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During the month of July, some media reported confidently and eagerly that euthanasia requests had decreased during the last 6 months in Quebec. According to their analysis, this decrease would be contrary to the trend observed in other countries that legalized death on demand before us. But is that correct? Not quite, actually. Several points need to be clarified and corrected in these fast-paced statements.

First, the available data are still partial: only 20 of the 28 institutions have published their data so far. This means that the 373 applications identified so far between December 2016 and June 2017 could potentially exceed the 389 applications identified in the previous six months. At this point, what should have been emphasized is the slowness of some institutions that do not seem to be in a hurry to publish their data by the deadline foreseen in the law...

Secondly, it should be noted that other countries had an experience similar to Quebec’s in the early days of their law authorizing euthanasia or assisted suicide. Thus, it took four years for the rate of increase in euthanasia requests to stabilize in the Netherlands. On the other hand, Oregon (United States) experienced surges in the first 8 years before the cruising speed finally settled permanently. This means that Quebec's pattern is not an isolated case or an anomaly compared to other countries that legalized euthanasia or assisted suicide before we did. With time we will no doubt reach the same curve as elsewhere, that is to say a sustained and even exponential growth in the number of applications and deaths by euthanasia or assisted suicide.

Finally, the media have made a big case around the fact that euthanasia is more often granted in remote areas than in Montreal. According to them, it is better to live in remote regions to have a greater chance of dying by euthanasia... Yet, rather than obsessing about eligibility, they would do well to ask a more essential question: Do people living in remote areas have access to the same care that is offered in Montreal?

On the other hand, the month of July has again been full of examples of the slippery slope of euthanasia and assisted suicide, those cancers that we have let into our health system. The case of Mr. Cadotte, accused of killing his wife with Alzheimer's disease, is turning into a plea for extending euthanasia to those who are no longer able to express their consent at the time of their killing.

Also, in Labrador, the media reported the story of a mother whose doctor suggested euthanasia for her daughter living with a disability, calling her "selfish" when she refused.

Finally, the suicide of a woman who parked her car in front of a moving train because she was afraid of losing her autonomy and becoming a burden to her entourage was presented as a new case that shows that the criteria for euthanasia should be extended: "Rather than living like that, dependent on society, I understand her very well," explained one of the victim’s daughters...

In the face of this hysteria that promotes suicide as a solution to suffering (as long as it is done by a doctor in a white coat), it is becoming increasingly urgent to hear the voices of people who want to build a caring society rather than a society that facilitates the path of suicide to those in need of help.