Nearly six months after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled physician-assisted suicide will be legal, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare is still waiting to see how the new law will work with its religious organization.
President and CEO Janice Kaffer indicated it may be a difficult policy to develop. "It is very much against the teachings of the Catholic church.," she says. "We have to balance the teachings of the Catholic church as well as the requirements of the legislation and equally as importantly the need to provide, safe, responsible and ethical care to our patients and families."
The unanimous high court decision overturning doctor-assisted suicide is set to take effect this February, 12 months after the ruling. "There has been some conversation in the media and some of the larger centers that may not happen going into an election year," Kaffer says.
Kaffer says she's unsure if the new legislation will give religious healthcare providers the option of performing physician assisted suicide.
The law is meant to help end the life of someone who is ill and suffering.
