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End-Of-Life In Prison Symposium Report, Adelina Iftene, Crystal Dieleman, Hanna Garson

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In 2016, the Canadian Parliament passed “An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying)” (S.C. 2016, c. 3). This statute decriminalized providing medical assistance to the dying in a defined set of circumstances. The Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) was also amended: section 19 now reads “(1.1) Subsection (1) does not apply to a death that results from an inmate receiving medical assistance in dying, as defined in section 241.1 that Act.”

Pursuant to these amendments, this meeting focused on issues that may arise in implementing MAiD in …

Should Medical Assistance In Dying Be Extended To Incompetent Patients With Dementia? Research Protocol Of A Survey Among Four Groups Of Stakeholders From Quebec, Canada, Gina Bravo, Claudie Rodrigue, Vincent Thériault, Marcel Arcand, Jocelyn Downie, Marie-France Dubois, Sharon Kaasalainen, Cees M. Hertogh, Sophie Pautex, Lieve Van Den Block

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Background: Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders affect a growing number of people worldwide. Quality of life is generally good in the early stages of these diseases. However, many individuals fear living through the advanced stages. Such fears are triggering requests for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) by patients with dementia. Legislation was recently passed in Canada and the province of Quebec allowing MAiD at the explicit request of a patient who meets a set of eligibility criteria, including competence. Some commentators have argued that MAiD should be accessible to incompetent patients as well, provided appropriate safeguards are in place. Governments …