What if a minor requests medical aid in dying?
Another element that will complicate the evaluation of requests for medical assistance in dying from mature minors: the uncertainty of the prognosis of fatal diseases from which children suffer. “In pediatrics, we encounter many more very rare genetic diseases [orphan diseases] whose evolution we know little about. It is therefore much more difficult to make a prognosis in a young person than in adults, whose life is generally threatened by more common diseases that can be predicted much more precisely. In pediatrics, there is therefore generally a context of uncertainty
which adds a layer of complexity ”, points out the pediatrician.
“Of course, uncertainty does not mean that there is no suffering in the course of care. It is not because one is uncertain of the prognosis, that an individual cannot live suffering which is intolerable, and that one does not manage to relieve with measures which seem to him reasonable ”, he admits.
which adds a layer of complexity ”, points out the pediatrician.
“Of course, uncertainty does not mean that there is no suffering in the course of care. It is not because one is uncertain of the prognosis, that an individual cannot live suffering which is intolerable, and that one does not manage to relieve with measures which seem to him reasonable ”, he admits.
“We will have the duty to accommodate all requests and to take them into consideration. Some children suffer so much that they say they want to die. But that doesn't necessarily mean they want medical aid in dying, ”she says.
“When we look more closely at such manifestations of the patient's desire to die, we realize that it is often a cry for help. If we receive this kind of request, our role will be to welcome it and understand why it was made, to search what is hidden behind this request,
"confirms Dr. Marquis, who believes that palliative care can alleviate suffering. and even do more.
“We realize that the earlier palliative care is introduced in the course of a disease, the more benefits we see in terms of quality of life and even survival. Palliative care needs to be demystified so that everyone knows that it is not just end-of-life care, ”he says.
“Palliative care is not linked to a loss of hope, it can change the outlook for hope. It is clear that they improve the experience, ”adds Ms. Levasseur.
“When we look more closely at such manifestations of the patient's desire to die, we realize that it is often a cry for help. If we receive this kind of request, our role will be to welcome it and understand why it was made, to search what is hidden behind this request,
"confirms Dr. Marquis, who believes that palliative care can alleviate suffering. and even do more.
“We realize that the earlier palliative care is introduced in the course of a disease, the more benefits we see in terms of quality of life and even survival. Palliative care needs to be demystified so that everyone knows that it is not just end-of-life care, ”he says.
“Palliative care is not linked to a loss of hope, it can change the outlook for hope. It is clear that they improve the experience, ”adds Ms. Levasseur.
