Click here to view original web page at theconversation.com
Choice is a complex issue in our society. It has always been at the centre of the abortion debate. Freedom to choose is asserted as the prime directive in the market economy, obscuring the fact that disparities and inequalities deny it to so many. When it comes to choice in matters of personal health, we depend on medical expertise to make informed decisions, and are prepared to enshrine the ultimate life-ending decision under certain conditions as an individual’s right. A similar right to palliative care is not established for the chronically ill person’s end-of-life passage. A humane and compassionate society should recognize a broader understanding of the right to the choice to die with dignity. The issue is explored in this recent article in the Conversation. – Peter Clutterbuck
“The solution requires a multi-faceted approach. All health-care providers need to have general palliative care skills because, in the way we all learn to control blood pressure and read a basic electrocardiogram, palliative care is part of good medical care.
At a systems level, placing as much importance on palliative care as we do on MAID might make navigation to palliative care less difficult for patients and clinicians. Given the broader applicability of palliative care, it is time for palliative care to become an independent department. Up to 28 per cent of Canadians will be seniors, which means more people with multiple, chronic conditions that could benefit from a palliative approach. […]”
