41% of Canadians say doctors should be allowed to refuse MAID for religious reasons

Daughter holding the hand of an elderly father. Closeup of woman holding senior man hand in hospital. Close up of nurse holding old man hand with oxygen saturated probe on finger. Getty Images/iStockphoto Stock: seniors; hospital Photo by Ridofranz /Getty Images/iStockphoto

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A new poll has revealed a “deep divide” among Canadians’ attitudes to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).

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The online survey, conducted by ResearchCo., found that 41 per cent of Canadians think health-care professionals should be able to decline providing MAID services if they have a moral or faith-based objection.

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Forty-two per cent of respondents disagree, while the remaining 17 per cent said they weren’t sure.

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“On a regional basis, opposition to moral or faith-based objections in physician-assisted death cases is highest in Alberta (47 per cent), followed by Atlantic Canada (45 per cent), Quebec (44 per cent), Ontario (41 per cent), British Columbia (also 41 per cent) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (36 per cent),” ResearchCo. said in a news release.

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“Opposition is higher among Canadians aged 55 and over (45 per cent) than among their counterparts aged 35 to 54 (42 per cent) and aged 18 to 34 (39 per cent).”

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Several provincial regulatory authorities have issued guidelines requiring medical practitioners who are unwilling or unable to provide MAID to refer patients to other institutions or providers.

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In Ontario, for example, physicians and nurse practitioners who object to providing MAID must refer patients “in a timely manner” to another provider.

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Gabrielle Peters, a disabled writer and policy analyst, said in an interview with National Post: “The idea of intentionally killing somebody is something that many people object to, and so I think this is a pretty fundamental right that we should be preserving in our society.

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“I already feel that physicians are disempowered by the limitations of government, the way funding is structured, or the way their services are structured. And I can’t imagine what happens if we start saying you have no choice and no say in this very large decision.”

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Many Canadian provinces have issued guidelines requiring medical practitioners who object providing MAID to refer patients elsewhere. Photo: Getty Images Photo by KatarzynaBialasiewicz /Getty Images/iStockphoto

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The federal government says provincial and territorial governments are responsible for determining how MAID can take place.

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Doctors are not legally compelled to provide or help provide MAID, and neither are religious-run institutions. And many institutions, such as Providence Health Care in B.C., do not provide it.

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In some cases, this means patients must be transferred to another facility.

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However, Dying with Dignity, a charity focused on end-of-life care, says such transfers can harm patients with fragile health.

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But Peters noted that this is not an anomaly in Canadian health care.

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“There are people in northern communities, in rural communities and farming communities that have to travel great distances, far away from their family, in order to get appropriate health care.”

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Even in major cities, patients may be moved between hospitals depending on available equipment or appointment capacity.