New national survey confirms a majority of Canadians continue to support access to medical assistance in dying and believe all publicly funded health care facilities have an obligation to provide the full range of legal health care services.

TORONTO, July 4, 2023 /CNW/ - A new national survey conducted by Ipsos Reid, on behalf of Dying With Dignity Canada (DWDC), demonstrates that Canadians continue to support access to medical assistance in dying (MAID).

"The recent story about 34-year-old Sam O'Neill, diagnosed with terminal cancer, who was forced to leave publicly funded St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver for her assisted death, has exposed people across Canada to the ongoing barriers people experience in accessing MAID," says Dying With Dignity Canada's CEO, Helen Long. "The results of the poll show continuing support of equitable access to an assisted death for those who meet the criteria."

More specifically, the poll shows that three quarters (73%) of Canadians believe that publicly funded health care facilities should be required to provide the full range of health care services, including MAID, if they have the proper equipment and staff to do so. This includes 72% of those who identify as Catholic and 75% of British Columbians.

When we deny people access to MAID in publicly funded health care facilities, they must endure a grueling forced transfer when they are already suffering. It separates them from their community of care, and in some cases, it delays and even denies their access to MAID. For some, like Sam O'Neill, it denies them and their loved ones, a chance to say goodbye.

"We know that patients admitted to publicly funded health care facilities with religious affiliation have experienced forced transfers to another location to receive health care, such as MAID, that the facility opposes," explain Daphne Gilbert professor of law at the University of Ottawa, and Vice Chair of DWDC's board of directors. "Clinicians can conscientiously object to practices that conflict with their values, but a building cannot; a building does not have a conscience."

Further, 73% believe that clinicians must put patients' primary interests ahead of their own morals and values, and 81% of Canadians agree that a clinician should direct the patient to the assisted dying team in the local health authority. Interestingly, those who identify as Catholic or Protestant also support this approach – 82% and 77% respectively.  

"It is our mission to improve quality of dying and protect the end-of-life rights of people across Canada, said CEO, Helen Long. "The recent findings in the Ipsos poll, confirm that our advocacy efforts reflect what a majority of people across Canada support and want in place; this includes timely referrals for continuous health care, fair access to end-of-life care and compassion for those who suffer intolerably."

More data and a further breakdown of poll results can be found here.

A sample of 3,502 Canadians aged 18 years and over was interviewed on the Ipsos I-Say Panel from June 7 to 12, 2023. Weighting was employed to ensure that the sample's composition reflects the overall population according to the latest census information.  

Dying With Dignity Canada is the national human-rights charity committed to improving quality of dying, protecting end-of-life rights, and helping Canadians avoid unwanted suffering.

SOURCE Dying With Dignity Canada

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