The caricature of the conscientiously objecting physician: May 2019 Newsletter of the Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia

Canadian doctors who object to directly causing the death of their patients, once the near-totality of the profession, have since the enactment of laws permitting “medical assistance in dying” suddenly become outliers. Polling data is unclear, polls are often biased, and there is no doubt that the euthanasia lobby had the ear of media, opinion leaders and politicians long before we knew what they were up to. Be that as it may, we are now told that euthanasia/MAiD is an accepted ‘medical treatment’ that must be provided to those who request it. Many provincial medical colleges, though not requiring doctors to euthanize patients themselves, do expect, to different degrees, that we facilitate their being euthanized by someone else.

Aware of the fear of complaints and lawsuits that many objecting doctors are now feeling, the Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia asked the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) to speak at our recent Improving Care conference, held in Montreal on April 6, 2019, a request that they graciously accepted. The talk was entitled MAiD and conscientious objection: the medico-legal perspective, and included an excellent overview of the various provincial requirements regarding referral, transfer of care and/or providing information to patients who ask for MAiD. Continue reading editorial…

Make euthanasia unimaginable.

Sincerely,

Catherine Ferrier
President

Alliance news 

  • For those who couldn’t make it to the Improving Care 2019 conference on April 6th, here is a report on the day, with photos, and links to all the videos and power points. Enjoy it! IMPROVING CARE 2019 – Conference Summary
  • Several Canadian doctors affiliated with the Alliance were in Santiago, Chile, April 25 to 27, for the 212th Council Session of the World Medical Association. Our statement, Words Matter, was read to the Council.
    – The importance of continuing to affirm that euthanasia is unethical was emphasized, with a clear understanding that it is not a question of labeling individuals as unethical, only the act. This clear distinction was well known to the founders of the WMA.
    – The reality of the threat to vulnerable people when euthanasia is legal was also affirmed, quoting the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities (see below) after her recent visit to Canada.

Doctor’s voices 

Call to action 

BILL C-418: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assist­ance in dying)
SUMMARY:
This enactment amends the Criminal Code to make it an offence to intimidate a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, pharmacist or any other health care professional for the purpose of compelling them to take part, directly or indirectly, in the provision of medical assistance in dying.
It also makes it an offence to dismiss from employment or to refuse to employ a medical practitioner, nurse practitioner, pharmacist or any other health care professional for the reason only that they refuse to take part, directly or indirectly, in the provision of medical assistance in dying.

In the news 

  • Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche, has died at the age 90 years. His charity work helped improve conditions for the developmentally disabled in Canada and many other countries for over half a century. Jean Vanier revealed the depth and beauty of every single human being: ” ….to discover that a society is human, really human, only if the weakest among us have their place.”

«La vie c’est quelque chose d’une beauté extraordinaire, et c’est terrible quand on veut supprimer la vie. Ce qui est important c’est d’accompagner les gens. »

Translation: “Life is something of extraordinary beauty, and it is terrible when you want to suppress life. What is important is to accompany people (to be with them until the last minute).”                            ~ Jean Vanier

  • Latest news on Ontario Court of Appeal ruling regarding conscience rights:
    On May 15th, the Court of Appeal for Ontario confirmed the 2018 Divisional Court ruling that doctors with conscientious objection to “medical assistance in dying” must provide patients who request it with an “effective referral” to another physician or service willing to provide it. Please click here for the Ontario court decision. Needless to say, we are very disappointed with this ruling.We look forward to receiving a detailed legal analysis of the judgment and will share it with you as it becomes available.

Comments :
– from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Health Canada publishes inaccurate and incomplete data on euthanasia in Canada.
– from Toujours Vivant – Not Dead yet
– from Mercatornet: At least 1.12% of deaths in Canada are due to euthanasia

If you have an article, letter or interview relevant to our work published in any media, please let us know at info@collectifmedecins.org.

From the trenches

  • On May 15th, the Court of Appeal for Ontario confirmed the 2018 Divisional Court ruling that doctors with conscientious objection to “medical assistance in dying” must provide patients who request it with an “effective referral” to another physician or service willing to provide it. Please click here for the Ontario court decision. Needless to say, we are very disappointed with this ruling. We look forward to receiving detailed legal analysis of the judgment and will share it with you as it becomes available.
  • Changing societal attitudes affect suicide rates. Consider in contrast, Dr. Viktor Frankl’s words on finding meaning in despair.
  • The forgotten family (Original article available in French only: La famille oubliée). The family of Jocelyne Lizotte, who was killed by her husband, finally has a chance to speak.
  • A letter by Monique Khouzan in the Métro Journal on MAiD, a question of a choice of words (Original article available in French only: Un lettre de Monique Khouzam dans le Journal Métro: L’aide à mourir, une question de choix des mots.)

Resources

Events

In the literature 

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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