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Background
In June 2005, a
private member’s bill (Bill C-407) was introduced in the federal
parliament to legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Although
this bill died on the order paper, there will be other attempts in the
future to pass euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide legislation. This
is a highly contentious issue, with concerns regarding mercy, uncontrolled
suffering, patient autonomy, care provider autonomy, concern for the
potential for coercion and abuse, the vulnerability of people with
disabilities, the implications for hospice palliative care and the
potential for naïve political action. Because hospice palliative care
expertise is available in providing end-of-life care, palliative care
leaders should contribute to the debate.
At its
spring 2005 Board meeting, the CHPCA Board of Directors struck a working
group on the issue of Physician-Assisted Dying (PAD).
The working group held one teleconference in the fall of 2005 and another
in February 2006. In March
2006, Health
Canada
sponsored a forum designed to assist in developing a Canadian Strategy for
Palliative and End of Life Care. The forum, which involved members of the
five working groups of the Canadian Strategy on Palliative and End-of-Life
Care (Best Practices and Quality Care, Education for Formal Caregivers,
Public Information and Awareness, Research, Surveillance), included a
discussion of the implications of legalized euthanasia and
physician-assisted suicide on the health care system.
This
CHPCA issues paper summarizes the discussion to date, and sets out a
possible statement and recommendations.
Next Steps
The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association would like to hear from
our members on this subject, and encourage more debate within the hospice
palliative care community.
- Does
the proposed statement reflect our values and views?
- Will
the recommendations contribute to open, informed debate?
- What
are the implications for hospice palliative care programs if
euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are legalized in Canada
?
Contact Us
The CHPCA
will use the feedback from members to develop an official position
statement and to respond to any parliamentary committees on this issue.
Additional
Reading
Amundson,
R, Taira, G. Our Lives and
Ideologies: The Effect of Life Experience on the Perceived Morality of the
Policy of Physician-Assisted Suicide.
Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2005, 16(1), 53-57.
Botsford,
A, King A. End-of-Life Care
Policies for People With an Intellectual Disability: Issues and
Strategies. Journal of
Disability Policy Studies, 2005, 16(1), 22-30.
Downie,
Jocelyn. Dying Justice: A case for Decriminalizing Euthanasia and
Assisted Suicide in Canada. University of Toronto Press, 2004.
Hwang,
K. Attitudes of Persons With
Physical Disabilities Toward Physician-Assisted Death: An Exploratory
Assessment of the Vulnerability Argument.
Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 2005, 16(1), 16-21.
Quill,
TE,
Meier
,
DE
. The big chill--inserting the
DEA into end-of-life care.
N Engl
J Med, 2006
Jan 5, 354
(1), 1-3.
Werth,
J. Concerns About Decisions
Related to Withholding/Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment and Futility
for Persons With Disabilities. Journal
of Disability Policy Studies, 2005, 16(1),31-37.
Wilson
, KG, Scott, JF,
Graham
,
ID
, Kozak, JF, Chater, S, Viola, RA, deFaye, BJ, Weaver, LA, Curran, D
Attitudes of terminally ill patients toward euthanasia and
physician-assisted suicide. Arch
Intern Med, 2000, 160, 2454-2460.
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