Woman plans to die on Thursday, saying Ottawa is forcing early death on her

HALIFAX – Audrey Parker has decided to end her life on Thursday.

Canada's relatively new badisted dying law.

The 57-year-old Halifax woman says she is thankful for the law caused by cancerous tumors in her bones, but she says the law has left her in a terrible bind.

In recent weeks, the platinum-haired form ballroom dance instructor has spoken out – on social media, in newspapers, on TV – about how the two-year-old law is forcing her to choose to die sooner than she wants.

"You do not want to die," "she said in a recent interview in her Halifax apartment, where she said it would be more likely than not.

"There's no reason I should have to die on Nov. 1 … I want to live as many days as I can."

The problem, Parker says, is that people seeking medical care meet the needs of a person.

Applicants must be in an advanced state of decline and experiencing unbalanced physical or mental harm caused by a grievous, irreversible medical condition, which means their natural death "has become reasonably predictable."

Parker, diagnosed with Stage 4 bad cancer in early 2016, meets all of those conditions.

"All the tumors in my skeleton are killing me," she says in a blunt, matter-of-fact tone that makes it clear she has accepted her fate. "My brain is always telling me: 'Cut those legs off. Cut those arms off … It's so heinous.

She has been badessed and approved for a medically badisted death.

But there's a catch.

Under the law, she must be mentally competent.

If her painkillers or cancer render her unconscious or mentally incompetent before that crucial moment, the procedure must not be carried out. A medically badisted death under these circumstances would be illegal.

"It's unfortunate that I have not picked a date … but I'm not going to wait around and lose that window," says Parker, who's been working with a fundraiser, a buyer in the fashion industry, and a makeup artist. and television floor director.

"I do not want to let my mother see me suffering. I do not want my friends to see me suffering. "

Despite the heavy subject matter, Parker remains animated and upbeat while discussing her weighty predicament.

However, it's clear she has been through an ordeal agonizing.

She mentions having to take large doses of the painkiller Dilaudid to manage her bread. Her hair was recently cut short to help her deal with a rising body temperature.

Still, she speaks with pbadion and clear-eyed authority about her cause, refusing to give in to maudlin feelings.

"I'm changing this law," she says with a smile. "I'm so close to changing it."

The existing law does not allow for the use of the medical device, it is not necessary for the person to be admitted.

They are unable to speak for themselves who are unable to speak for themselves. When the law was being drafted, some outspoken advocates for people with disabilities made it clear that protections had to be put in place.

Other criticisms have suggested that they may be difficult to determine a person's level of suffering. And there may be cases where a person with a mental disorder or some other type of mental illness is incompetent but is not suffering.

Parker said the change is in the making of a life sentence.

"The federal government has made it useful, and they're lumping everyone together," said Parker.

Ottawa should amend the law to give it a new lease of approval.

Jocelyn Downie, a law professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said a provincial-territorial expert advisory and joint committee of the Senate and House of Commons.

As well, the issue will be dealt with in early December, when experts with the Council of Canadian Academies submits three reports to Parliament.

"I think Audrey Parker will be very much in people's minds," said Downie.

"She is the most compelling of cases because she knows that she meets the criteria. Many of the arguments that do not justify the application of a circumstance.

Downie said Canadians already have the option of drafting so-called advance directives that spell out what kind of end-of-life treatment they're supposed to be unable to communicate with, including the withdrawal of life-support systems.

"I do not think there's a morally sustainable distinction there," Downie said.

In June, Health Canada confirmed that a total of 3,714 Canadians had ended their lives with the help of a physician or a physician.

Parker said she was going to be a good friend.

"Everyone is starting to have a hard time," she said. "I'm going to be here and not the next."

Final wishes, Parker plans to start Thursday with a hearty breakfast: lobster eggs benedict.

And when it comes to medicated time for injection, Parker says she will be surrounded by her best friends, her mother, a roommate and her niece. Also in the room will be singer-songwriter Laura Smith, who will be singing as Parker gazes upon some of her favorite artworks.

"I'm sure there will be some tears," she said. "But I'm really at peace with it. I feel good about it … I'm not afraid to die. "

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