Is the pendulum of public opinion swinging in favour of euthanasia?

Abstract

This month the Senate Committee on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide will issue its long-awaited report. Within a year, MPs are likely to decide in a free vote whether euthanasia should be legalized in Canada. Indications are that while there is public sentiment supporting euthanasia, there is also vehement opposition, even from some who once supported the right of choice. The Senate committee is wrestling with the issue of whether public opinion and the surreptitious practice of euthanasia are enough to justify changes to the Criminal Code.