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To the editor: The recent article in your journal by van Veen et al.[1] provides a window into a possible future for Canadian medical practice in medical assistance in dying (MAiD) where a mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition (MD-SUMC circumstances). The profession needs to develop capability in this area quickly to avoid preventable negative outcomes for Canadian patients and their families after March 17, 2023. At that time, Bill C-7’s exception for MAiD in MD-SUMC circumstances will expire.
The article by Veen et al. shows progress into better understanding what we can learn from international experiences with MAiD in MD-SUMC circumstances. The authors’ qualitative approach impactfully underscores the complexities and ambiguities inherent in that context, while also identifying significant differences in individual expert opinion about MD-SUMC among psychiatrists with MAiD experience. Another recent paper by the same group complements this work by leveraging the European experience in another way—the iterative development of an expert-consensus-based set of criteria for MAiD in MD-SUMC circumstances [2].
Despite this growing body of expertise, the approaching sunset clause in Bill C-7, and the significant multidisciplinary challenges posed by MAiD in MD-SUMC circumstances, there are no Canadian centres of excellence focussing on MAiD (including CIHR, SSHRC, or NSERC), nor are there active calls for submissions regarding funding for re...
Show MoreCompeting Interests: None declared.References
- van Veen, Sisco M P, Ruissen AM, Beekman ATF, Evans N, Widdershoven GAM. Establishing irremediable psychiatric suffering in the context of medical assistance in dying in the netherlands: A qualitative study. Canadian Medical Association journal (CMAJ). 20
- van Veen, Sisco M. P, Ruissen AM, Widdershoven GAM. Irremediable psychiatric suffering in the context of physician-assisted death: A scoping review of arguments. Canadian journal of psychiatry. 2020 Sep 1,;65(9):593-60
- Guidance for reporting on medical assistance in dying [homepage on the Internet]. . 2021 -01-11 [cited 2022-05-27]. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/medical-assistance-dying/guidance-reporting-summary/document.html#7.0