Evangelicals in Canada are rallying against a proposed bill to decriminalise assisted dying.
Bill C-14 was introduced to the Canadian Parliament last week in response to a decision by the country's Supreme Court last year to overturn the 1993 ban on physician-assisted suicide.
The newly tabled legislation makes it possible for adults to choose "medically assisted dying" in the event of having a serious and incurable medical condition likely to result in death. It does not permit assisted dying for those under the age of 18, or those suffering from mental illness or dementia.
However, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada said there are risks involved in decriminalising assisted suicide and euthanasia. In particular, it raised concerns that the current legislation does not include protection of conscience for medical practitioners and institutions that refuse to provide the service.
The EFC's Director of Public Policy, Julia Beazley, called the lack of protection in the bill a "significant omission".
EFC President Bruce Clemenger said: "With the introduction of Bill C-14, Canada has crossed a significant threshold.
"The decriminalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide constitutes a fundamental shift in how we as a society value and understand life and the duty of care we owe one another.
"Never before have we as a nation said that intentional killing is an appropriate response to suffering, or that we should take the life of the one who suffers rather than finding ways to alleviate their suffering."
Evangelicals are not alone in their concerns. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a strongly worded statement in which it described the bill as "an affront to human dignity, an erosion of human solidarity and a danger to all vulnerable persons."
"Moreover, it is a violation of the sacrosanct duty of health care providers to heal and the responsibility of legislators and citizens to assure and provide protection for all, especially those persons most at risk," they said.
The Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver, Michael Miller, echoed the EFC's concerns about provision of protection for health care providers and institutions, saying it failed to recognise their right to reject providing such measures to patients entrusted in their care.
Instead of decriminalising assisted dying, Archbishop Miller said there should be more investment in palliative care.
"Unfortunately, the "medical assistance in dying" legislation introduced in Parliament today sets Canada on the tragic course of offering death as the solution to pain and suffering," he said.
"Catholic hospitals, so long an integral part of Canada's health care system, are left completely unprotected by this proposed law.
"It is also disappointing that the government has failed to deliver on its promise to provide funding for more home care and palliative care. The common good is not well served when Canadians are ready to deliver to sick and suffering individuals the option of a lethal injection, without offering them alternatives that demonstrate compassionate care and respect for the sanctity of life."
