Notes on autism and assisted dying

In theCarter decision, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the existing prohibition against physician-assisted dying, and gave the Canadian government until February 2016 to craft a legislative response. In response, an expert panel was created; see more information about the panel,Carter, and assisted dying here. Very late in the panel ' s consultations, I was asked to provide comments about assisted dying and autism. My very brief submission, possibly too late to be considered, is below, along with a few further notes. My purpose is not to take any position on the issue of physician-assisted dying, but to call attention to the situation of autistic adults in Canada with respect to this issue. Autistic adults will be affected by laws on physician-assisted dying in as many ways and in as many roles as will nonautistic adults. For example, autistic adults may be patients or physicians and as such may variously wish to obtain, to avoid, to provide, or not to provide assisted death. What sets autistic adults apart is their difficult situation in Canada when it comes to basic scientific, medical, and ethical standards —standards which are often described as universal. These are the standards on which the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC)Carter decision implicitly and explicitly depends. The decision ’s premise is that these standards will indeed benefit and protect everyone, whatever their role or wishes with regard to assisted dying. While this ...
Source: The Autism Crisis - Category: Child Development Source Type: blogs