Robert Latimer has no regrets over disabled daughter’s mercy killing: Report
Posted February 17, 2011 10:53 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Saskatchewan farmer Robert Latimer says he has no regrets about killing his disabled daughter almost 20 years ago.
In what’s thought to be his first interview since being granted full parole in December, Latimer told Radio Canada he knew the 1993 mercy killing was the right thing to do.
The 57-year-old was convicted of second-degree murder in 1994 after his daughter Tracy was found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The 12-year-old had severe cerebral palsy and suffered chronic pain from repeated surgeries _ she couldn’t walk, talk or feed herself.
Latimer told the network the decision to end her life was hard, but not sad.
He also he’s angry at Canada’s justice system and its lack of a “legal alternative” for putting an end to his daughter’s suffering.
Latimer’s case sparked a fierce debate over the rights of the disabled and the ethics of euthanasia and mercy killing. Advocacy groups for the disabled have flatly rejected the characterization of Tracy’s death as a mercy killing.
Latimer’s parole conditions now mean he is restricted to a 50-metre radius around his residence. He has told Radio Canada he feels branded and often dreams of a new trial by jury that would clear his name.
Latimer is currently living in Victoria.
