Who is in Control?

Every once in a while I read a story about some poor soul in Canada, who facing a certain and painful death, wants the assistance of a medical practitioner to end their agonizing existence. We, as Canadians under certain conditions have the right to expect such supports to end our lives. However, in some parts of this country - there are doctors and facilities who refuse to provide this service because it goes against their moral principles.

I understand some people's reluctance, I understand that there are administrators and doctors who believe that an assisted end to life is wrong and therefore they cannot participate in such activities - even including providing assistance in filling out the forms. I understand, but I do not agree. It seems profoundly unfair that an individual's right to chose when to die to be restricted by which hospital the ambulance takes us to, or who our doctor is. Requiring an already terminally ill individual to shop around for a sympathetic doctor or an accommodating hospital seems unfair and profoundly inappropriate. I might be marginally more accepting of their moral stance if I could be reassured that all medical professionals and administrators always engage in moral behaviour.

We rely on our doctors' judgments to help us make difficult decisions. But the information they give us cannot be restricted by what they think is right or wrong. Medical professionals are obliged to give us all of the information so that we can make an informed choice. To deny an individual the right to the sort of process that is outlined bill C-14 is wrong.

Doctors, of course, must be free to choose what they think is right or wrong. I, however, should not be obliged to either pay for their education (yes I know that doctors incur a large debt while training, but surely even the most naive of them does not believe that they paid for the total cost of their medical training) or to support them in their practices. If they do not want to be part of the system, great. But then they can get their money from somewhere else.

Similarly, for those hospitals who refuse to support the process of assisted dying (frequently because the origins of that hospital were the Catholic Church) should not be using public funds to operate the hospital. There is a clear expectation, on the part of members of the community that hospitals provide a full range of services. If they get to spend public money, they do not get to decide how policy is delivered.

I can understand that there needed to be a period of adjustment for hospitals and doctors. I understand that there may be older doctors who will never be able to accept the new public acceptance of assisted death. But it would seem to me that any doctor who has been trained in the last five-ten years is in the wrong profession if they are not prepared to be fully engaged in all aspects of their patients' lives.

Doctors - feel free to have your own personal values - but please do not tell me what mine should be.