It is with the greatest regret that we acknowledge the decision rendered on September 11, 2019 by Quebec Superior Court Justice Christine Baudouin, validating the claims of Nicole Gladu and Jean Truchon. Subsequent to this judgment, if it is not appealed by one or both of the defendants (the Attorneys General of Canada and of Quebec), the legal requirements that to be euthanized one must be “at the end of life” or one’s natural death be “reasonably foreseeable” will be struck from Canadian and Quebec law. Continue reading editorial…
Make euthanasia unimaginable.
Sincerely,
Catherine Ferrier
President
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Alliance news:
On September 11th, the Superior Court of Quebec rendered a decision, invalidating the ‘end-of-life’ and ‘reasonably foreseeable natural death’ criteria as conditions of access to “medical assistance in dying” (MAiD) in Quebec and Canada. This judgment is disconcerting and disappointing. It will have serious negative consequences for the most vulnerable people in our society and will directly affect the mission of our health care institutions.
Any expansion of the criteria for access to “medical assistance in dying” (MAiD) is an error that 1) will lead to unclear and potentially dramatic situations 2) will affect the most vulnerable people, such as people with disabilities and seniors, and 3) undermine our collective efforts to prevent suicide.
The Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia was an intervenor in the
case.
Call to action:
We invite all our supporters to write to Quebec MNA’s; the Federal Minister of Justice, the Honourable David Lametti; and to the federal election candidates, to insist that the decision of the Superior Court of Quebec be appealed, and to express their refusal of expanded access to “medical assistance in dying”.
In the news:
Interview with Michel Racicot, legal counsel for the Physicians’ Alliance on TVA
“Just kill yourself”. Letter by Dr. Marc Beauchamp on suicide and euthanasia
Michael Bach rightly alerts us that the recent court ruling ‘may reflect entrenched stereotypes that living with a disability is a fate worse than death’ and undermines equal recognition and dignity for people with disabilities in Canada.’
Amy Hasbrouck, Executive Director of Toujours Vivant-Not Dead Yet, argues that Quebec and Canadian prosecutors must appeal the case. According to Ms. Hasbrouck, the decision of the Quebec Superior Court does not appear to have taken into account the discrimination suffered by people living with a disability. She asserted that people with disabilities face a lot of discrimination, which can lead them to choose death.
Toujours Vivant-Not Dead Yet: Webcast text of September 27, 2019. Please click here to access the webcast/online discussion of the Gladu-Truchon decision and the trial in the Lamb case which has been suspended indefinitely.
Interview with Dr. Catherine Ferrier
Is Medical assistance in Dying really another form of suicide? Article in French: L’aide médicale à mourir est-elle un suicide?
Medical assistance in dying: Serious grounds for appeal (Article in French- Aide médicale à mourir: des motifs sérieux d’en appeler)
Open letter sent to Justice Minister Lametti: Advocates Call for Disability-Rights Based Appeal of the Quebec Superior Court’s Decision in Truchon & Gladu
Not all human lives are considered to be of equal value (Article in French :Toutes les vies humaines ne sont pas considérées comme d’égale valeur)
Dr. Catherine Ferrier, of the Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia “believes that the state should rather invest in helping people to live despite their suffering. Most people who suffer don’t want to die, they want to live; they want support to live”. To read the article in French, please click here.
Other news:
- The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and the lead plaintiff Julia Lamb have adjourned their lawsuit challenging the federal assisted-dying law stating that she feels confident that if she requested MAiD now, she would be eligible.
- The Physicians’ Alliance mourns the death of Teresa Dellar, pioneer of palliative care in Montreal. Co-Founder and Executive Director of the West Island Palliative Care Residence, she passed away on Aug. 19 at the age of 58 due to cancer.
- Dr. Ellen Wiebe of B.C. has been exonerated for entering an Orthodox Jewish nursing home and euthanizing an elderly resident despite the hospital administration prohibiting such practices within the facility.
- edia reports last week indicated that St. Martha’s (Catholic) Hospital in Nova Scotia would not be required to offer medical assistance in dying (MAiD) on site after an assisted suicide advocacy group threatened legal action and the Nova Scotia Health Authority had changed its policy. However, a statement issued by Sr. Brenda Lee Boisvert of the Sisters of St. Martha, the community that formerly ran the hospital noted that the Health Authority has assured them that medical assistance in dying (MAiD) will not take place in St. Martha’s Regional Hospital in an effort to uphold the mission and values of St. Martha’s Regional Hospital for quality compassionate health care. And that patients requesting MAiD would be transferred to a nearby facility.
- Health Canada recently published their Action Plan on Palliative Care.
- Click here for more details.
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Events:
- Canadian Physicians for Life Annual Conference. Ottawa, October 25 to 27, 2019.
- Projection: A week of dialogue: Montreal, October 14-20, 2019. New conversations about end-of-life questions
- Professional Development Day for Physicians: Montreal, October 4, 2019
- MEDCONFERENCE 2019 – The Risk of Medicine – A journey of discoveries Château Vaudreuil,Vaudreuil-Dorion, Canada October 25-27, 2019
Resources:
New e-book on the The Care of the Older Person
Free Online Palliative Care Dictionary
What the proponents of euthanasia are saying…
In the literature:
JAMA Neurol. Published online April 29, 2019 76(7):864–866. Attitudes Toward Physician-Assisted Death From Individuals Who Learn They Have an Alzheimer Disease Biomarker Largent EA, Terrasse M, Harkins K, Sisti DA, Sankar P, Karlawish J.
Marketing Death and Alzheimer’s Disease A professional and personal commentary by a nurse who accompanied her mother (with Alzheimer’s Dementia) until her death. She draws attention to the limited correlation of amyloid plaque burden and diminished mental abilities. She recounts the joy and rewards of caring for those with Dementia.
JAMA Netw Open. Published online August 09, 20192(8):e198628. Physician-Assisted Suicide and the Perils of Empirical Ethical Research. Sulmasy DP.
Journal of Palliative Medicine, 20(1), 8–14. International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care Position Statement: Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide. De Lima, L., Woodruff, R., Pettus, K., et al. (2017).
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
The
Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia is looking for volunteers to translate texts
from English to French. You need not be a professional translator but should
have excellent written French and some experience with translation. If you’d
like to give some time to support our work, please write to us at info@collectifmedecins.org.
OCT
2019
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