Prelate suggested provincial consultation was far too limited
By Agnieszka Krawczynski
The B.C. Catholic
Premier Christy Clark has responded to the Archbishop of Vancouver’s concerns about assisted suicide and euthanasia.
“You have raised some important points and I have noted your concerns relating to the consultation process,” she writes to Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, in a short letter dated Jan. 20.
“I can assure you that your feedback relating to ethical standards, vulnerable patients, and the importance of palliative care will be included in related discussions.”
Health Minister Terry Lake will also provide him with a direct reply, she added.
Archbishop Miller had written her a letter Jan. 11 about his concerns with assisted suicide, and about a provincial consultation that was far too limited.
That consultation process began when a Select Standing Committee on Health called for submissions from the public on health care in B.C. in the fall of 2014.
An interim report, released a year later, said they received 374 submissions, 230 of which brought up assisted suicide. A sub-committee was created to handle that issue separately.
“It is of great concern,” Archbishop Miller wrote, that in handling such a weighty topic, the sub-committee “heard only two presentations.”
The groups they heard from were Dying with Dignity Canada and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, both of which are in favour of assisted suicide.
Others have also spoken out against the consultation, saying it was not only limited, but biased and flawed. “None of the recommendations of the committee are without problems,” said United for Life director John Hof.
“The committee did not seek input from anyone but only accepted information from those who happened to know they were having hearings. To me it seems a pretty suspect way of gathering information.”
He added that the group mentioned conscience protection but “failed” to “clearly protect” the rights of doctors, pharmacists, and caregivers to refuse practices they find morally objectionable.
Archbishop Miller brought up concerns about protection of conscience rights as well as about vulnerable persons and palliative care. In his letter, he called for another, more inclusive consultation process in B.C.
Liberal MLA Mary Polak said she expects there will be more provincial consultations in the future, though none are scheduled yet.
“There are so many issues around this to consider that it’s going to take a lot of (thought),” she said. “It certainly isn’t a matter of counting heads and considering a majority view. People should not be concerned that it is strictly a numbers game. They should be concerned about what information is being presented.”
She added that people are always welcome to write to government with their concerns, whether or not an official consultation is underway.
