VANCOUVER—The Supreme Court of Canada flew in the face of God’s law when it allowed for assisted suicide, the Archbishop of Vancouver said Feb. 8.
“As Canadians, we are now confronted with the sobering fact that our nation’s highest court has set itself in direct opposition to the law of God: ‘You shall not kill,'” said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, in a homily.
Two days earlier, the Supreme Court had struck down parts of criminal code law on assisted suicide. It left the federal government, which has jurisdiction over the criminal code, and provincial governments, which oversee health care, 12 months to write regulations for the practice.
In a statement dated Feb. 6, Archbishop Miller said the court “erred grievously” in this historic ruling, leaving him deeply troubled.
“Until today, Canadian legislation has been designed to protect those inclined toward ending their lives. That protection has now been eliminated.”
The case began with B.C. resident Gloria Taylor, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2009 and told she had up to one year to live. Fearing losing her autonomy, she became an advocate for assisted suicide. She far outlived the prediction, dying of an infection Oct 4, 2012.
Lee Carter and Hollis Johnson, a couple from Roberts Creek, B.C., joined the lawsuit after they had taken Carter’s mother, who had spinal stenosis, to Switzerland to be put to death in 2010.
Archbishop Miller suggested three ways to react to the ruling: have compassion on those who suffer, improve access to palliative care, and urge governments to write regulations.
