British Columbians using right to die legislation

In mid-June it became legal in Canada to request a doctor assisted death and several British Columbians have decided to take that path.

Figures show that so far, there have been 62 doctor assisted deaths in British Columbia. That works out to about four a week. That’s on par with the number of assisted deaths in Alberta — also at four a week.

Dr. Harsh Hundal is in charge of overseeing medical assistance dying for Interior Health. He predicts demand for the service will continue to climb because it’s now okay to talk about death.

“I’ve heard little old ladies having chats — one saying: I’m really thinking about this. I think I might go ahead. And the other one saying to her: you go girl,” said Dr. Hundal.