A Catholic hospice in Canada is fighting a law that would force it to offer assisted suicide to its residents.

Archbishop Christian Lépine of Montreal has submitted an appeal to the Quebec Superior Court demanding a stay of the application of a law that specifies that “no palliative care hospice may exclude medical aid in dying from the care they offer”.

Besides interference with the exercise of the right to freedom of religion and conscience, the lawsuit argues that the practical effect of the amendment is the state appropriation of a church building to administer euthanasia.

Moreover, lawyers for the archdiocese are clear in their view that if their case fails then the Church will have to withdraw from palliative care provision because euthanasia is directly contrary to Catholic teaching on the moral impermissibility of killing.

Canada will then run the risk of countries with older euthanasia laws and which have already seen the shrinking, and sometimes the collapse, of palliative care services.