Quebec medical group to healthcare workers: You must facilitate requests for ‘assisted dying’

A Quebec medical group sent out a memorandum to healthcare professionals “reminding” them of their obligations to facilitate Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) requests, despite any conscientious objections.

Key Takeaways:

• A memo from a Quebec medical group reminds healthcare professionals they must respond to euthanasia requests.

• The professionals were told if they object, they must notify a support group that exists to provide “end of life care.”

• Quebec has the highest euthanasia rate in the world, as advocates continue to push for expansion.

The Details:

Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, has obtained the “general reminder,”  which clearly states, “No healthcare professional can ignore a request for MAiD,” adding that it is the “responsibility of every professional to ensure that such a request is taken care of.”

The memorandum instructs those with conscientious objections to MAiD to notify the Interdisciplinary Support Group (ISG), as it states:

Any physician or specialized nurse practitioner who receives a request for an MAID must notify the
Interdisciplinary Support Group (ISG) and, if applicable, forward the request form to the ISG when he or she:

• refuses a request (based on the eligibility criteria recognized by the Act);
• refuses to assist a person in formulating an anticipated application (moral or religious
conscientious objection) or in withdrawing such an application;
• refuses to carry out the required examination.

As the memo states, the ISG’s job is to “provide clinical, administrative and ethical support for end-of-life care.”

Healthcare professionals are also reminded they may not “intimidate” anyone requesting MAiD, and that anyone who witnesses such “intimidation” is to be reported.

Commentary:

The memo’s insistence that medical professionals facilitate all MAiD requests is alarming, especially considering that as of 2024, Quebec has the highest euthanasia rate in the world.

In 2023, the Quebec Commission on End-of-Life Care issued a warning that some of the province’s euthanasia deaths were not in compliance with the law. The commission felt compelled to send a memo reminding doctors that old age alone isn’t qualification for a MAID death, while reiterating that a second doctor must confirm the euthanasia request.

Despite these statistics, the province announced in 2024 that it is moving to allow euthanasia by “advance request” for people who are no longer able to give their consent.

The Bottom Line:

As Schadenberg noted, given memos like this one, “it is sadly not surprising that Québec has the highest euthanasia rate in the world.”