Quebec committee says Alzheimer's patients should get access to doctor-assisted death
A Quebec committee of elected officials says anyone diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease should be able to sign an advance request for medical aid in dying.
That is the main recommendation proposed by the multi-party committee looking at expanding the province's law on end-of-life care, and it is expected to revive a sensitive debate that has divided politicians and the public.
The current law, adopted in 2014, set out strict criteria that include informed consent of a patient until their death, meaning people who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and could no longer provide informed consent do not have access.
If the legislature follows the committee's recommendation, the law would allow any adult diagnosed with a serious and incurable disease and facing incapacity to make an advance request for medical aid in dying.
However, the committee did not recommend expanding access to those whose only medical problem is a mental disorder.
It says experts testified that in many cases with mental illness, it can be difficult to make the proper diagnosis.
According to the committee made up of a dozen elected provincial politicians, its position reflects "the main trends" of opinions observed in Quebec society on this subject in recent years.
Since the adoption of the law, more than 7,000 people have received a medically assisted death, including 2,270 last year. The average age of patients is 73, and three out of four suffered from cancer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.