Euthanasia is 'killing,' McGill ethicist tells Quebec hearings

Euthanasia is 'killing,' McGill ethicist tells Quebec hearings: When religious values were more important in Quebec, it was easier to make the case against euthanasia, McGill University ethicist Margaret Somerville said Thursday before provincial hearings in Montreal. 'Thou shalt not kill' was pretty much the end of the debate, Somerville said.

Now in a largely secular society, euthanasia and assisted suicide remain 'morally wrong,' Somerville maintains. She prefers the term 'killing,' as she considers euthanasia and assisted suicide to be euphemisms. 'Even in a secular society, it's morally wrong to kill each other,' she said. '(Morality) is even more important in a secular society because you haven't got religion as that foundation to fall back on.'