Assisted Suicide is now Legal in Canada!

Friday, February 6th, 2015, will be known as one of the most significant days in Canadian jurisprudence – the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada’s ban on doctor-assisted suicide.  Simply put, this is one of the most significant rulings in the history of Canada – it is a ruling that will have ramifications throughout all of Canada’s legal system, and even throughout the American legal system as well.

Canada’s ruling on gay marriage has been frequently cited in American jurisdictions seeking to overturn or strike down same-sex marriage bans.  There is no doubt that Friday’s ruling on doctor-assisted suicide will have the same (if not, even more profound) impact.

Even an cursory contemplation of this ruling, gives rise to a litany of legal questions that will take decades of litigation to answer.  What will be the impact on the Charter, Religious Freedoms, Civil Rights, Doctors’ Rights…etc?  I, like many others, will paying close attention to Parliament’s reaction, if any.