A Canadian hospital network claims it is ‘heartbroken’ after its decision to no longer administer euthanasia during the coronavirus pandemic.
Hamilton Health Sciences, which owns ten medical sites, and the Champlain Regional Medical Assistance in Dying Network (MAID) have stopped their services during the current crisis.
Under Canadian law, euthanasia is available for the terminally ill but the Government is seeking to expand it to those suffering from non-terminal conditions.
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The Champlain MAID Network said it made the decision after “careful consideration of the principles to prevent COVID-19 transmission and conserve health-care resources, and in alignment with the provincial ramp-down of elective services”.
However, other institutions are reportedly still carrying out euthanasia and are “loosening the rules to allow for more virtual assessments of eligibility for a medically hastened death”.
This comes as the Canadian Government is criticised for pushing abortion as part of its $159m fund to help combat the coronavirus overseas.
‘Exploiting’
Pro-life group Live Action criticised the move.
It said: “Giving over $150 million to help ease the suffering from a global pandemic is, without a doubt, a positive and generous thing. But using that money to sneak in extra taxpayer funding for international abortion seems more like exploiting a crisis to push an agenda.”
The group said that abortion “is also never medically necessary, and it’s not health care. Yet these lies continue to be repeated by abortion activists, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Canada is still carrying out abortions despite the crisis.
Home abortions
Last week, the Republic of Ireland followed Great Britain in introducing home abortions.
The Irish Government’s Department of Health blamed COVID-19 as it announced it would temporarily “dispense with the requirement” for a woman to see her GP for an abortion.
Women less than 10 weeks pregnant will now be able to access abortion pills via phone or video call, and have them delivered.
Abortion giant BPAS also announced plans to bypass the NI Executive and deliver abortion pills in Northern Ireland.
Also see:
Canadians oppose assisted suicide expansion
‘Westminster has ignored the people of NI’ say politicians
Activists see COVID-19 as an ‘opportunity’ for assisted suicide online