By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Five South Zone residents exercise right to assisted death

Sep 28, 2016 | 12:38 PM

LETHBRIDGE –  Questions about medically assisted dying legalities and processes in Lethbridge were answered Tuesday night (Sept. 27) at a SACPA special panel.

In front of an inquisitive crowd in the Theatre Gallery at the Lethbridge Public Library, a panel of healthcare providers outlined how medical assistance in dying (MAID) is being implemented in Lethbridge and suggested how laws regarding eligibility ought to be broadened.

Sean Chilton, Chief Zone Officer, South Zone, Alberta Health Services said that the evening was a chance to inform the public what options are available to them and how AHS’s response to MAID provides patient centered care for individuals and their families.

“We’ve had five individuals across the south zone that have gone through with MAID and there is about 25 people who have expressed and looked for more information around MAID.”

The evening opened with AHS workers asking the audience to acknowledge how arguments for and against MAID pose similarities in: respect for patient autonomy, the benefit of patients, fairness, limits of human authority and protection of vulnerable persons.

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During this portion of the lecture experts proposed how the topic of MAID brings forth a wide spectrum of beliefs and audience members were asked to see how even the most polar opposite views on MAID are rooted in shared moral grounds.

A great deal of the evening was dedicated to touring the website in front of the crowd and explaining exactly where individuals can access resources.

Leeca Sonnema, Senior Program Manager and member of the Medical Assistance in Dying Secretariat, Alberta Health Services opened a comprehensive dialogue on how MAID is being applied in a multidisciplinary healthcare team.

Sonnema discussed how nurse practitioners, homecare aids and pharmacists are strictly reactive to the government’s worker protection laws and how the healthcare industry still has a lot of discussion on the roles and responsibilities of each staff involved in MAID.

Nancy Campbell, Coordinator-MAID Care Team, South Zone, Alberta Health Services explained how each party involved in applying for MAID is a key part of the puzzle for sharing information. Campbell discussed the current qualifications for MAID and the safeguards in place to ensure patient autonomy.

The information provided by Campbeel can be found on the AHS website

John Warren, former Vice President of Dying With Dignity, closed the lecture portion of the evening by reading statements from high-profile MAID cases such as Carter v Canada.

Warren challenged the audience to consider how the current legislation still fails many Canadians who not meet specific eligibility requirements.

Specifically, Warren argued how the latest legislation has only allowed medical dying to Canadians who qualify for the clause death must be imminent.

The federal government’s new Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) law, which received royal assent on June 17, 2016, is far from what was hoped for by Warren and other supporters of MAID. 

“We need to broaden it and to make it available to more Canadians making it so they can end their suffering when they choose to rather than a couple of doctors saying when.”

Others believe Bill C-14 goes too far, as witnessed during local protests.

For those who missed the SACPA panel, the U-of-L Philosophy Department will be presenting Assisted Death in Canada – What Went Wrong with Gary Bauslaugh on Sept. 30, at 4:00 p.m. in room C-640.
Gary Bauslaugh is the author of three books related to assisted death in Canada; his most recent (The Right to Die, April 2016) tells the stories of the courageous Canadians, from the 1940s to the present, whose often heroic actions helped, create a climate of acceptance of the idea that assisted death should be legalized in Canada.

In his talk Bauslaugh will discusses how and why Bill C-14 came to be and will provide information on what legislation could take place next.