Physician-assisted dying has recently become a contentious topic among life insurers thanks to a new law introduced last spring that legalized the practice (for as long as eligibility criteria are met and the procedural safeguards are followed). With another hospital declaring its support for the bill, life insurers will have to properly assess how the industry would be affected once the legislation’s approval becomes more widespread.
A hospital located within Eastern Ontario announced yesterday that it has approved physician-assisted deaths. The board of directors of the Cornwall Community Hospital gave its approval for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) based on a recommendation from the hospital’s Medical Advisory Committee.
The hospital is one of the few healthcare centers in the country that have openly voiced their decision to offer MAID following the federal government’s passing of a law in June that permits physician-assisted dying.
“We’ve prepared a policy and process that is consistent with the new legislation that has legalized MAID and defines how we would respond to a request,” said Cornwall Community Hospital president and chief executive officer Jeanette Despatie in a statement.
“Our policy is clear that any health-care provider may refuse to participate in the provision of the service,” she added.
The board said that “exploring the nature of a person’s request for medical assistance in dying is completely consistent with our moral and ethical values.” The hospital also told
Cornwall Standard Freeholder that it is “committed to compassionately and respectfully engaging in non-coercive conversations about all treatment and care options available, to help alleviate deep suffering, which could include MAID.”
According to the hospital, it would prepare information for patients and their families emphasizing that individuals who choose to have a medically assisted death may change their minds at any point. The hospital also confirmed that it would provide a list questions to consider and recommendations, including discussions with legal counsel and insurance representatives.
In April, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association told the federal government (then in the process of enacting the assisted dying bill) that it would lift the two-year exemption for suicides and pay out policies on policyholders who end their lives via physician-assisted death once the law passes.
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