Wrestling with the Right to Die...Again...

                                   New Creed Booklet illustration Gary Crawford

 "in life, in death,
in life beyond death,
God is with us. We are not alone.
Thanks be to God."

Last week the parameters for Medical Assistance in Dying or MAID were publicly addressed again by the Canadian government and in the aftemath there has been lots of public discussion, some of it heated. Plenty of Christians are categorically opposed to MAID including the Roman Catholic Church as an institution, along with various Evangelical groups. Some critics prefer to use the term "euthanasia" and I'm not sure why because it means "good death" and they obviously don't consider this option as good or ethical or moral.

The United Church of Canada has supported MAID with caveats, recognizing that society must protect the vulnerable, including those with disabilities, those who no longer have the capacity to decide for themselves, and those who suffer from mental illness. The UCC has been criticized for its perspective but there is nothing new in this. And the UCC is a "herd of cats" so there are plenty of different perspectives and passions within our membership. We haven't said anything new about MAID in several years even though more Canadians are availing themselves of this end-of-life option. The stigma in society and amongst some religious people has lifted and access is much more straightforward.

The decision last week states clearly that the law will not extend MAID to those who experience mental illness. This possible change has been quite controversial and a "line in the sand" for some who generally support MAID. This is still complicated because  some of  the strongest advocates for permitting MAID for those with mental illness are individuals who have suffered from poor mental health for years without relief. 

The lack of consensus concerning who is eligible for MAID and when and why  is reflected in stances within the Globe and Mail newspaper in the past week. The editorial board published a response to the announcement with the headline The Liberals are right to restrict MAID. A few days later an article in the same newspaper by Andre Picard, a respected health reporter, had the title Why is Ottawa so hellbent on limiting access to MAID?

The next frontier in this ongoing debate will be permission for Advanced Directives, allowing individuals to formally state wishes concerning MAID in the event that they are cognitively incapacitated, perhaps with dementia.

Some feel that this is yet another "thin edge of the wedge" in terms of safe-guarding the sanctity of life for the vulnerable. Yet a decade ago, just before the first legislation was passed, the UCC congregation I served then hosted a discussion with MP Rob Oliphant, one of the co-chairs of the committee addressing the parameters for MAID. Rob is also a United Church minister and I've known him for a long time. Over 100 people attended on a hot Friday evening on the Victoria Day weekend. Most were seniors and a number stated strongly that they wanted the option of an Advanced Directive to spare loved ones having to spend years providing support and care when they were no longer cognitively aware. 

So, what are the straightforward answers to these challenges? The straightforward answer to this question is that there aren't any. I feel that it's vital for faith groups to provide opportunities for information and prayerful conversation and to do so with humility and grace. There was a presentation at Trenton United led by Rev. Isaac a couple of weeks ago and I led a series there a few years back. We all need these opportunities for discernment and clarity.