Invitation to the Media: Advisory for Parents: The Quebec government opens the door for euthanasia of children. The Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice asks the Attorney-General for Canada to intervene in order to protect children and other vulnerable people.

DATE : December 1, 2013

TIME : 13:00 (1 PM)

PLACE : Room 106, Centre St-Pierre, 1212, rue Panet, Montréal (Qc) H2L 2Y7

MONTREAL, Nov. 30, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Quebec Human Rights Commission is recommending that children and other vulnerable people be given access to euthanasia. Québec's controversial bill on euthanasia DOES NOT limit its reach to the terminally ill. The Coalition of Physicians implores citizens to get informed and involved and is presenting an official complaint and request for intervention before the Attorney-General for Canada. If the bill is adopted, in addition to opening the door to offering euthanasia as an option for those not in the terminal phase of an illness, the door will be wide open to euthanize children. The Québec Human Rights Commission states that Bill 52 could be deemed discriminatory against children if they are not included, as well as persons who are inapt to provide consent and persons who are not residents of Québec.

This signifies that Québec will soon be going along the same slippery road as the Netherlands, whose laws now allow euthanasia for children, and soon Belgium, which is the process of adopting child euthanasia.

The Coalition is asking that the Attorney-General for Canada intervene in this file and is filing an official Complaint and Request for intervention which will be presented at the press conference. At the press conference the Coalition lawyer, Mtre Dominique Talarico, will present the official complaint that is being submitted as well as the legal arguments.

• Dr. Richard Haber, pediatrician at the Montreal Children's Hospital, will be presenting the experience of child euthanasia in the Netherlands which was published « Pediatric euthanasia: Let's not go Dutch » (October 2010) and the risks for children including his own patients if Bill 52 is passed.
• Dr. Charles Rohlicek is a pediatric cardiologist at the Montreal Children's Hospital who is often faced with newborns and infants with life threatening cardiac malformations. He believes that euthanasia has no place in the practice of modern cardiology and will be presenting the case of Jessica who was born 4 years ago with a serious cardiac condition requiring a series of life saving interventions without which she would have died hours or days after being born.
• Dr. Sylvia Baribeau, a family physician who treats children and is a mother of young adult children, questions the basis for this proposed legislation. She asks the question "Is this the future we want to give our children who are faced with illness or health challenges in the future - the right to be euthanized?
• Dr. Paul Saba, a family physician and President of the Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice, will explain why the Quebec bill on euthanasia is illegal and will explain how Charter rights are there to protect the vulnerable, and why Quebec's euthanasia law needs to be challenged constitutionally since it does not embrace that principle.

Present at the press conference will be Dr. Richard Haber, Dr. Charles Rohlicek, Dr. Sylvia Baribeau, Mtre Dominique Talarico, Dr. Paul Saba and little Jessica with her family.

Dr. Paul Saba shares a personal story in the Video: Case Against Euthanasia for Children - Dr. Paul Saba - A Personal Story
VIDEO Link: http://youtu.be/n1Ib4NHOims or available at http://CoalitionMD.org

SOURCE: Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice

Dr Paul Saba 5148863447/5142498541/[email protected]