In February 2016, Doctor assisted suicide will become law in Ontario. The Ontario government has established a panel to draft the wording of the law. It is expected to focus on terminally ill patients with incurable, painful, conditions. An important requirement is patient consent. Once this legislation passes, it is unlikely to be reviewed again for many years to come. We feel that it is critical to include dementia and alzheimer’s suffers who would have to provide consent early on, as these diseases can render them “incompetent” to do so. Dementia suffers can last ten or more years in a state where their quality of life is so poor, they are unable to make any choices for themselves, let alone communicate their wishes. We have an aging population who want the right to make choices for their end of life, when facing a degrading, incurable condition. Proper evaluation and check points can make this a viable option. With such a large percentage of the population potentially facing dementia, please help to include this group now while we have a voice.
We urgently need signatures to encourage the Ontario government to include dementia and alzheimer's patients in new legislation slated for February 2016. If you support Dr. assisted suicide, for patient's with alzheimer's, please click "sign" and kindly forward to others. It takes a lot of signatures to be heard.
