Use your browser's Back button to return to this page. The societal debate on euthanasia and assisted suicide demonstrates public awareness of the importance of these issues. The cry for euthanasia also reflects fear and mistrust at both the individual and societal level. The fear of death and of the process of dying is a powerful psychological force. It can drive both patient decision-making and legislative changes.
Palliative care opposes legalization of euthanasia.
Instead, it calls for justice through access to palliative care for all those who are dying. Enhancement of services, overcoming barriers to referral, and increased training and research in the control of suffering are the appropriate response to the present crisis. In Canada Canadian palliative care programs first developed in 1974-75 in Winnipeg and Montreal. Unlike the original United Kingdom models of private hospices, Canadian services have sought to be integrated into mainstream health care at both institutional and community levels. Relatively, we have also been successful in maintaining a foothold in the universities and large teaching hospitals - a feat which has been difficult for our colleagues in the United States.