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On Medically-Assisted Dying in Canada
Following a landmark 2015 decision by the Supreme Court of Canada mandating changes to the criminal code (in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms) to allow for medically-assisted dying (sometimes known by the misnomer physician-assisted suicide), the Parliament of Canada passed federal legislation to allow eligible adults the right to request medical assistance in dying under certain circumstances.
The Supreme Court case that lead to these changes was spearheaded by Elaine Shapray, a nurse and mother, who had progressive multiple sclerosis and found herself increasingly unable to care for herself. As a nurse, Shapray was accustomed to advocating for patients, but not herself. As a person facing a debilitating illness, Shapray became an advocate for herself and people all over Canada with her insistance that a grievously ill person should have the fundamental right to seek out medical assistance in order to set the terms of their own life and death.
Please see the following video for a PBS news report on Elaine Shapray’s struggle and her enduring legacy:
Elaine Shapray chose a medically-assisted death, ending her life on May 2, 2016. Her husband Howard described the experience as a “good death.”
Link Your Learning
The Government of Canada has published information about medical assistance in dying, including an overview of the federal requirements, eligibility and how the request process works.
Euthanasia is defined as intentionally ending one’s life when suffering from a terminal illness or severe disability (Youdin, 2016). Euthanasia is further separated into active euthanasia, which is intentionally causing death, usually through a lethal dose of medication, and passive euthanasia occurs when life-sustaining support is withdrawn. This can occur through the removal of a respirator, feeding tube, or heart-lung machine.
Medical assistance in Dying (MAID) is a medical process that allows someone who is found eligible to seek and receive the assistance of a medical practitioner in ending their life. MAID is a form of active euthanasia. The requirements for eligibility for MAID are stringent (is indicated in the above “Link your Learning”).
According to the Government of Canada Heath Systems and services (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-services-benefits/medical-assistance-dying.html) there are 2 methods of MAID available:
Clinician-administered medical assistance is the first method: when a physician or nurse practitioner directly administers a substance that subsequently causes death.
Self-administered medical assistance in dying is the second method: when a physician or nurse practitioner prescribes or otherwise provides a drug or substance that the MAID eligible person takes themselves.
