Dear Friend,
Warm greetings from our nation’s capital! I hope you’re enjoying a good start to your summer!
As President and Resident Theologian at the EFC, I occasionally have the privilege of taking part in events hosted by EFC-affiliate organizations. I was recently invited to speak at the national conference of the Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canada (CMDA) on the topic of faithfulness and courage in the midst of cultural upheaval.
At this conference, I had the unique opportunity to sit with, listen to, and address many Christian physicians and dentists. Some of them shared with me about the tremendous social and ethical pressures they are currently facing in today’s cultural climate.
Conscience protection is a significant and growing concern for many members of CMDA Canada. Forced participation in arranging and facilitating medical assistance in dying (MAiD) is now required by some of the provincial regulatory colleges. In Ontario and Nova Scotia, for example, doctors who conscientiously object to providing services like MAiD are still required to help patients fulfill their wish to die by making “effective referrals” to doctors who
are willing to deliver MAiD. Those who refuse or are unable to make effective referrals could face disciplinary action or lose their licence to practice.
In Canada, MAiD is no longer seen as an exceptional procedure (unlike in other jurisdictions around the world where assisted dying is legal). More and more, Canadians are viewing doctor-assisted suicide and euthanasia as a generally accepted “treatment option” for patients. As this belief becomes more prevalent, doctors could very well be accused of patient abuse or neglect for being unwilling or unable to provide or make referrals for hastened death.
CMDA Canada has already heard of instances where doctors have been criticized by colleagues and patients’ families after the patients withdrew their requests for MAiD, deciding instead to try the counselling and services offered. In the years ahead, there will be even less tolerance for objections of conscience or even advocating for life. More complaints could be brought against doctors for supposedly “blocking access” to MAiD, even when patients are free to choose.
In addition, serious new challenges are on the horizon. The federal Department of Health has drafted a sample policy for provincial regulators, suggesting they require physicians to take the initiative to “bring up MAiD” to any patient who meets the eligibility requirements. This differs with most jurisdictions in the world with legalized euthanasia, where doctors are either prohibited or strongly discouraged from introducing death as a “treatment option” when the patient has not brought it up first. Given the power dynamics of the doctor-patient relationship, vulnerable patients could be unduly influenced to choose to end their lives, having concluded that MAiD must be their best option – otherwise, their doctor would not have mentioned it.
The expansion of MAiD to those whose death is not reasonably foreseeable adds another layer of complexity and debate to this issue. It should be unthinkable for doctors to bring MAiD up to people who are living with disabilities or chronic conditions. Imagine an ophthalmologist, for example, being required by law to bring up MAiD as a treatment option to a patient who is going blind. Or a family doctor bringing up MAiD to a patient who has developed diabetes!
Then, there is the current state of Canada’s overburdened health care system. With many Canadians still struggling to find timely and equitable access to adequate care and support services, it’s not appropriate to bring up MAiD. Otherwise, we risk our loved ones choosing death, especially in times of particular vulnerability and weakness, not because their conditions cannot be managed, but because they have no one in the system to advocate on their behalf. They may begin to feel death that is their only choice.
Most alarmingly, unless things change, in March 2024, MAiD will become accessible to patients whose only presenting concern is a mental illness. Imagine psychiatrists being required to advise their patients – those suffering with severe depression, PTSD, etc. – about MAiD! For Christian psychiatrists, initiating discussions on MAiD with a patient would be like signalling to the patient that the doctor has given up and the patient should stop seeking help and choose death. Some psychiatrists in CMDA Canada are unsure they will be able to practice in five years.
It is a challenging time to be a Christian health care provider in Canada. The EFC continues to partner with, advocate for, and support CMDA Canada’s ongoing initiatives to help protect the lives of those facing vulnerabilities and to protect the conscience rights of health care providers.
No one should be forced to participate in intentionally terminating human life against their deeply held beliefs. Medical professionals need conscience protection, and we are asking for your help. Together, with your prayers and generous financial support, we can work to ensure that Canadian health care providers who wish to practice medicine according to their religious and moral convictions are supported, encouraged, and protected!
You may know a young Christian who is considering whether God is calling them to a vocation of the practice of medicine. Please encourage them because as we know, “With God, all things are possible” (Mt. 19:26)!
Would you take a few minutes to pray and to ask God whether he would desire you to give an extra gift to the EFC at this time? No matter how the Spirit prompts, I thank you in advance for your partnership.
For the Glory of His Name and Gospel,
Dr. David Guretzki
President & CEO