‘MAID is not death on demand’: Physicians condemn proposed Alberta aid in dying bill

Some health care workers who either directly provide medical aid in dying or work in that field say they strongly oppose Bill 18 – which, if passed, would bar doctors or nurse practitioners from giving MAID to patients if they are unlikely to die within the next 12 months.

In a letter published Friday in the Edmonton Journal and shared with CBC News, 25 health-care workers signed their names to express their opposition.

“The proposed mandates and restrictions place physicians in ethically untenable positions, undermine professional judgment and undermine trust within the therapeutic relationship,” the letter reads in part.

Doctors and nurse practitioners will be prohibited from referring a patient out of province for assessment of MAID eligibility. They would be prohibited from suggesting MAID as an option to any patient – ​​the patient must first request information on MAID.

According to a government briefing, the law would prevent health facilities, such as clinics or continuing care homes, from publicly displaying any information about MAID, in order to “reduce the risk of undue influence or coercion”.

“We know this is a conversation that is both sensitive and complex,” Justice Minister Micky Amery said in an interview last week.

“We know that people in this province have very intimate and personal sessions with their doctors, but we also know, again, that the entire complex MAID was a last resort option.”

The doctor says, ‘We are shocked.’

Lethbridge doctor Dion Walsh is a palliative care physician who provides MAID in southwestern Alberta, and is one of the signatories of the letter.

“We are shocked by the proposed bill that has come out and we feel sorry for our patients,” he said in an interview Sunday.

Walsh said it would break “competent” patients’ hearts to have to be told that they would not be able to end their lives on their own terms if the bill passed as written.

“We get involved because we have great compassion for our patients and we are also passionate about exploring their journey,” he said.

“MAID is not death on demand. And I think the government is portraying it that way. But we have a really robust process in place so we can see who’s really eligible, who’s really capable.”

‘How dare you?’

Some organizations advocating for people with disabilities are happy with this law, particularly the ban on “Track 2” MAID for those whose death is not immediately probable.

For Judy McPherson, the law removes an important choice — the choice her 47-year-old son made last year.

Brian McPherson was best known for his breakout role cbc tv show to pushwhich follows a group of friends living their lives in wheelchairs in Edmonton.

He was also a former World Cup-winning para-bobsledder and national-level sledge hockey player.

“I wish with all my heart he were still here, but not in the situation he was in,” McPherson said in an interview last week.

“Was he dying? Not really. But the pain he was in, you wouldn’t wish that on your worst enemy.”

McPherson said her son’s condition deteriorated rapidly toward the end of his life. It was difficult for him to dress, cook, and do the things he wanted to do. He would not be eligible for MAID under the proposed bill.

He said, “He would come over sometimes, or we would go over there, and he would be shaking and he would be sweating, he was in a lot of pain. And there was nothing we could do.”

McPherson said, “Do I miss her? Absolutely. But my heart is at peace knowing she is at peace and no longer in pain.”

“I’m glad I got the chance. I’m just so angry at this government that thinks they can decide… what you can and can’t do with your body.”

McPherson said the government has no right to tell a person that they “haven’t suffered enough.” Watching his son live in pain helped him understand his decision to end his life on his own terms and he said his death was peaceful.

“But the government is doing what it is doing, how dare you. How dare you take the life of a person and turn the tables?”

take away option

The right to choose is something that Dr. Adrian Wagg also believes is beneficial. Wagg has conducted, he estimates, hundreds of MAID evaluations in his career. He is an expert in geriatric medicine and a professor at the University of Alberta.

He said many of the Track 2 requests involve chronic neurodegenerative diseases; Things like ALS, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis are for individuals who “have, in their opinion, no quality of life and are suffering daily. And those individuals would be ineligible.”

He said that protecting consent and ensuring that MAID is given with appropriate care and consideration is not necessarily a bad thing for the government.

“I don’t think this should mean a knee-jerk reaction to limit people’s access or potentially cause additional suffering,” he said.

“In my personal opinion, the proposed changes to the law at the provincial level are a step backward towards allowing freedom of choice and autonomy, and I think that is challenging and a shame.”