Medical Assistance in Dying Statute Law Amendment Act, 2016 – Clear as mud!!!

The Ontario Government introduced legislation on December 7th regarding medical killing, by assisted suicide or euthanasia. For those too squeamish about the reality (Medical Assistance in Dying  (gosh it hurts to write it) in our province. For those of us who cannot make the stretch to believe that doctors killing patients or assisting in their suicide is remotely akin to any definition of CARE, it has been quite the journey.

https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2016/12/the-medical-assistance-in-dying-statute-law-amendment-act.html

“If approved, the proposed legislation would amend:

The Excellent Care for All Act

  • Clarify that benefits, such as insurance payouts and workplace safety benefits, that would otherwise be available are not denied only because of a medically assisted death
  • Protect physicians, nurse practitioners and persons assisting them, from civil liability when lawfully providing medical assistance in dying
  • This proposed immunity from civil liability would not apply to claims based on alleged negligence.”

We are ensuring that everyone involved in killing by assisted suicide and euthanasia is protected from any civil liability and yet the health professionals who will not be part of the killing are threatened with sanctions from their own College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Nursing Association and Ontario Pharmacy Association to persuade them to make effective referrals, thus making them accomplices in the killing. What about their rights and their protections?

Now on top of everything else this newly introduced legislation is trying to convince us that when you are killed or assisted to commit suicide you actually die of your underlying injury or illness!!

Case in point read the following.

“The Workplace Safety and Insurance Act

  • Clarify that a person who received medical assistance in dying is considered to have died as a result of their underlying injury or illness.”

Now I just think that is one almighty fib – For those not brought up in the UK – It is a lie!

Then we have an amendment to FIPPA

“The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

  • Strengthen privacy protections for health care providers and facilities by excluding identifying information about persons or facilities in relation to medical assistance in dying from these Acts. This would protect clinicians and facilities that provide medical assistance in dying from being identified under access to information requests.”

Now we all know that we cannot get any information currently on another OHIP covered -loosely described  medical procedure that takes a life -namely induced abortion. Well here is the twin. If this bill passes we will not be able to discover if the home we are placing our loved one in, is or has been involved in the killing or whether the physician looking after their care is a medical killer!

Then we hit the Coroners Act and lo and behold;

“The Coroners Act

  • Require that the Coroner be notified of all medically assisted deaths and allow the Coroner to determine whether to investigate the death
  • Clarify that the requirement under the Coroners Act to investigate any death from any cause other than disease does not apply to medical assistance in dying
  • Require a process to review the Coroner’s oversight role, to be established by the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services within two years.”

You will note my highlight – medically assisted suicide and euthanasia – will not be required to be investigated!! What an early Christmas gift for all the the heirs who want their money now and any other Elizabeth Tracy Mae Wettlaufers out there!

It really is bad enough that the Supreme Court mental gymnastics found a right to die within the right to life in Canada. Or that Bill C-14 offers supposed safety guidelines and then provides a way out of them, 10 days waiting which the physician can commute; signing of consent – if you cannot write someone else can sign ( a good thump on the hand could fix the ability to write) If a health professional or other person medically killed you – but in good faith- you are dead – but they are off the hook.

I could go on but I better not – my head could not take it. Seriously though, if the situation were not so unbelievably tragic this whole definition of killing as caring would be a great Monty Python Skit. Hello Mrs Smith, the doctor will kill you now and the government will pay for it!

Never mind medical assistance in dying it sounds more like medical assassination to me.