‘Where are our values?”

Re: MAID doctors shouldn’t shoulder burden alone, Dr. Jean Marmoreo, Feb. 12

Dr. Jean Marmoreo asks Canadians to “ease the burden” on doctors who help people die, to “share” in the task which, as she makes clear, even some of her own colleagues want no part. What Dr. Marmoreo should be asking of her fellow Canadians is to share the responsibility of addressing the problems that lead to requests for MAID (medical assistance in dying).

The doctor talks about disability and insecure living conditions as “robbing” people of their dignity and purpose in life. For example, she describes the home of one of her patients who accessed MAID from his “hole in the wall” apartment which “not one of his outreach workers had ever been inside.” Our society did not provide this man with dignity in life, and so he sought death.

Instead of asking Canadians to share in responsibility for MAID, why not ask us to take responsibility for ensuring that our sick and palliative patients have excellent care, that the disabled have the supports they need, and that no one in our rich country has to live alone in a hole. Terry Murphy, Oakville, Ont.

While I strongly believe in the sanctity of life, I acknowledge that some individuals may seek help in bringing their life to a premature end. Dr. Marmoreo asks, “Is old age a disease? A disability? A qualifier in itself?” Obviously, in today’s secular society, the elderly, healthy or not, no longer have any value in society. They are perceived as a cost and nuisance. Instead of respecting our elders and caring for them in their senior years, society, through MAID and its relaxed procedures, is intimidating seniors into early death on the pretext that they are an unnecessary burden on society, both financially and psychologically.

Society treats sick and injured animals better. Where are our values and moral compass? Robert Teskey, Ottawa

While I appreciate Dr. Marmoreo’s comments, as the president of CAMAP (Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers), I feel the need to clarify two points and make a suggestion.

Clinicians who work in assisted dying feel a large burden of responsibility to do their work comprehensively, sensitively, and carefully — to do otherwise risks criminal liability. The past 4.5 years has proven we can do this, and we have done so admirably. We do not need more bureaucracy. There is already an enormous amount of process, procedure and paperwork involved in what is meant to be a decision made between a clinician and their patient.

Clinicians would be grateful for and benefit from access to expertise in complex scenarios, and I do expect more complex situations to arise with the passage of Bill C-7. But rather than creating committees to ease our burden, we must remember that each request for MAID is particular, and each person’s circumstances unique.

I suggest instead the creation of a diverse list of willing, regional “experts” who could be called upon, and not just medical consultants, but rehabilitation experts, social workers, housing and addiction counsellors. The clinician may then access the most appropriate “expert” to provide input, allowing a full exploration of what other options are available and might be considered by the patient in order to reduce suffering in other ways before resorting to a request for MAID.

Dr. Stefanie Green, MAID Assessor and Provider, Victoria, B.C. President CAMAP (Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers)