Good news yesterday for those who support the right of Canadians to die with dignity.
The BC Court of Appeal has upheld the right of Gloria Taylor to have doctors hasten her death.
Taylor and the BC Civil Liberties Association won their initial case at the BC Supreme Court to strike down Canada’s assisted suicide laws. The Court declared that the federal government had one year to revise its legislation.
The government appealed the decision, and until the Court of Appeal hears the case (likely in the spring) the law will be upheld.
Humanists will be watching closely as personal freedoms are pushed against the religious sanctity of life arguments. For now, I am glad that the court has sided with Gloria Taylor stating:
“She may be a symbol, but she is also a person and I do not find it necessary for the individual to be sacrificed to a concept of the ‘greater good,’ which may, or may not, be fully informed.”