The UCC and MAID Revisions

Blah, blah, blah, COVID-19. Blah, blah, blah Coronavirus. Blah, blah, blah, pandemic. The reasons are obvious for the incessant attention to the virus which has killed hundreds of thousands around the world and sent the global economy into a tailspin. We would probably agree that the unknowns are as scary as the knowns and that's had a profound effect on the mental health of so many. But aren't there other issues of importance as well? 

The answer is yes, and one which was supposed to be addressed in Canada by now was the possibility of widening the parameters for Medical Assistance in Dying, or MAID. As you might recall, in the olden days (last September) the Superior Court of Quebec struck down some restrictions to MAID and  asked the federal government to revise the provisions. Early this year Canadians were invited to comment and hundreds of thousands did so. I led an information session in our congregation and encouraged participants to go online and respond.

Now the United Church General Council  has issued a statement about the possible revisions and Broadview magazine has reported this (my emphasis): 

The Executive accepted recommendations from the Theology and Inter-Church Inter-Faith Committee that emphasize principles of free and informed choice. It also called on the Canadian government not to permit advance directives for MAID by people whose conditions will eventually take away their power for informed consent, or add mental illness to the allowable categories for MAID. It also appealed to the government to maintain the criterion of “foreseeable death” and stated its support for mature minors to request MAID, but that those situations be judged on a case-by-case basis.

It's important that the United Church is responding in the midst of so much turmoil, and interesting to read the conclusions from General Council. They lean toward caution in decision-making, which is not surprising given that we are attempting to balance compassion with a deep respect for life and protection for the vulnerable. 

It's also interesting that Broadview recently published a cover article about Ron Posno, and 80-year-old in cognitive decline who want to be able to create an advanced directive for his own death:

And he wants to request one now, in advance,  while he’s still mentally competent and able to make decisions about his future. Posno worries that by the time his suffering becomes intolerable — a requirement to access medical assistance in dying, or MAID — he’ll no longer be capable of giving his informed consent to the procedure, which is also necessary by law.

A reminder that the United Church is willing to take a "broad view" on difficult subjects? 

There is nothing straightforward about this, and we will need prayerful, thoughtful vigilance in the days ahead. I'm grateful that the UCC is not asleep at the wheel. 



Ron Posno and his wife, Sandy, have been married for almost 60 years. 
The pair met when they were both 17. (Portrait: Anya Chibis)