The confrontation between the Catholic Church and the federal government in the United States on the subject of compulsory health insurance for contraceptives, surgical sterilization and embryocidal drugs and devices has exposed significant disunity among identifiably Catholic universities on the subject of contraception. Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded by the Jesuits, will end birth control coverage for employees in July. The announcement has caused controversy on campus. Contraceptive coverage continues to be provided by prominent Catholic universities like Georgetown, DePaul and Fordham. [Reuters] Belmont Abbey, which is suing the U.S. federal government because of the ‘preventive services mandate,’ provided contraceptive coverage for students until 2007. [Gaston Gazette]
Category: Procedures & Services
Canadian hospice association rejects participation in euthanasia
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association has lauded recommendations for the improvement of palliative care contained in a report from the Quebec Comission on Dying with Dignity. However, it states that euthanasia and assisted suicide should not be part of palliative or hospice care, and that hospice and palliative care workers should not be expected to participate in such practices if they are legalized. [News Release]
Quebec Commission on Dying with Dignity Releases Death with Dignity Report
Improvements to hospice palliative care recommended
NEWS RELEASE
April 2, 2012 (Ottawa, ON) – The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association (CHPCA) is optimistic about many of the recommendations put forth in the Special Commission on Dying with Dignity’s (Commission spéciale sur la question de mourir dans la dignité) report, Dying with Dignity. On March 22, the Committee made 24 recommendations to the Minister of Health and Social Services as to how end-of-life care should be improved in Quebec. Among the recommendations, the CHPCA applauds those focused on the further development of hospice palliative care in Quebec; these include improved training for hospice palliative care professionals, earlier access to hospice palliative care for patients, and the implementation of end-of-life care policy in Quebec.
The CHPCA commends the Committee for their efforts and inclusion of recommendations around improving the quality and delivery of hospice palliative care in Quebec. The Commission conducted extensive hearings with hospice palliative care professionals across Quebec to ensure that all viewpoints were equally represented. The resulting report is a strong first step towards implementing standardized hospice palliative care in Quebec so that all patients may have the highest quality of life and quality of dying
Among the recommendations however, were several advocating for the legalization of physician assisted death**, should the patient request. “Many of the Committee’s recommendations show a positive future for hospice palliative care in Quebec,” stated Sharon Baxter, Executive Director of the CHPCA, “however we need to have a clear distinction between hospice palliative care and physician assisted death. Physician assisted death should not be considered a part of or linked to hospice palliative care ideology or practice.”
“. . .Physician assisted death should not be considered a part of or linked to hospice palliative care ideology or practice.” . . . Should a legislation allowing physician assisted death be passed by the Quebec government in the future, the dedicated and committed personnel who work in hospice palliative care should not be expected to participate in this practice.
The CHPCA believes that hospice palliative care is about ensuring a good death for all Canadians through an interdisciplinary approach that includes pain and symptom management, psychological support, spiritual care, bereavement care, and much more to address the suffering of patients and their families.
Should a legislation allowing physician assisted death be passed by the Quebec government in the future, the dedicated and committed personnel who work in hospice palliative care should not be expected to participate in this practice.
Right now, only 16% of Canadians who die have access to or receive hospice palliative, and quality end-of-life care services. The CHPCA wants to ensure that all Canadians have the highest quality of life as they live with a life limiting or terminal illness. Too many Canadians die with suffering that could be addressed in a more effective manner. The CHPCA believes that we need to have a greater focus on quality end of life care and the right to high quality hospice palliative care at the end of life for all Canadians as we enter into the debate around the contentious issue of physician assisted death.
**incorporates both terms “euthanasia” and “assisted suicide”
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For further information, please contact:
Vanessa Sherry Communications Officer Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association E-mail: vsherry@bruyere.org Phone: 613-241-3663 ext: 229
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association — the national voice for hospice palliative care in Canada – is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in care for persons approaching death so that the burdens of suffering, loneliness and grief are lessened. The CHPCA operates in close partnership with other national organizations and continues to work to ensure that all Canadians, regardless of where they may live, have equal access to quality hospice palliative care services for themselves and their family.
Fewer physicians in United Kingdom willing to provide abortions
Inspections by the Care and Quality Commission of 250 abortion facilities in England found that, in as many as 50 of them, consent forms for abortion were being pre-signed by physicians. In addition, the Daily Mail disclosed the practice of sex selective abortions by some physicians, who now face discipline from the General Medical Council. Report of these incidents have triggered complaints from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and abortion activists. They are concerned that few physicians are willing to train to do abortions and that it is difficult to find any who will perform the procedure. The groups fear that public protest and controversy will “put doctors and nurses off becoming involved” in the service. They state that most National Health Service physicians will not do abortions beyond 12 to 14 weeks; only a small number of physicians in the country will do later abortions. “It’s probably not a dozen people in the country who are doing the ones around 20 weeks and beyond.” 17 gynaecologists, academics and consultants expressed similar concerns in a letter in The Guardian, expressing distress at the prospect that physicians might be disciplined or prosecuted for unethical or illegal practices.[The Guardian]
Quebec euthanasia proposal challenged as unbalanced
Margaret Somerville, founding Director of McGill University’s Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, criticizes the report of Quebec’s Select Committee on Dying with Dignity on the ground that it is unbalanced “and reads rather like a pro-euthanasia manifesto.” She notes that two thirds of the submissions received by the Committee opposed euthansia. [The Gazette]