Dear allies,
The last few weeks have been
particularly active for our citizen network. The recent, unfortunate implementation
of advance requests for medical aid in dying in Quebec on October 30, has kept
us busy, as well as the National Summit on Disability in Quebec City, the
McGill International Congress on Palliative Care, the Grand Forum on Suicide Prevention, and a Day of reflection on
palliative and end-of-life care for disabled people unable to consent to medical
care.
There was also an
opportunity to chat with author, Marie Laberge during a library meeting. I
recommend her latest novel in French, dix jours (the diary of a woman’s
last ten days before requesting medical aid in dying), because of the quality
of its exchanges on end-of-life issues, and the characters in the novel, who
dare to encourage a loved one to choose assisted living.
Since we have a lot of
information to share with you in this edition, we are going to opt for a more
telegraphic mode, where you can pick out the information that interests you the
most. I invite you to pay particular attention to the Call for personal
testimonies towards the end of this communication.
We would like to express our
solidarity with all our allies in Great Britain who worked so hard in the
run-up to last Friday’s vote on assisted suicide. The outcome of the vote in
the UK Parliament (330 for – 275 against) should not discourage them. Support
for a 3rd reading vote is far from assured (see press review).
Wishing you, on behalf of our team, an excellent beginning of December,
Jasmin Lemieux-Lefebvre
Coordinator
Living with Dignity citizen network
End-of-life stories, our contribution to the "On n'est pas du monde" program
We invite you to take a look
at this program (in French, available on-line since last week), produced by Le Verbe médias,with our coordinator, Jasmin
Lemieux-Lefebvre, Dr. Marc Bergeron and the remarkable testimony of Mrs. Claire
Gravel. A story full of hope about the accompaniment of her husband, Denis, who
passed away on May 16, 2023. He suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease or Charcot’s disease. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9hr2NmeARw
To view a magnificent video in memory of Mr. Denis Thibault, please click the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8KkxOj5MNQ
The disturbing normalization of medically administered death in Quebec and Canada
A 12-page article in
French published by Pier-Luc Turcotte and Trudo Lemmens on Aporia (Nursing Journal
published by the University of Ottawa)
https://uottawa.scholarsportal.info/ottawa/index.php/aporia/article/view/7263/5654
Following it’s publication, Mr. Turcotte has given Benoît Dutrizac this
18-minute interview on QUB radio (in French)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9w5r–ZmTE
Disability & MAiD: 62% of Canadians fear that lack of adequate care will lead vulnerable people to consider medical aid in dying
A comprehensive Angus-Reid /
Cardus study that expertly outlines the support and misgivings about medical
aid in dying in this country. In it, we learn that 6% of people surveyed in
this country say they “have had a close friend or family member offered MAiD in
an unsolicited way.”
Full study:
https://angusreid.org/disability-maid-health-care-canada-medical-assisted-death
Urgent: Call for testimonials
We are always interested in hearing about your
personal experiences regarding medical aid in dying. We are currently looking
for testimonials on two specific subjects:
– A person in a situation of disability or
suffering from a serious and incurable illness who can testify to an
unsolicited offer of medical aid in dying, whether repeated or not;
– A patient or a patient’s loved one who can
testify to the wish to one day have access to institutions where medical aid in
dying is not offered or practiced (which is no longer the
case in Quebec as of December 7, 2023).
If you recognize yourself
in either of these descriptions, or if you know someone who fits one of these
profiles, please contact our coordinator as soon as possible, by e-mail
at directionVDD@gmail.com.
Reminder - Factors influencing participation in the MAiD process in Quebec: invitation to participate in a research study
We strongly invite anyone
who is/will be called upon to participate in the MAiD process, either
directly or indirectly, as part of their duties (present or future) to take
part in the research of Marie-Alexandra Gagné, a doctoral candidate in Bioethics
at the Université de Montréal. We hope for participation in large numbers, of persons
who share the convictions of our citizen network.
The first stage is an
anonymous, self-reported questionnaire in English lasting 15 to 20 minutes.
To take part, click here (language
option, top left): https://ls.sondages.umontreal.ca/984765
For more info: 514-601- 3618 or marie-alexandra.gagne.gagne@umontreal.ca
Press review of recent weeks
As we announced in our last newsletter,
we were grateful for the opportunity to take part in the 42-minute panel on ICI
Première’s Les Faits d’abord with Véronique Hivon and
Dr. George L’Espérance, hosted by journalist Alain Gravel and followed by an
interview with Minister Sonia Bélanger. An excellent complement to the La mort libre podcast.
For other articles of interest, visit our press review on this wakelet
page.
https://wakelet.com/wake/e-to3yc2D0_wXNnKhUtnX
DEC
2024