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.
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