Dear Friend,
The EFC has been granted intervenor status in a critical court challenge. At stake is the right of faith-based healthcare facilities to keep their religious identity and to remain euthanasia-free.
St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver is run by Providence Health Care, a non-profit Catholic organization in British Columbia. Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) is not carried out at any Providence facility because they believe that euthanasia – where a human life is intentionally taken – violates the biblical command of “You shall not murder.” So, if a patient requests MAiD, Providence arranges to transfer the patient to a site that permits it.
In 2023, a woman who was dying from cancer was admitted into St. Paul’s. Because she wanted to end her life through MAiD, she was transferred to a Vancouver hospice. She was heavily sedated for the transfer and did not regain consciousness prior to being euthanized.
The patient’s family felt she should have been able to receive MAiD on site. As such, they are taking Providence to court. The Province of B.C. and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority are also being sued because the government allows faith-based healthcare organizations that receive public funding to opt out of providing certain procedures that violate the religious beliefs and principles of the facilities.
The family’s lawyers will argue that the policies of Providence and the B.C. government around MAiD violates patient autonomy and imposes religious beliefs on patients, even though Providence respects patients’ decisions to undergo MAiD by arranging transfers. They will also argue that patients should have the right to get MAiD, on demand and on site, in any facility that receives public funds and provides end-of-life care.
While the
Charter protects the freedom of conscience and religion for individual healthcare providers from having to directly carry out procedures that go against their moral or religious beliefs, this case challenges whether faith-based healthcare facilities should also have religious freedom protection under the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Some argue that organizations do not have protection of religious freedom like an individual, but The EFC will argue that institutions and organizations can and do have distinct religious moralities, identities and cultures. These are based on a set of founding and animating beliefs, principles and values, and expressed through policies and practices.
A religious organization’s mission, vision and values statements are all grounded in their religious identity rather than on social values or cultural expectations. In order for faith-based institutions to maintain organizational integrity, they must be allowed to live out and honour these beliefs.
Faith-based healthcare facilities in this country have a long history of providing the kind of high standard, compassionate, patient-centred, and life-affirming care that many Canadians value. The care they offer flows out of the faith commitments the facilities are grounded in. Long before public money was available, it was religious congregations, churches, community organizations, and individuals who funded these healthcare facilities, in full support of their religious mandates and core values. Many today still do.
Faith-based healthcare institutions are committed to the sanctity and God-given dignity of every human life – from conception to natural death. Catholic facilities hold that any medical procedure that “intentionally takes one’s own life or assists another in causing their death” as “intrinsically immoral.” Their religious, moral and ethical convictions compel them to opt out of certain legally permitted medical procedures, such as abortion, sex reassignment surgeries, and euthanasia. They should not be forced to betray their religious convictions.
Christian hospitals like St. Paul’s do not exist merely for the sake of existing; they are the means to live out their deep devotion, in light of Christ’s redeeming presence, to providing compassionate care in the name of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ.
As well, MAiD-free spaces protect both doctors and patients. For many Canadians – especially those with disabilities, trauma histories, or mistrust in the medical system – who fear they may be pressured toward MAiD, access to MAiD-free spaces help them feel secure in seeking care.
This case will likely make its way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The stakes are high. The repercussions on the healthcare system in Canada – and for all Canadians – could be significant and far-reaching.
The EFC has been granted intervener status in this case and will be submitting written legal arguments to the B.C. Supreme Court in late March and making oral arguments in April. The EFC will defend the ability of religious institutions to maintain their religious identity and to provide services without being compelled to compromise their beliefs.
Would you please consider making a gift in support of our efforts on this crucial case to argue for the religious freedom and conscience rights of healthcare facilities? As always, we value your financial and prayer support for the work that we do. We cannot do this without you!
Sincerely,
Dr. David Guretzki
President & CEO