Canada unveiled an assisted death bill Thursday designed to ease the end of life for terminally ill patients while slamming the door on "suicide tourism" to ensure Americans and others won't flock there to die.
People with psychiatric problems also would be excluded, and no advance consent would be allowed.
"This is a historic day for our country," said Health Minister Jane Philpott. "It's an enormous responsibility to address the needs and suffering of Canadians as they reach the end of life."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backs the bill, which now goes to the parliament for approval.
"This is a difficult & deeply personal issue, and our government has carefully studied how best to support those in great suffering," Trudeau tweeted.
In the United States, Peg Sandeen, executive director of Portland-based Death with Dignity National Center, was encouraged by the Canadian proposal.
"Prime Minister Trudeau is a hero to many Canadians who suffer from a terminal disease and the family members of those who died long, agonizing deaths without the option of death with dignity," she said, adding that "much of the law Trudeau proposed comes from the work we have done in Oregon."
Washington, Oregon, Vermont and Montana allow the practice, and California will join them in June. A court battle over the issue is underway in New Mexico. More than 230 assisted deaths were reported in 2014, and the annual figure has been steadily rising.
Germany, Japan and Colombia are among countries allowing assisted deaths. Canadian Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said the new bill would allow Canadians to "apply for a peaceful death" and protect the "conscience" of health care providers who provide suicide assistance.
The legislation, which has spurred tremendous controversy across the nation, stems from a Canadian Supreme Court ruling last year that struck down a ban on physician-assisted suicide as a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The justices gave the government a year to work out legislation. Trudeau's Liberal government won a four-month extension, pushing the deadline to June 6.
"This legislation is about empowering patients to take control of their own health care," Philpott said. "It's about allowing them to write their own stories."
The Canadian bill would set a minimum age of 18 and require a 15-day "reflection period" to avoid a quick decision after a dark diagnosis. And patients must be eligible for Canada's national health care, a rule that would preclude foreigners from going to Canada to end their lives.
Patients must be "suffering intolerably" and facing a "foreseeable" death.
"It's a profound experience to sit by the side of people as they slip away from life," said Philpott, a family physician. "I have seen people die well and I have seen people die in misery."
