| That society has an obligation to help those suffering from mental illness and prevent them from taking their own lives may seem like a proposition that is not open to much debate. Columnist Charles Lane reminds us otherwise: Canada, following the lead of Belgium and the Netherlands, is now studying whether to extend its laws providing for euthanasia — that is, physician-assisted suicide — to those who say mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, is causing intolerable suffering. No matter what you think about the wisdom of euthanasia — Lane is much more skeptical of its use than I — the notion of permitting it in cases of mental illness is unsettling, to say the least. It is also inherently contradictory to the notion that suicide prevention is a paramount government concern, not suicide facilitation. In Canada, as Lane points out, the government, worrying that suicide caused by mental illness was a major public health issue, passed a national suicide prevention framework a decade ago; now it is weighing whether to help those suffering from mental illness to end their lives. "There's no way to know what Canadians will say if their new law takes full effect and results in the unjustifiable death of a suffering person," Lane writes. "We do know that such a catastrophic, irreversible mistake is inevitable, because doctors are only human, even in countries that make it legal for them to play God."  (iStock) Last spring, Canada passed a law establishing an expert panel to study the extension of euthanasia to people who seek it solely to relieve what they say is intolerable suffering due to mental illnesses. By Charles Lane ● Read more » | | | | Yes, "Gender Queer" contains some explicit drawings. But the empathy and understanding at the heart of the story are what matters most. By Colbert I. King ● Read more » | | | | There is a dearth of information about what prompted the FBI raid last weekend at the apartment of James O'Keefe. Even so, there are reasons to be wary of what went down. By Erik Wemple ● Read more » | | | | What is Elon Musk doing? By Molly Roberts ● Read more » | | | There's no one-size-fits-all answer. Audio Article ● By Leana S. Wen ● Read more » | | | | Defense attorneys suggest they will challenge witnesses who have called Maxwell an accomplice to Epstein's sex crimes. By David Von Drehle ● Read more » | | | | Could deficit fears sink the Biden agenda? If so, it would be an absurd outcome. By Greg Sargent ● Read more » | | | | They're going to decide its fate in a few months, and the political pressure will be intense. By Paul Waldman ● Read more » | | | | That's why Biden's approval is at a new low. By Marc A. Thiessen ● Read more » | | | My deteriorating state of mind struggles to accommodate the degree of suffering inflicted on grown adults by the unavailability of ranch dressing. By Daphne Crawford ● Read more » | | | | Passing meaningful legislation is no match for the hurricane of havoc the GOP can create. By Paul Waldman ● Read more » | | | | The Republican senator might be able to win even if most Republicans don't vote for her. By Henry Olsen ● Read more » | | | | Maybe the Chinese leader is playing the president, but it was still good news that Xi Jinping welcomed the invitation to talk about how to avoid accidental hostilities. By David Ignatius ● Read more » | | | |
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