 2016. The Liberals are expected to introduce legislation on April 11.
The committee's recommendations include euthanasia for psychological suffering alone, advance directives for euthanasia for people with degenerative disorders, euthanasia for mature minors in two-stage legislative rollout over three years, and forcing all publicly funded institutions to kill patients on request.
The committee reportedly recommended wide-open rules for euthanasia, but the survey found that the majority oppose "assisted death'' for most reasons.
The survey found that support for assisted death was limited based on the following circumstance:
● 36 percent support when a person with multiple conditions like arthritis and diabetes feels overwhelmed and wants to die;
● 31 percent support when a person has no hope for the future and finds no meaning in life;
● 26 percent support when a person's care is perceived as a burden to the family;
● 21 percent support when the cost of a patient's care is very expensive to the health care provider.
Also, the Angus Reid survey found that 50 percent of the respondents wanted significant restrictions on killing or wanted "assisted death'' completely prohibited.
The differing views of the government's committee report and that of the Canadian respondents are highlighted in the survey, noted Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.
