All doctors are needed

On May 15, 2019, the Court of Appeal for Ontario confirmed a lower court ruling defending the requirement of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) that dissenting physicians make “effective referrals” for euthanasia (“MAiD”).

We consider this decision to be not only wrong, but founded upon non-factual assumptions, contrary to the needs of patients, and contrary to the opinion of those doctors most aware of the needs of terminally ill patients. The Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians (CSPCP) in a  recent messaging update states, notably: that MAID referral should not be the responsibility of the individual physician, but requires a separate, publicly accessible information service, and, of course, that dissenting physicians should be respected in their choice. Continue reading editorial…
Make euthanasia unimaginable.

Sincerely,

Catherine Ferrier
President

Alliance news 

Recent publication in the World Medical Association Journal
Nr 1, May 2019, Vol. 65; Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide are Unethical Acts (Page 34) by Ewan C Goligher, Maria Cigolini,
Alana Cormier, Sinéad Donnelly, Catherine Ferrier, Vladimir A. Gorshkov-Cantacuzène, Sheila Rutledge Harding, Mark Komrad, Edmond Kyrillos,
Timothy Lau, Rene Leiva, Renata Leong, Sephora Tang and John Quinlan

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Call to action

JAMA Network Open Call for Papers: Understanding and Improving Palliative Care and Care Near the End of Life

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In the news

• Michel Cadotte, 58, was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to two years less a day in jail for suffocating his wife, 60-year-old Jocelyne Lizotte, who was in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The Crown will not appeal case of Quebec man who killed wife with Alzheimer’s.
  “Crown prosecutor Geneviève Langlois stated that the sentence needed to be severe enough to send a message to society that it’s not right to cause someone’s death, even when that person is suffering, because human life is sacred.”
• Untimely withdrawal of life-support? Woman in St. Eustache (Quebec) awakens from coma just 30 minutes before they intended to remove life support.

News from the American Medical Association (AMA) :

• • AMA Reaffirms Stance Against Physician-Aided Death: The current opposition to assisted suicide was reaffirmed by a vote of 71% to 29%.

Commentaries:

• • • Patients Rights Action Fund applauds the American Medical Association for Reaffirming its Opposition to Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia by an Overwhelming Majority
    • Lozier institute: AMA affirms the physicians’ role as healer, rejects physician-assisted suicide

• • American Medical Association: Call It ‘Physician-Assisted Suicide,’ Not ‘Aid-in-Dying’ – cnsnews.com
  • Testimony of an American medical student

End-of-life care:

• • Capital campaign launched for 1st residential hospice in Moncton area: 10-bed hospice scheduled to open in late 2020, pending outcome of capital campaign.

Advance Medical Directives (AMD):

• • In a press release, the Co-chairs of the Expert Committee on Incapacity and Medical Aid in Dying, Nicole Filion and Jocelyn Maclure, denounced the recent leak of the committee report and re-iterated the duty of the committee members to respect the confidentiality of committee discussions. They declined to offer any comment on the information that was leaked. Press release by the Copresidents of the Group of experts on Incapacity and Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) – in French only

  • Press release of the Liberal party of Quebec (June 14, 2019): Physician-Assisted Dying When a Person is No Longer Apt to Provide Consent. The Liberal Party of Quebec and the Quebec Party have tabled a motion in the National Assembly asking the Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Danielle McCann, to publish the expert report on access to physician-assisted dying for those no longer apt to provide consent, and to do so without delay. They also called for non-partisan consultations addressing access to MAID for incapable adults.
  • Opinion piece (on Alzheimer’s Disease and Medical aid in dying in French only: Alzheimer et aide médicale à mourir). A son who has been caring for his mother for 20 years, expresses her thoughts, reminding us that Alzheimer’s disease is not death, but an illness and that we should take care of the person who is sick. He asserts, ‘she still has her five senses and emotions and she is still my mother.’

World news:

Comments on the recent implementation of euthanasia in the state of Victoria, Australia: New euthanasia law sparks end-of-life debate in Australia

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Commentaries:

• Commentary on Some Oregon and Washington State Assisted Suicide Abuses and Complications
• Commentary on Ontario court’s ruling on doctors’ conscience

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Events:

•  The IMAGINE week: Montreal, October 14-20, 2019.New conversations about end-of-life questions
• Canadian Physicians for Life Annual Conference: Ottawa, October 25 to 27, 2019.

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In the literature: 

• Journal of Palliative Care (2019) The Path of Cicely Saunders: The “Peculiar Beauty” of Palliative Care. Miccinesi, G., Caraceni, A., Garetto, F., et al.
• The New England Journal of Medicine (2019) Perspective : Esketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression — First FDA-Approved Antidepressant in a New Class. Kim. J, Farchione, T., Potter, A., Chen, Q. and Temple, R.
•  The New England Journal of Medicine (2019) Perspective : Physician Participation in Lethal Injection. Denno, D.

If you come across articles that could be of interest to colleagues in the Alliance please send the reference to info@collectifmedecins.org.

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