MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear Colleagues:
I
Joel Kirsh, MD
College President
photo: D.W. Dorken
I am pleased that
we have provided
a document that
is clear, thoughtful
and helpful.
n my first letter to you as
President of this College, I am
pleased to have the opportunity to address our recently
approved guidance document which
was developed in response to the Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark
decision on physician-assisted death.
Few issues are as emotionallycharged and morally complex as
physician-assisted death, so I am
pleased that we have provided a
document that is clear, thoughtful
and helpful.
In arriving at its decision to strike
down laws prohibiting physicianassisted death, the Supreme Court
of Canada ruled that an individual’s
response to intolerable suffering is a
matter critical to dignity and autonomy. It is the profound respect that
physicians have for our patients and
for their experiences that informs the
College’s Interim Guidance document.
The Interim Guidance – which
can be found on page 11 – is a
bridging document to ensure that
you are prepared to respond to your
patients’ questions while the federal
and provincial government consider
how it will respond to the Carter vs
Canada decision.
As you may know, in June of
this year, competent adults who are
suffering intolerably with a grievous
and irremediable medical condition
will be able to seek assistance in dying from physicians. Until June 6th,
physician-assisted death is accessible
only to individuals who receive an
exemption from the Superior Court
of Justice.
This decision marks a huge
change for medicine and for its practitioners. But it represents an even
bigger change for patients. Simply
having this option available to them
– whether or not they ever wish to
pursue it – is absolutely key. People
want to have a sense of control over
their lives.
Given this new landscape, you
may be thinking about your patients
and how you would respond if any
of them requested your assistance.
Our guidance makes it clear that
while you do not have to assist your
patient in dying, you still have a
responsibility to your patient. If you
decline to assist a patient in dying
for reasons of conscience or reliIssue 1, 2016 Dialogue
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