Let's dare to talk in Quebec
about living assistance
The author responds to the column "Leave the dying in peace (and love them)," by Patrick Lagacé1, published on May 16.
JASMIN LEMIEUX-LEFEBVRECoordinator of the Living with Dignity citizen networkIt was with great interest that I began reading Patrick Lagacé's column beginning with the presentation of the documentary play on medical assistance in dying (MAID) that Manuelle Légaré and the theatre company Porte Parole are preparing. This is quite normal, since the citizen network that I coordinate, Living with Dignity, hopes to free up the floor on end-of-life issues.
While there has been a lot of talk about MAID since the adoption of the Act respecting end-of-life care, we have decided to launch a constructive campaign on the radio and the Internet this week on the theme of assisted living.
This campaign is intended to be a response to a legitimate request that we regularly receive: when a loved one is thinking about MAID, is it still possible to suggest that they be helped to live with the care and services they need, which are often palliative care?
Encouraging a loved one not to choose medical assistance in dying means daring to present them with other possible options.
The Aide à vivre2 page was created to offer concrete suggestions for information, dialogue and support, always with total respect for the final decision of the loved one.
Back to Thursday's column. What a surprise we were to discover that the presentation of the documentary play project led to a denunciation of our campaign. Without naming us, it was wrongly presented as the work of a religious group aimed at dissuading dying people who had opted for MAID.
We would like to clarify two important points:
1) We are not a religious group, but an apolitical and areligious citizen network. Since 2010, nearly 20,000 people (mostly from Quebec) have signed our manifesto. We have to represent them well. This is the challenge of any citizen network with allies on the left and right of the political spectrum, believers, agnostics or atheists.
By visiting our website, you can find by association that members of our team are Catholic, but honestly, I don't know the faith or lack of faith of everyone. This is not an issue for a citizen network like ours.
We participate in all kinds of events to discuss end-of-life issues. Like a majority of palliative care experts around the world, we are convinced that there is always a better solution than death caused by medical assistance in dying. That being said, we work with a host of allies who are not opposed to MAID, but who question past or future expansions of the law (removal of the end-of-life criterion, physical disabilities, mental disorder, advance requests, etc.).
We participate in a scientific event bringing together resources working in MAiD at the CHUM, as well as in a symposium on palliative culture (like this Friday at the Acfas Congress) or, from May 21 to 23, in an interfaith symposium on palliative care. As a citizen network, we want to be in contact with all the actors of civil society.
2) Fear of becoming a burden was cited by 46% of people who received MAID in Quebec in 2022-2023. Our campaign wants to remind our loved ones that they will never be a burden to us by making sure they see how we will support them in concrete terms. It is a reminder of the treasure of palliative care, whose limited accessibility unfortunately still falls under the postal code in Quebec.
I invite you to read in particular the "Accompanying" and "Do you know someone whose request for medical assistance in dying has been accepted and who now knows the date of their induced death?" on our Help to Live page to understand that our approach is intended to be respectful of each person's individual conscience. Here is a short excerpt: If your relative or friend still chooses to move forward with a request for MAID, you will be called upon to continue your support, respecting both their choice and your limits.
A reflection by Manuelle Légaré particularly caught our attention in Patrick Lagacé's column: "Can we become the world champions of dying better? Can we learn to talk about it? Our solutions may not be the same, but we share this goal. Let's dare to talk about it when preparing his play on MAiD, as well as during our campaign on helping to live.
JASMIN LEMIEUX-LEFEBVRECoordinator of the Living with Dignity citizen networkIt was with great interest that I began reading Patrick Lagacé's column beginning with the presentation of the documentary play on medical assistance in dying (MAID) that Manuelle Légaré and the theatre company Porte Parole are preparing. This is quite normal, since the citizen network that I coordinate, Living with Dignity, hopes to free up the floor on end-of-life issues.
While there has been a lot of talk about MAID since the adoption of the Act respecting end-of-life care, we have decided to launch a constructive campaign on the radio and the Internet this week on the theme of assisted living.
This campaign is intended to be a response to a legitimate request that we regularly receive: when a loved one is thinking about MAID, is it still possible to suggest that they be helped to live with the care and services they need, which are often palliative care?
Encouraging a loved one not to choose medical assistance in dying means daring to present them with other possible options.
The Aide à vivre2 page was created to offer concrete suggestions for information, dialogue and support, always with total respect for the final decision of the loved one.
Back to Thursday's column. What a surprise we were to discover that the presentation of the documentary play project led to a denunciation of our campaign. Without naming us, it was wrongly presented as the work of a religious group aimed at dissuading dying people who had opted for MAID.
We would like to clarify two important points:
1) We are not a religious group, but an apolitical and areligious citizen network. Since 2010, nearly 20,000 people (mostly from Quebec) have signed our manifesto. We have to represent them well. This is the challenge of any citizen network with allies on the left and right of the political spectrum, believers, agnostics or atheists.
By visiting our website, you can find by association that members of our team are Catholic, but honestly, I don't know the faith or lack of faith of everyone. This is not an issue for a citizen network like ours.
We participate in all kinds of events to discuss end-of-life issues. Like a majority of palliative care experts around the world, we are convinced that there is always a better solution than death caused by medical assistance in dying. That being said, we work with a host of allies who are not opposed to MAID, but who question past or future expansions of the law (removal of the end-of-life criterion, physical disabilities, mental disorder, advance requests, etc.).
We participate in a scientific event bringing together resources working in MAiD at the CHUM, as well as in a symposium on palliative culture (like this Friday at the Acfas Congress) or, from May 21 to 23, in an interfaith symposium on palliative care. As a citizen network, we want to be in contact with all the actors of civil society.
2) Fear of becoming a burden was cited by 46% of people who received MAID in Quebec in 2022-2023. Our campaign wants to remind our loved ones that they will never be a burden to us by making sure they see how we will support them in concrete terms. It is a reminder of the treasure of palliative care, whose limited accessibility unfortunately still falls under the postal code in Quebec.
I invite you to read in particular the "Accompanying" and "Do you know someone whose request for medical assistance in dying has been accepted and who now knows the date of their induced death?" on our Help to Live page to understand that our approach is intended to be respectful of each person's individual conscience. Here is a short excerpt: If your relative or friend still chooses to move forward with a request for MAID, you will be called upon to continue your support, respecting both their choice and your limits.
A reflection by Manuelle Légaré particularly caught our attention in Patrick Lagacé's column: "Can we become the world champions of dying better? Can we learn to talk about it? Our solutions may not be the same, but we share this goal. Let's dare to talk about it when preparing his play on MAiD, as well as during our campaign on helping to live.