Family members of a Quebec man charged with murdering his wife say he did it because she was denied her request for a doctor-assisted death, renewing debate about whether the laws are too restrictive.
Michel Cadotte, 55, was arrested at a Montreal nursing home Monday. He was later charged with the death of his wife Jocelyne Lizotte, 60, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Police said she may have been smothered by a pillow.
A message posted on Cadotte’s Facebook account in French translates to: “I cracked … I granted her demand for help in dying. I am waiting for police officers.” It has not been confirmed that Cadotte is responsible for the message.
The federal government passed legislation last year legalizing assisted death. That followed a similar law passed in Quebec. Both laws require people to be fully competent when requesting and when receiving help in dying. They must also be near the end of life.
The advocacy group Dying with Dignity Canada was disappointed that the long-anticipated federal law does not allow people to give advance directives – essentially an expression of their desire to be killed should they become incapacitated by something like Alzheimer’s.
Dr. George L’Esperance, a Montreal neurosurgeon and advisor to Dying With Dignity, said people should be able to write down their wishes while still competent, “so you can get it when it will be the time to get it.”
But April Hayward from the Alzheimer Society of Montreal urges caution, noting that dementia can progress slowly and a person’s wish can change over time.
“They may have expressed a wish 10 years ago,” Hayward said. “Do we know for certain that that's what they would want today?”
McGill University biomedical ethicist Dr. Eugene Bereza suggested the laws could be changed to accommodate advance directives. For example, it could require family doctors and others perform multiple evaluations and document a patients’ wishes over time.
“Maybe that's a proportionate, creative response, legislatively, for this category of patients,” he said.
With a report from CTV Montreal’s Cindy Sherwin
