Appalled by the devaluation of disabled citizens by the MAID Bill
Subject: “When Medically Assisted Death is Liberated from Morality.” In her February 13 online opinion piece, Nuala Kenny speaks about the moral and real implications of the new and expanded Medical Aid in the Death (MAID) Act, C-7, which has passed third reading in the House of Commons and is working on its own by the Senate.
The new bill dealing with steroids has removed death as a reasonably foreseeable criterion and included suffering with a disability as one of the eligible criteria for finding the end of life.
A worse stereotype could not be institutionalized by law: the suffering caused by disability, often caused by inadequate health, poverty, lack of social support, and ingrained inequality, justifies the ending of a person’s life.
As a mother of an adult son with a disability, I am appalled at the news this sends. My years of experience as an MP and a disabled advocate has taught me that not all Canadians are treated equally. Despite fundamental documents such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the lives of thousands of Canadians with disabilities remain difficult and often desperate.
As they get older, many lose their family support and become even more isolated and lonely. A large percentage live in poverty and with the physical and mental ailments that come with age. Living with chronic hopelessness, loneliness, pain, and lack of love can cause suffering that leads everyone to end everything. We need to make sure that life is worth living before we say death is a viable option.
Bill C-7 removes protection for our most vulnerable citizens, and we must stop doing that. United Nations human rights experts have already condemned the law as a direct violation of Canada’s obligations as a signatory to the UNCRPD. A coalition that has grown to over 90 disability rights organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Canadians with disabilities has called on the Senate to amend the law to remove this discriminatory and harmful clause.
We will watch to see if Nova Scotia senators and MPs, as it stands, speak out against Bill C-7 and if they fight to defend the lives and human rights of our most vulnerable citizens.
Wendy Lill, Dartmouth
Comment didn’t light a fuse
Subject: “‘Don’t do it’ comment sparked murders.” Your headline on the cover of your February 12th issue, indicating that a comment made by a friend of the perpetrator’s partner last April sparked the mass murder, is typical of the kind of tabloid journalism that disregards its partner’s situation. accusatory and unprofessional.
It gives the impression that if only he hadn’t been offended, he might not have gotten angry and started his runaway mission to kill. It suggests that others have some responsibility for his terrible actions.
This man was already distraught and dangerous. Its pilot light burned brightly and had been for some time. He had prepared for it. He had plans and was armed with a fake RCMP vehicle and weapons. He was ready to turn the switch on. And he did. He was a self-starter who didn’t need any supposed branding remarks from a partner or anyone else. He had reached his tolerance. It seems that for a long time he was desperate to satisfy his inner need, to realize his fantasy, to destroy and kill.
Your headline insulted the many partners who have been abused by sick partners. The same abuse would never be tolerated without prosecution if committed on a stranger, but under the term “domestic” it could be a bit okay.
AL King, Halifax
Cruise to farm jobs
It’s that time of year when our local farmers are looking for temporary workers to prepare things for the growing season (story dated February 6th).
How do you get the temporary workers you need with the current COVID protocol? How can contract workers afford to be quarantined for 14 days before going to the farm they will be working on? We cannot afford to allow COVID-19 to enter our province, so we need a solution to this problem.
Many cruise lines remain tied up until restrictions are lifted. Why not use some of these ships to transport the temporary workers from Mexico and the Caribbean to Halifax? The ship could not land the passengers for the required 14 days.
I think this would provide our farmers with the labor they need at a much lower cost for everyone. Workers would arrive rested, stress-free, and ready to go to work.
Mike Hackett, Garlands Crossing
Contempt for the truth
When I tuned in to American news networks to see the saga of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, I was puzzled by the support he still has among most GOP lawmakers.
The question that needs to be answered is why would any organization want to be a beacon in the first place who has a lifelong history of human deception, racism, lies, misogyny and other related misdeeds.
Most political parties and / or public organizations etc. are looking for people with integrity. That this has never been a problem with Trump just goes to show that the party and the people who support him don’t care about honesty or ethics. They are just concerned about coming to power at any cost.
The entire Trump family and supportive Republican Party members have demonstrated their disdain for truth and honesty over and over again over the past four years. Without integrity, nothing else matters. It’s all just a delusion.
Greg Murphy, Halifax
Degrading language
Subject: “Trump Cesspit.” The author of this February 11 letter referred to Donald Trump’s entourage as “cockroaches” and “rats”, the Republican legislature as “brain-dead sycophants”, and finally North and South Dakota as “potentially represented by four uneducated pig farmers” in the Senate.
As an independent moderator, I am appalled by the hateful, dehumanizing, and degrading language used against many of our friends and neighbors in the south. This type of language has absolutely no place in a modern, civilized, democratic country. Certainly, as Canadians, we have a higher level of political discourse than this. Not us?
Ian Sampson, Halifax
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