Quebec Archives - Page 5 of 19 - Protection of Conscience Project News

Beware of assisted-suicide zealots

National Post

Will Johnston

For at least a few more months, the Canadian medical system will continue to be a safe space, free of assisted suicide and euthanasia. But all that is about to change. In order to ensure our hospitals and palliative care centres remain places where patients feel safe and secure, we must respect doctors’ conscience rights, rather than listen to activists who seek to impose their one-size-fits-all policy on the rest of us.

For instance, the palliative care centres in Quebec that refuse to have anything to do with euthanasia, for reasons of medical judgment and ethics, have apparently angered Jean-Pierre Menard, the lawyer who helped write Quebec’s euthanasia law, Bill 52. The act specifically states that palliative care centres are not required to provide euthanasia service — but maybe to Menard, those were just soothing words to get the bill passed. Now Menard says money should be taken away from palliative services that won’t provide euthanasia on their premises. And the minister of health, Gaetan Barrette, has threatened to revoke the hospital privileges of doctors who won’t comply. . . . [Full text]

Gaétan Barrette insists dying patients must get help to ease suffering

Quebec’s right-to-die law comes into effect on Dec. 10

The Canadian Press

Terminally ill patients in Quebec who seek medical aid in dying must be provided with the service even if some doctors are against it, Quebec’s health minister said Wednesday.

Gaétan Barrette called out unco-operative doctors and directors of institutions in the province’s health care network Wednesday after a palliative care unit in Montreal announced it wouldn’t offer the service.

Quebec’s right-to-die law comes into effect on Dec. 10 and Barrette says the patient will be the priority.

“The role of (medical) institutions is to offer the service,” he said. “And it will be offered.” . . . [Full Text]

Palliative care centres say no to medically assisted death

West Island Palliative Care Residence won’t obey Quebec’s ‘dying with dignity’ law

CBC News

The director of the West Island Palliative Care Residence says patients seeking assistance with dying will have to go elsewhere.

“We are absolutely one of the 29 [palliative care programs in Quebec] that are opting out of providing this service,” says the residence’s executive director, Theresa Dellar.

“The basic philosophy of palliative care is we do nothing to hasten death, and obviously euthanasia does hasten death. Our philosophy to provide comfort, care and dignity at the end of life and to allow for the natural process of death to take place,” she said. . . . [Full text]

Quebec MDs to get euthanasia guide to prepare for legalized assisted death

Unclear whether other provinces and territories will adopt a similar practice

The Canadian Press

Sheryl Ubelacker

The college that regulates Quebec doctors will soon provide practitioners with detailed guidelines – including what drugs to use – for euthanizing terminally ill patients who seek help to end their lives.

But it’s unclear whether other provinces and territories will adopt a similar practice when doctor-assisted death becomes legal across the country early next year.

With the passage of Bill 52 in June 2014, Quebec became the first jurisdiction in Canada to legalize medical aid in dying for mentally competent patients who meet a strict set of criteria. The law goes into effect in December, allowing physicians to begin helping patients with an incurable condition and intolerable physical or psychological suffering to die. . . [Full Text]

Joint intervention in Carter v. Canada

Selections from oral submissions

Supreme Court of Canada, 15 October, 2014

Sean Murphy*

Introduction:
The Catholic Civil Rights League, Faith and Freedom Alliance and the Protection of Conscience Project were jointly granted intervener status in Carter by the Supreme Court of Canada. The joint factum voiced concern that legalization of physician assisted suicide and euthanasia would likely adversely affect physicians and health care workers who object to the procedures for reasons of conscience. The factum was supplemented by an oral submission.

Links to annotated selections from the oral submissions relevant to freedom of conscience are provided below. In each case, readers can access the Supreme Court webcast through the linked image. Time stamps are cited to allow the relevant section of the webcast to be located. On the Supreme Court website, use “full screen” view when dragging the slider button to the desired time stamp.

Joseph Arvay, Q.C. (Counsel for the Appellants)