Assisted death stats shocking

Vancouver Island leads the country in its rate of medically assisted deaths, and health authorities should try to figure out why. Researchers found that in the two years after medically assisted dying became legal on June 17, 2016, 504 people chose that option on the Island. That equated to to 3.6 per cent of expected deaths over that period. The rate across the country is less than one per cent.

Currently, the rate on the Island is about four per cent. The Netherlands took 15 years to reach that level.

Although the report didn’t look into the reasons for the difference, some possible explanations suggest themselves.

B.C. has long been a centre for activists who have tried to get the law changed to allow assisted death.

Sue Rodriguez of North Saanich, who had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, fought in court for the right to die. Although she lost, the momentum continued to build.

The researchers suggested the Island has an “unusually large number” of doctors who are meeting the demand. And the region has an older population than most other parts of Canada, which might also be a factor.

While the debate over assisted death will never go away, the numbers don’t necessarily mean anything is wrong with the provision of medically assisted death on the Island. However, with such a profoundly important issue, we need as much information as we can get.

This report should pave the way for more intensive research.

—Victoria Times Colonist

The Island ranks No. 1 in Canada for dubious stat