As a pastor, I have ministered to people in all passages of life as I served a parish in Mahone Bay, N.S. and three in Ontario. My wife and I are fully aware of the complexity of doctor-assisted death because we have been exposed to many dying persons and many bereaved after death.
In our personal lives, we have lost a son at 16, a brother-in-law’s sudden death and a sister surviving a vegetative state following a tragic car accident only to die some ten years later. We have also lost both sets of parents through the natural course of illness.
From these experiences, a strong belief in the sanctity of life emerged. As we come to this issue before us as Canadians today, the sanctity of life is dearer to us than the quality of life.
We both presently have a serious health issue. Because of all these experiences, we have thought long and hard on what we want for us when it comes to our dying.
As a result, power of attorney for personal care documents prepared by our lawyer now express our wishes on these matters. We believe that many others have written such documents; many with similar experiences written to express their own beliefs.
We are not writing to support any particular position on this matter. We are writing this to express our strong belief that such documents of power of attorney for personal care should have a central place in the formation of our Canadian approach in this matter.
As we presently relate with our doctors in our present health matters, our doctors hold our decision in high regard and this helps shape our present treatment. A doctor’s opinion in certain situations does override our opinion but never without our approval.
One person speaking on a CBC radio program on this issue recently felt that their opinion on this matter was not considered by their doctor and deemed to be irrelevant.
We must ensure that the patient’s considered opinion on this matter and particularly with a power of attorney for personal care document must be taken seriously by the medical establishment on this issue
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