Palliative care patient never informed about medically-assisted dying, son says
Glyn Clarke says his mother lost ability to communicate before she could see doctor to request assisted dying
A man whose mother died of cancer this past weekend says she wasn't properly informed of her options when it came to assisted death — until it was too late.
Glyn Clarke's mother, Elsie Ellis, was put into palliative care at Mount Sinai Hospital in Cote St. Luc about two weeks ago, just before Easter.
"I knew about Bill 52 and she didn't. But I needed more information before I could talk to her about it," Clarke said.
Bill 52, which is Quebec's end-of-life care bill, was passed in the National Assembly in June 2014. It came into effect in December 2015, giving patients who are terminally ill the right to choose to die.
Clarke said his mother had stomach cancer and was no longer able to eat. She was ready to die.
Clarke said Ellis brought up the idea of assisted death to him, but doctors never mentioned it to her.
"If the information had been volunteered, it would have been something we could have known and [it] could have been discussed," Clarke said.
Clarke took the time to read up on Bill 52 himself and realized his mother could make the request with her doctor. It would also require a second opinion from another doctor.
It was past their ethical beliefs.- Glyn Clarke, son of woman who wanted to ask doctors for assisted dying
But by the time Clarke figured this out, it was too late. He and his mother made the request on Saturday April 2. They were told no one could discuss it with her until Monday.
However, by Monday, Ellis's condition had worsened and she could no longer communicate.
Clarke told CBC News that he wonders if the option was never presented to his mother because the doctors in question didn't support medically-assisted death.
"Both doctors volunteered the fact that even if they interviewed my mom, that they would not participate in the euthanasia because it was past their ethical beliefs – that as human beings they weren't sure they could do this. And for me, that then creates a question of objectivity," Clarke said.
Grey area
The CIUSSS in Montreal's central west district, the governing health authority, said there's a grey area when it comes to the new laws on medically-assisted dying.
Under the law, patients are supposed to be informed about end-of-life treatment, which can begin with palliative care and can progress towards palliative sedation or assisted death.
But it remains unclear as to who has to initiate the conversation.
The CIUSSS told CBC News that many patients begin to hint that they're ready, and doctors can take that cue to start a conversation – but they are not actually required to bring it up.
Clarke said he would like the government to consider developing a neutral body to oversee assisted-death issues to ensure patients are aware they have the right to choose to die.