IMPROVING
Maureen Taylor @maureentaylor31 May 2016
No panic. Excellent guidelines from @cpso_ca
could be used as a model after June 6.
Medical Assistance in Dying
T
hroughout 2016, the College was deeply engaged in the issue of medical assistance in
dying. In order to ensure the College could provide guidance and direction to physicians
during a shifting legal landscape, three policy documents were approved by Council over
the first several months of 2016.
Our guidance makes it clear that while physicians do not have to assist their patient in dying, they
still have a responsibility to their patient. If a physician declines to assist a patient in dying for reasons
of conscience or religion, they must provide an effective referral. This means making a timely refer-
ral to a non-objecting, available, and accessible physician or agency. The objecting physician is not
obliged to assess whether the patient meets the criteria for physician-assisted death before making an
effective referral.
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COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF ONTARIO