Article content Re: Brian Bird’s concluding comments in his op-ed on the legal challenge against St. Paul’s refusal to provide medical assistance in dying (MAID) completely misses the point. MAID is about individual choice and access.
Why would or should any patient at St. Paul’s care whether another patient opts for MAID? It has nothing to do with them. Patients can’t access MAID without going through a rigorous application and assessment process.
Rather, why should anyone in a publicly funded health-care facility be restricted from being provided a medical service which requires no high-tech equipment nor specialized training? It tragically leads to unnecessary suffering, such as that endured by Sam O’Neill and her family. Mr. Bird’s contention that increasing MAID numbers indicate that access is easy, ignores the barriers that exist, including access in some smaller communities in Canada where the only local hospital is faith-based.
Even in Vancouver, in emergencies we have no choice whether we end up at Vancouver General or St. Paul’s. Sam O’Neill had the misfortune to end up at the latter, and suffered as a result of institutional religious obstruction.
This legal challenge is long overdue. Re: Following the major structural fire in downtown Vancouver that sent embers into Pacific Spirit Park, a wildfire ecologist downplayed the forest fire risk because that park “tends to be more moist.” So what is the risk of a major forest fire on Burnaby Mountain .