Archdiocese of Montreal sues to keep euthanasia out of its care homes

The Catholic archbishop of the Diocese of Montreal has filed a lawsuit challenging Quebec’s requirement that all palliative care homes — including religiously-affiliated ones —offer Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), the country’s legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Archbishop Christian Lépine of Montreal submitted his appeal on February 5 to the Quebec Superior Court. The suit comes after the enactment of a December amendment which states that all palliative care facilities must offer MAiD. The archdiocese runs the St. Raphael Palliative Care Home and Day Centre in Montreal, a facility with 12 beds that was converted from a former church.

“In keeping with the founders’ intentions, as well as our Catholic beliefs and values… the former church should exclusively serve the mission of providing palliative care, and ‘medical aid in dying’ should not be administered on the premises,” the archdiocese said in a statement.

“A consequence of this new law is that actions we find morally unacceptable may now occur on our property,” the statement added.

Previously, patients at the facility who wished for MAiD were transferred to another location. In November, the archdiocese submitted a request for an exemption from the new law, but that request was rejected by Quebec Health Minister Sonia Bélanger, who maintained that MAiD is “part of the continuum of palliative and end-of-life care” that must be made available in “all settings offering end-of-life care.”

READ: New report shows negative impacts of euthanasia on palliative care in Canada

In its statement, the archdiocese outlined the Catholic opposition to MAiD as the underlying reason for its new lawsuit. “The Catholic Church recognizes the need for high-quality palliative care that upholds the dignity of human life by providing effective pain management while addressing the emotional, affective, and spiritual needs of individuals,” it said.

“According to Catholic doctrine, human life is deemed sacred and inviolable, extending from conception to natural death. Palliative care accompanies individuals and their loved ones through the end-of-life process, aiming to alleviate pain without either prolonging or hastening death.”

Archbishop Lépine elaborated on the need for a lawsuit in a conversation with OSV News. “We speak about palliative care and MAiD because it’s around those issues that the law is made. But it’s really the freedom of conscience, not only for individuals, but also for institutions,” he said. “That’s what we hope to promote. Whoever we are, we need a society where there is a freedom of conscience for people and institutions.”

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