Doctors in Canada have helped nearly 2,000 people suffering with incurable illnesses commit suicide.
Since medically-assisted suicide was legalised in June last year, 1,982 chose to end their lives either by lethal injection at hospital or at home, according to Health Canada.
Meanwhile, Canadian bishops have instructed their clergy to deny religious funerals for those who chose to end their lives in such a way.
The number of assisted deaths is set to rise but remain at less than two per cent of all deaths nationwide this year — ‘consistent with international experience’, the report added.
Since medically-assisted suicide was legalised in June last year, 1,982 chose to end their lives either by lethal injection at hospital or at home, according to Health Canada
Doctor-assisted suicide in Canada is reserved only for adults suffering serious problems who want to end their suffering — most are cancer patients.
Just days after the law was altered to allow the practice, a court challenged attempted to expand its remit to include Canadians suffering from wasting diseases but not facing immediate death.
These include those suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, multiple sclerosis, spinal stenosis, locked in syndrome, traumatic spinal injury, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.
It comes after terminally-ill British man Noel Conway lost his battle in the High Court to be end his life with a doctor’s assistance.
These include those suffering from spinal muscular atrophy, multiple sclerosis, spinal stenosis, locked
In a ruling on Thursday, three judges turned down Mr Conway’s request for assisted suicide.
Mr Conway, 67, has motor neurone disease and has been given less than six months to live.
Conway had applied to the court in July, asking for a declaration that Britain’s outlawing of suicide is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
After the ruling, Conway said he was ‘deeply disappointed’ and intended to appeal.
He said that since he was now no longer well enough to travel abroad to obtain assisted suicide in Switzerland – the only country in Europe that legally helps foreigners end their lives.
His only option now was to die by suffocation, by removing his ventilator himself.
Britain’s High Court has rejected a terminally ill man’s request to be killed with medical help in a ruling on Thursday