Robert Latimer Article

Link to the article: 
http://my43.sd43.bc.ca/class/rhethey/English%2010%20DI%20Documents/Robert%20Latimer%20Article.pdf

After reading the 2004 Vancouver Sun article I have learned the story about Robert Latimer and his daughter, Tracy, who was living with cerebral palsy. Robert Latimer had killed Tracy out of what he thought as bringing her peace. I also was able to read about how the jury did not want to give Latimer 10 years in prison, but were not able to grant any less. Many church organizations however disagreed with what was thought by the jury and believed he should be treated as a full on murderer. The reason that he must be sentenced 10 years despite the jury's opinions is because he was charged with 2nd degree murder, which in Canada consists of at least 10 years in prison, no excuses. I had known that assisted suicide is illegal in Canada, and this act performed by Latimer would have fit into that category.

To better understand what went down, I needed to do some background research. I wanted to know how the killing happened, and what Robert is doing right now. First I took a look on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Latimer), here I found that as of 2010, he has been granted full parole. Also, I learned how the killing happened. He used car exhaust to execute the killing. A few more things became evident as I read on. Apparently, Tracy was supposed to undergo surgery to put rods into her back; she would also need to be fed by feeding tubes. In a survey conducted in 1999, there was over 70% of Canadians who thought that Robert Latimer should be let off easier than what he was sentenced to. And finally, rock icon Ozzy Osbourne created a song entitled "Latimer's Mercy" on his 2010 album, Scream.

I had a few more questions about how assisted suicide was viewed around the world. After a few Google searches, I found (http://www.wrtl.org/assistedsuicide/assistedsuicide/whereitislegalWorld.aspx). Here gave a list of all countries where assisted suicide is currently legal, and where assisted suicide is on the verge of becoming legal. Canada finds itself on that list. Although slightly outdated, the comment explains that the Canadian Hospice Society has decide to not pursue the topic and take a neutral stand. It is currently legal (at the time of the page's release) in, Switzerland, Belgium, Columbia, and Luxembourg.

-Jacob Lazare