The following letter was published online on the National Post on November 1, 2016.
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Re: ‘Dad Got The Death He Wanted,’ Brian Hutchinson, Oct. 29.
I have a patient who is 92, lives alone, and is becoming more and more lonely and anxious as she gets frailer. Her son lives in another Canadian city, her daughter in the U.S. Her daughter and son-in-law looked around for a solution, and found a good one. They’re moving back to Canada, not here, but to another city where their jobs can be transferred, so they can live with their mother and ensure her happiness in the years she has left. All three are excited about it. They don’t see themselves as any kind of heroes: that’s just what you do for your mother if she needs it.
Richard Brown’s son found a different solution for his father. He called in Vancouver’s angel of mercy, Dr. Ellen Wiebe. She was only too happy to flout the law and the standards of her profession (as reported in the article) so as to deliver Brown from his troubles by euthanizing him. Yes, Dad got the death he wanted. But what other options was he offered?
Dr. Catherine Ferrier, Montreal.