Renewed discussion over assisted dying amid dispute at faith-based sites
VANCOUVER — Two incidents in British Columbia have renewed a debate about whether faith-based health institutions that receive public funding should be allowed to opt out of offering medical assistance in dying.
Documents obtained through a freedom-of-information request by the advocacy group Dying With Dignity Canada show that Providence Health Care, a Catholic health care provider, apologized to Vancouver General Hospital for a mismanaged transfer of a frail patient seeking assisted death.
“I want to convey my sincere apology for the issues that arose in the transfer,” wrote David Unger, then-director of ethics services at Providence in an email on May 18, 2017. “This was a foreseeable and preventable issue for which I accept full responsibility as the director of ethics.”
Emails written by Providence staff say the man was at risk of losing his capacity to consent to an assisted death if he was not transferred quickly from St. Paul’s Hospital. The man requested an assisted death on a Saturday, but necessary documentation was not filled out until Wednesday, an email says.