Family sues over hospital’s religious exemption for euthanasia

St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. / Credit: Margarita Young/Shutterstock

Vancouver, Canada, Jun 20, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The parents of a terminally ill woman who was transferred to another facility to be euthanized after St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, refused to allow the procedure on its premises are suing the provincial government and Providence Health Care, the Catholic health care provider that operates St. Paul’s Hospital.

The couple’s lawsuit says their daughter’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms were violated by the British Columbia government’s religious exemption to the provincial medical assistance in dying (MAID) policy.

The lawsuit filed in British Columbia’s Supreme Court on June 17 wants the province to remove the religious exemption.

Providence spokesperson Shaf Hussain said in a statement that the court filing is being reviewed. “Providence is committed to providing compassionate care to all patients and residents,” he said.

Health Minister Adrian Dix issued a statement saying he respects all parties’ perspectives but can’t comment on the matter while it is before the courts. 

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition said in a statement that it is examining the case and will apply to intervene.

St. Paul’s routinely arranges for the transfer of patients who request euthanasia to non-Catholic facilities, but the decision by the hospital to transfer Sam O’Neill last summer ignited public and media reaction after her family drew attention to the case.

Dix addressed the situation at the time, saying hospital transfers for MAID are rare, occurring in about 0.2% of cases. He said St. Paul’s Hospital acted according to protocol and praised its contributions to the provincial health system, saying the overall relationship with faith-based health care providers is beneficial.

Media extensively covered the issue, with stories quoting critics calling for the British Columbia government to reconsider the master agreement with the Denominational Health Association, which allows religious health providers to follow their ethical guidelines.

Further fueling the debate, Dying with Dignity Canada released a poll to indicate strong public support for MAID. Health Canada also announced $560,000 in funding for a project to gather Canadians’ experiences with MAID. Dying with Dignity is listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Meanwhile, a survey last year by the Angus Reid Institute, in collaboration with Cardus, showed the majority of British Columbians support the right of religiously affiliated health care facilities’ right to reject providing MAID and transfer patients seeking euthanasia to other institutions.

Fifty-eight percent agreed with transferring patients, while only 24% said these hospitals should be forced to provide MAID against their beliefs.

Nationally, a majority in all regions except Quebec said transferring a patient who wants MAID should be sufficient. In Quebec, 47% believed transferring the patient is adequate while 35% said the hospital should be mandated to provide MAID on-site. 

The survey also found that 61% of Christians and 56% of those from other faiths supported transfers, while 54% of nonreligious individuals agreed. However, 70% of Canadians said doctors who object to MAID should be required to refer patients to another willing doctor.

In November, the British Columbia government announced a plan to provide euthanasia and assisted suicide at St. Paul’s Hospital — by making it available next to the hospital. The Ministry of Health announced it was taking over property beside the hospital to create a “clinical space” where St. Paul’s patients requesting euthanasia can receive it without having to be transferred to another setting.

In the announcement, the ministry said it had directed Vancouver Coastal Health authority to take land next to the hospital and “establish a clinical space and care setting for VCH use.” 

The government said it is updating protocols for discharging and transferring St. Paul’s patients to the new site where MAID can take place.

The government said the space will be staffed by Vancouver Coastal Health staff and be connected by a corridor to St. Paul’s. Patients who want MAID will be discharged from the hospital and transferred to the care of the regional health authority. The new site is expected to be completed in August.

Providence Health Care said at the time that the ministry’s announcement respected Providence’s position of not allowing MAID to be performed within the walls of a Catholic facility or setting.

The ministry said in an announcement at the time: “While faith-based organizations may opt not to offer MAID services at their facilities, they are expected to work with regional health authorities to ensure the option is available to patients who choose it.”

Archbishop J. Michael Miller said the directive “respects and preserves Providence’s policy of not allowing MAID inside a Catholic health care facility,” and the new patient discharge and transfer protocols are consistent with existing arrangements for transferring patients from its other hospice and palliative care sites, St. John Hospice and May’s Place. 

“Providence Health Care and St. Paul’s Hospital will continue to provide compassionate care, in accordance with Catholic teachings, and support the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social needs of every patient we serve,” he said.

The government’s announcement came just hours before the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement reiterating its opposition to euthanasia in Catholic hospitals. Miller noted that the bishops had already drawn a line in the sand at their September 2023 plenary meeting when they stated unanimously that MAID would not be delivered at Catholic hospitals. 

The new statement formalized that stance by saying the bishops “unanimously and unequivocally oppose the performance of either euthanasia or assisted suicide (MAID) within health organizations with a Catholic identity.”

The bishops said: “Any efforts by governments or others to compel such facilities to perform MAID” would be “in violation of Catholic teachings” and would “deeply betray the identity of these institutions as Catholic and would not be in keeping with the Church’s moral teachings on the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person.”

This article was originally published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission.