Archived Letter - 1158
What a patronizing tone Helen Hansen uses in her letter "Palliative Care". According to the Federal Ministry of health; "There are two types of medical assistance in dying available to Canadians. They include when a physician or nurse practitioner;1. directly administers a substance that causes death, such as an injection of a drug - this is commonly called voluntary euthanasia. 2. gives or prescribes a drug that is self-administered to cause death - this is commonly called medically-assisted suicide."
I would argue that MAID is the antithesis of palliative care since it seeks the end of the patient not the suffering, where palliative care assists the patient until natural death occurs. Sadly we have universal access to killing and only 30% access at best to palliative care. The vulnerable have cause to be afraid. The "oldies" will be dispatched not cared for - hopefully not held down by family as an elderly woman with dementia was recently in the Netherlands!
Dear Editor all references are available on request
Sincerely Jakki
Jakki Jeffs