Passion for life.....Return to Index

Letter to Citizen from Rev. Brian Kopke, February 19, 1994 Angus Reid Opinion Poll on Assisted Suicide, 1993 Svend Robinson held a dying Sue Rodriguez in his arms with full knowledge that his presence there was loving and could get him in trouble with the law. The doctor who may have assisted was acting to safeguard dignity for a single human being in disregard of the best decisions of lawmakers and our Supreme Court. The players in this drama, Rodriguez, Robinson and the doctor, seem to know a passion for life, show a longing for fairness, have the courage to delve into the unknown in human living, and certainly have dreams about a way of being in dignity that does not yet exist easily in our land. When a law in our nation is so divorced from the human soul and spirit that such a drama must be played out, it is time for the good men and women who have the power to change the laws to do so, without regard for the medieval attitudes toward human living which produced the laws. When the posturing is all over, perhaps it will dawn on someone who can do something about the laws and court decisions that there is no way to stop someone from taking their own life if they are intent upon doing it. Indeed, guides, rather than prohibitions, may be the prudent path. Thank you Sue for challenging us. Thank you Svend for your caring, thank you doctor for your compassion. Brian S. Kopke, Ottawa

1993: EUTHANASIA IN CANADA PUBLIC OPINION ON THE RIGHT TO DIE AND DOCTOR ASSISTED SUICIDES [BACK TO LETTER] As the case of Sue Rodriguez, the 42-year-old Victoria woman suffering from a degenerative terminal illness, was being debated in British Columbia's highest court, Canadians were asked whether or not they support euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicides for the terminally ill. According to this Angus Reid Group survey of a random and representative sampling of 1500 Canadians, overwhelming majorities support both "the right to die" for the terminally ill and their right to seek medical assistance to help them end their lives. Interviews for this research were conducted between March 15th and March 18th, 1993. Large Majority Regard Euthanasia as Morally Acceptable Three-quarters (76%) of the Canadian public supported the "right to die" for patients who wish to end their own lives rather than enduring the full course of a terminal illness. Fewer than one in five (17%) voiced moral opposition to euthanasia for these terminally ill victims. Support for euthanasia for the terminally ill was consistently high across all Canadian regions, although those polled in Manitoba/Saskatchewan (66%) and Atlantic Canada (68%) were slightly less likely than their counterparts in other parts of the country to favor this "right to die". Interestingly, support for euthanasia for the terminally ill was notably more evident among younger Canadians (82% support under 35 years) than it was among older respondents (67% of those over 51 years were supportive). Also Strong Support for Doctor Assisted Euthanasia Similarly, a large majority (70%) of Canadians also endorse the concept of doctor-assisted suicides where physicians actively intervene and assist terminally ill patients in ending their own lives upon request. One in four (24%) of those polled nationally were opposed to any doctor-aided euthanasia. As was the case regarding patterns of support for euthanasia in general, younger Canadians (76% under 35 years) were more likely than their older counterparts (60% over 55 years) to be in favor of permitting willing doctors to assist the terminally ill in ending their lives. For more information: Last Rights Library