Quebec Philosopher: Euthanasia Is ‘Negation of Care’

The intervention comes as France’s National Assembly examines proposals to legalize assisted dying, according to Valeurs Actuelles. The Quebec observer notes that as legislative debate in France has progressed, divisions among deputies have narrowed—a development that reflects both the delicate nature of the subject and what the writer characterizes as a political agenda eager to legalize without delay.

Quebec’s experience offers sobering lessons for European lawmakers. When the Canadian province first legalized medical assistance in dying, authorities promised strict controls with access limited to dying patients experiencing intractable suffering. That framework collapsed rapidly. Within a decade, eight percent of all deaths in Quebec are now attributable to euthanasia on demand.

The expansion shows no signs of stopping. Advocacy groups now push to extend euthanasia to citizens with various mental health conditions and to terminally ill children. The Netherlands has already authorized pediatric euthanasia, and this week news emerged that a child under twelve years old had been euthanasied for the first time.

The Psychology of Legalization

The Quebec commentator explains a fundamental mechanism driving this expansion: what is legal becomes judged as moral, what is moral shapes customs, and customs become normalized behavior. When law prohibits induced death, a sentinel remains posted as a safeguard. Once removed, the exceptional becomes occasional and eventually routine.

France’s proposed legislation attempts to exclude physicians from the process, but the writer warns this will merely transfer the same expansionist dynamic to other citizens tasked with administering death.

Psychological Damage to Medical Practitioners

Healthcare providers in Quebec are beginning to report collateral psychological damage from participating in induced deaths. While comprehensive statistics remain unavailable, testimony is emerging as practitioners break their silence.

One young physician shared that she stopped performing euthanasias after eight years of practice. Having taken the Hippocratic Oath in 2016—the same year Quebec’s law took effect—she initially consented as a law-abiding citizen to integrate the practice into her profession. Now she refuses, stating she can no longer bear to kill people. Her reaction stems from the heavy psychological toll affecting those who end others’ lives, even when claiming to act from compassion.

Another physician reported that performing euthanasias deteriorated the quality of therapeutic alliance with her patients. She found herself unable to have genuine conversations with the ill as before, and considered herself no longer capable of practicing her art with full humanity.

Broader Social Disillusionment

The initial euphoria surrounding Quebec’s law—hailed as unprecedented societal progress and a revolution in recognizing decisional autonomy—has given way to growing unease. A critical awakening is occurring among the population as collateral damage ripples through families and the circles surrounding the dying.

This cultural shift has found artistic expression in a theatrical production generating significant attention. Manuelle Légaré wrote Club sandwich mayonnaise, chronicling the experience of a woman whose father, a celebrated Quebec comedian, died by euthanasia. The play confronts social discomfort and raises legitimate questions about all forms of programmed death.

The Quebec observer urges French deputies to recognize that they are not legislating road traffic regulations but addressing crucial matters of life and death for their fellow citizens. The writer emphasizes that the tragedy brewing beneath Quebec’s experience should not be eclipsed in importance as France contemplates its own path.

With ten years of hindsight, Quebec’s expanding euthanasia regime serves as a cautionary tale: legislative promises of restraint and limitation prove impossible to maintain once the fundamental prohibition against induced death is removed from law.

With information from Valeurs Actuelles