Dear Editor:
RE: No letter of support for local hospice coming from Centre Wellington council, July 21.
I was shocked to read one councillor’s comments about why he voted against sending a letter of support to the province to encourage our own hospice here in Centre Wellington.
Because they support medical assistance in dying? That is merely a choice for the individual concerned. Having a local hospice centre would ease travel for local people especially in bad weather. Frequently those visiting are elderly themselves and no longer wish to drive into Guelph.
I must have missed Sunday school the day they taught that allowing someone with a terminal, inoperable or untreatable condition to painfully suffer (perhaps at length) is the Christian thing to do. Certainly the various churches I’ve attended over my lifetime have taught me the exact opposite.
Watching someone suffer when their own wish is simply to say goodbye with dignity is not a situation I can imagine anyone wanting for a loved one no matter what their personal beliefs.
And why was this issue voted on without further discussion? Without any input from other councillors? I’d like to know how my councillor felt about the issue and asking him to vote with no opportunity to ask questions of Dr. Simpson somehow seems unfair.
Hooray for Debbie Ostic for speaking out! Please council, reconsider. Hospice is a wonderful organization providing much-needed support for those in their final years.
And please, too, let’s separate church and state as that’s how things are supposed to operate!
Helen Marucci,
Fergus