An update to Quebec’s law on assisted dying will make the province one of the most permissive jurisdictions in the world, extending the right to die to people who have a “severe physical impairment resulting in a significant and persistent disability” and allowing people to undergo the procedure in outdoor spaces, including public parks.
The new law will also allow people with diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia to write advance directives requesting assisted dying if their condition should decline and render them unable to give informed consent. But that portion of the law will take effect only after a delay of as much as two years, said Quebec’s health minister Sonia Bélanger, citing the need to train health professionals and discuss necessary changes to federal law with the central government in Ottawa.
The updated law sailed through the province’s national assembly last week on a free vote, with just …