Assisted suicide solidarity rally planned for St. John's

A not-for-profit group is planning a support rally in St. John's and other Canadian cities on Wednesday, the same day the Supreme Court of Canada will hear arguments in a case that could make assisted suicide a federally legal practice.

Dying with Dignity is a Canadian organization pushing for what it calls a person's right to die. The group has been asking Canadians about their support for doctor assisted suicide.

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The group found that 80 per cent of Atlantic Canadians polled were in favour of assisted suicide, but support in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island was on the the lower end compared to the rest of the country.

Dean Doyle, the Newfoundland and Labrador spokesperson for Dying with Dignity, said the group's aim is to give Canadians more options, as well as help people manage their end of life choices.

It's not as if ... losing any kind of powers of consent or consciousness can only happen to people who are over 60.- Dean Doyle

"The system that is currently in place is that, as long as there is family consent there will be a lot of aggressive, and often sometimes, although rarely, very effective life saving procedures. Of course, this all depends, too, on what we're talking about — what the ailment of an individual is," said Doyle.

Doyle said some personal experience led him to think about the issue of assisted suicide seriously.

"I had an uncle who passed away years ago from leukemia. At the very end of his life, the family didn't really have any specifics of what they were doing or not doing, so the medical professionals, the doctors and nurses, simply kept him alive for as long as possible, even after he was not capable of speech, he wasn't conscious, and there was really aggressive treatments to keep him alive," he said.

"Having to witness that, my family, speaking to them now … that was still kind of traumatic. The actual specifics of what goes on when you're trying to keep someone breathing, keep someone's heart beating, keep someone tube-fed, it can be graphic and it can be painful."

Uncomfortable questions

The group wants every Canadian to fill out an advanced care planning kit, a document Doyle said will clarify a person's wishes for personal care and medical treatment — or non-treatment — and would only come into effect if someone is in a condition that leaves them unable to make known their wishes.

Doyle said while some of the questions may seem uncomfortable, or be something that people don't want to think about, it's an important issue that he thinks Canadians need to consider before a situation occurs when those questions need answering.

"We're living longer, healthier lives, but as we live longer we are more susceptible to certain ailments and it's not as if ... losing any kind of powers of consent or consciousness can only happen to people who are over 60."

Doyle said the kit would act as more of a guideline for people to stay within current Canadian laws around patient care, but the group is hoping the Supreme Court of Canada will widen what Canadians are able to do under the law when it comes to end of life options.

The rally in St. John's on Wednesday is set to take place outside Supreme Court on Duckworth Street.