Over the past couple of weeks, there have been hearings on the legalization of euthanasia in Quebec – and I’ll try to get more about that up soon. They are still going on. Proposed legislation would not be limited to people who are expected to die in a short time, but opens the door to the killing of people with nonterminal disabilities as well.
Into the current debate, a video made a big splash. From wikipedia, here’s a description of Donald Low, so that non-Canadians can have a sense of how well-known and respected he is (was) in that country:
Donald Low (May 2, 1945 – September 18, 2013) was a Canadian microbiologist noted for his role in battling the SARS outbreak of 2003. He was microbiologist-in-chief at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, from 1985 to 2013.
Donald Low graduated from medical school at the University of Manitoba. Low became a familiar face to the Canadian public during 2003’s SARS crisis;[1] although he had no official role, he was seen as calm and effective in press conferences about the response to the outbreak.[2] He was one of several physicians who were required to quarantine themselves at home during part of the outbreak.[3] In 2005 he took on the role of medical director of public health laboratory of the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion.
The last part of the entry mentions the video that Low made shortly before his death:
Low was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February 2013, and died September 18, 2013, at age 68.[2][4] In a video published after his death, Low calls for Canada to allow assisted suicide, saying “I’m just frustrated with not being able to have control of my own life, not being able to make the decision myself when enough is enough.”[5]
There have been some really great responses from the disability community to Low’s taped message. First, here’s one from Bill Peace at Bad Cripple:
Hawking and Low strike me as oblivious to the typical experience of people with a disability. Typical meaning a life that is not respected or valued. A life dominated by unemployment, social isolation and economic deprivation. In sharp contrast, Hawking and Low command instant respect. They are Ivory Tower scholars. Their intellects are powerful as is their prestige. No one will question the value of their lives. As such, they represent the tiny fraction of people with a disability that have attained great respect and the privilege that comes with it. I sincerely doubt if Hawking or Low put any thought into the rights of people with a disability. Hawking has never expressed any interest in people with a disability. Low was consumed with his own impending death and to my knowledge knew nothing about disability.
Please read the rest of his post here.
The next response is from Adrian Rhodes at his Flanoor Blog:
Approximately five days before his death, Low created a video in which he called for the legalization of physician assisted suicide. He allegedly stated we needed assisted suicide as a right or all Canadians. There are a couple of problems with these statements. First, when I was in the hospital in November 2010, just before my cholecystectomy I was handed a form to sign: it clearly stated that I was not to make any major legal decisions two weeks before and two weeks after the operation. I was being defined as legally incompetent on the basis of undergoing a surgical procedure.
Second, Low underlines how selfish the assisted suicide debate can be. Low is deceased. He will now no longer be impacted by any statements he made. In other words, by demanding death with dignity just before he died, he was leaving us with the emotional and psychosocial aftermath. I had a discussion with a friend recently wherein their position was that they wanted euthanasia and they didn’t’ care what the effect would be; they would be dead. And that was their whole position of ‘acceptance’. Since these two ‘ideals’ are related, that we need this as a society because I want and think I need this as a person, is an ultimate in self-centredness.
Please read the rest of his post here.
The CBC interviewed disability rights advocate/activist/scholar Catherine Frazee. You can listen to the interview at this link. (I apologize for the lack of a transcript – it’s been a hectic week or two here and I haven’t had the energy to transcribe the interview.)