In this episode, Sandy and Nora talk about ableism in Canada’s medical and political establishment — illustrated both through Canada’s COVID-19 death toll and through Bill C7, Medical Assistance in Dying legislation.
Episode 138 – dignity in life versus dignity in death
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Hi Sandy and Nora,
I loved this episode, I found it really challenging as a health law lawyer and appreciated the political context. I left it more pissed off than usual with the Liberals for making a flashy decision without providing the resources and support the health care system really needs to make it work.
I do think you left a bald spot though, by not engaging more with the case law and the challenges presented by the “reasonably foreseeable natural death” requirement. The Lamb case is a great example of how broad this requirement really is. The bigger problem (or solution, depending on the physician) is that MAID relies heavily on professional judgement and does not provide a legal definition of this term. There is also no clinical definition of “reasonably foreseeable natural death”. It was a problematic requirement and not as protective/restrictive as it sounds.
As a long-time MAID advocate, I completely agree that there is a moral imperative to advocate for “dignity in life” and access to the social and medical care that makes for a real choice. I also recognize that this cannot be done without dismantling racist, ableist, paternalistic, abusive systems and institutions that still shape health care and social services in Canada. So… long story short, I agree with you on a lot of this episode but there is more here that creates legitimate tension.
Thanks for getting me fired up 🙂