Quebec urged to quickly introduce a bill
(Quebec) The Legault government will act "in due course" on the report tabled on December 8 that recommends extending medical assistance in dying (MAID) to people suffering from Alzheimer's.
That's what he said Monday to MPs urging him to quickly introduce a bill by the end
of the session for passage before the Oct. 3 general election.
In fact, "we are still at the stage of analysis of the report," conceded Monday Marjaurie Côté-Boileau,
press secretary to the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé.
David Birnbaum (PLQ), Vincent Marissal (QS) and Véronique Hivon (PQ), all members of the special commission behind the report, argued that part of the population was eagerly awaiting this bill.
"If your mother learns today that she has Alzheimer's and is already in stage 3, [...] it cannot apply
for medical assistance in dying," Marissal said in an interview.
"I don't want to scare the world there, but [...] if we are not able to pass the bill this session, in my opinion,
we start the clock again and we have it for a year," he summarized.
The current law, adopted in 2014, sets very strict criteria to be able to demand that a doctor shorten our suffering.
The informed consent of the patient, up to the point of death, is at the heart of the process, with some exceptions. People who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's therefore do not have access to it, under any circumstances.
According to the members of the commission, their position reflects "the major trends" of opinion observed
in Quebec society on this subject in recent years.
There is currently, according to them, a "social consensus" in favour of extending the law to persons who have become incapacitated.
"If I become incontinent, unable to identify my children ... very clearly, I will be able to know that my life will be
able to end in dignity," said Liberal MP David Birnbaum.
"That's what's at stake, so 'let's go,'" he added in a phone interview.
There are only about thirty sittings left in the National Assembly, which is little considering that any possible bill
on the MA will have to be studied in detail.
What is more, there are already three bills pending in the Committee on Health and Social Services,
which is currently studying Bill 15 on youth protection.
"It's unfortunate, because if [the WMA] had been prioritized when we came back in February, [the bill] would already be passed," said Marissal, who blames the government for its "mismanagement of the legislative apparatus."
Still possible?Despite everything, PQ MP Véronique Hivon, considered the "mother" of the current law, believes that it is still possible to move things forward.
According to his analysis, a minister other than Minister Dubé could table the bill on MAID and entrust its study
to the Committee on Institutions, for example.
"There is nothing impossible," she said in an interview, before adding: "I do not see how the government could ignore such a thorough work that we have done, which carries such a great consensus of the population."
For her part, the president of the special commission, the caquist Nancy Guillemette, remains cautious in her comments. She says she trusts Mr. Dubé, "a very caring man."
"The rest belongs to the minister and his team," she simply replied.
77 witnessesOn December 8, the special commission recommended that anyone diagnosed with a serious and incurable illness leading to incapacity should be able to sign an advance application for MAID.
This excluded people whose only medical condition is a mental disorder.
In their report, the members of the commission anticipated that the role of physicians would be decisive
in ensuring the proper management of advance requests.
The attending physician had to ensure that the request was free and informed. He also had to make sure that the patient understood the nature of the diagnosis and the expected course of his disease.
The applicant could even write on the form the stage of the disease at which he wishes to have the lethal treatment administered to him.
He had to identify a "trusted third party", responsible for alerting the medical authorities when he deemed
it appropriate to follow through on his wishes.
This person would have a kind of responsibility to "wave the flag", according to Ms. Hivon, who recalled that in this field of end-of-life care Quebec remained "a precursor".
According to the commission's wishes, the form had to be signed in the presence of two witnesses and a doctor, and the procedure could in the future be administered either by a doctor or by a supernurse.
A seven-day consultation on this sensitive topic was held last spring and August. A total of 77 individuals
and organizations were heard and 75 briefs were filed.
That's what he said Monday to MPs urging him to quickly introduce a bill by the end
of the session for passage before the Oct. 3 general election.
In fact, "we are still at the stage of analysis of the report," conceded Monday Marjaurie Côté-Boileau,
press secretary to the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé.
David Birnbaum (PLQ), Vincent Marissal (QS) and Véronique Hivon (PQ), all members of the special commission behind the report, argued that part of the population was eagerly awaiting this bill.
"If your mother learns today that she has Alzheimer's and is already in stage 3, [...] it cannot apply
for medical assistance in dying," Marissal said in an interview.
"I don't want to scare the world there, but [...] if we are not able to pass the bill this session, in my opinion,
we start the clock again and we have it for a year," he summarized.
The current law, adopted in 2014, sets very strict criteria to be able to demand that a doctor shorten our suffering.
The informed consent of the patient, up to the point of death, is at the heart of the process, with some exceptions. People who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's therefore do not have access to it, under any circumstances.
According to the members of the commission, their position reflects "the major trends" of opinion observed
in Quebec society on this subject in recent years.
There is currently, according to them, a "social consensus" in favour of extending the law to persons who have become incapacitated.
"If I become incontinent, unable to identify my children ... very clearly, I will be able to know that my life will be
able to end in dignity," said Liberal MP David Birnbaum.
"That's what's at stake, so 'let's go,'" he added in a phone interview.
There are only about thirty sittings left in the National Assembly, which is little considering that any possible bill
on the MA will have to be studied in detail.
What is more, there are already three bills pending in the Committee on Health and Social Services,
which is currently studying Bill 15 on youth protection.
"It's unfortunate, because if [the WMA] had been prioritized when we came back in February, [the bill] would already be passed," said Marissal, who blames the government for its "mismanagement of the legislative apparatus."
Still possible?Despite everything, PQ MP Véronique Hivon, considered the "mother" of the current law, believes that it is still possible to move things forward.
According to his analysis, a minister other than Minister Dubé could table the bill on MAID and entrust its study
to the Committee on Institutions, for example.
"There is nothing impossible," she said in an interview, before adding: "I do not see how the government could ignore such a thorough work that we have done, which carries such a great consensus of the population."
For her part, the president of the special commission, the caquist Nancy Guillemette, remains cautious in her comments. She says she trusts Mr. Dubé, "a very caring man."
"The rest belongs to the minister and his team," she simply replied.
77 witnessesOn December 8, the special commission recommended that anyone diagnosed with a serious and incurable illness leading to incapacity should be able to sign an advance application for MAID.
This excluded people whose only medical condition is a mental disorder.
In their report, the members of the commission anticipated that the role of physicians would be decisive
in ensuring the proper management of advance requests.
The attending physician had to ensure that the request was free and informed. He also had to make sure that the patient understood the nature of the diagnosis and the expected course of his disease.
The applicant could even write on the form the stage of the disease at which he wishes to have the lethal treatment administered to him.
He had to identify a "trusted third party", responsible for alerting the medical authorities when he deemed
it appropriate to follow through on his wishes.
This person would have a kind of responsibility to "wave the flag", according to Ms. Hivon, who recalled that in this field of end-of-life care Quebec remained "a precursor".
According to the commission's wishes, the form had to be signed in the presence of two witnesses and a doctor, and the procedure could in the future be administered either by a doctor or by a supernurse.
A seven-day consultation on this sensitive topic was held last spring and August. A total of 77 individuals
and organizations were heard and 75 briefs were filed.
CAROLINE PLANTE
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Expanding medical assistance in dying | Quebec urged to quickly introduce a bill | The Press (lapresse.ca)
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Expanding medical assistance in dying | Quebec urged to quickly introduce a bill | The Press (lapresse.ca)
