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Hope was the central theme at an international symposium in Toronto about palliative care – a field of medicine that provides relief of pain and suffering to the sick and dying. Organizers and speakers at the symposium insisted that palliative care offers so much hope that patients would not even consider euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide.
But organizers had another hope in mind as well: their own hope that the three-day symposium would begin to spread the news about palliative care, reaching policy-makers in Canada as they continue to implement the euthanasia law known as “Medical Aid in Dying,” or MAiD.
The Canadian government recently decided to postpone an expansion of MAiD to persons suffering from mental illness. But the delay was not because of any ethical concerns, and simply based on practical matters.
The May 21-23 symposium, “Towards a Narrative of Hope,” was organized by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Experts in ethics, medicine, healthcare, law, and pastoral care discussed strategies to relieve suffering during illness and dying, as well as ways to provide appropriate human accompaniment to improve the quality of life and well-being of patients and their families.
Not a burden
In a written message, Pope Francis encouraged the participants to persevere in their commitment to promoting palliative care, which is an expression of compassion and respect for the infinite dignity of every person.
“Your service is important — I would even say essential — in helping the sick and dying realize that they are not isolated or alone, that their lives are not a burden, but that they always remain inherently valuable in the eyes of God (cf. Psalm 116:15) and united to us by the bonds of communion,” Francis wrote.
Bishop William T. McGrattan, president of the Canadian bishops’ conference, said at a concluding press conference that palliative care “recognizes the dignity of the human person and supports the relationships that are important for an individual, especially family and community.”
Bishop Noël Simard, Bishop of Valleyfield, Quebec, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said the symposium had the objective of building a strong advocacy network, establishing a “dynamic network and forum of key leaders in order to affirm and advocate for an effective and comprehensive palliative care and end of life care, which facilitates hope and honors meaning to spiritual and personal accompaniment.”
Accompaniment
An important element of palliative care, Bishop Simard said, is accompaniment – the presence of compassion and love surrounding the person who is sick and dying.
“MAid and palliative care are contradictory,” Bishop Simard told Aleteia. “We want to focus on the necessity and the beauty of palliative care. The more we give access to good, quality palliative care, the less people will think of asking for MAiD.”
He added that it’s “unbelievable” that the government wants to give more people, such as the mentally ill, access to MAiD.
Dr. Leonie Herx, a specialist in palliative care for both children and adults, said that palliative care often is misunderstood as an intervention only at the end of life when there’s no hope left.
“Palliative care is really about helping people live well through the challenges that they face with serious illness through to the end of their lives,” said Dr. Herx, a clinical professor at the University of Calgary. “It’s applicable to people of all ages with any type of diagnosis, in any setting of care. It involves a holistic approach that includes psychological, spiritual, social and physical aspects of life that make us human and supports us in achieving true human flourishing.”
She added, “This type of care recognizes the dignity and mutual dependency of one another and uplifts the intrinsic worth of each and every person. You matter.”
A human right
Herx pointed out that it is a human right to access palliative care. “The World Health Organization has recognized that countries have an ethical mandate to improve access to palliative care,” she said.
But palliative care is not recognized as an essential service in the Canada Health Act, and there is unequal access to palliative care and euthanasia.
“It’s not funded as an essential service under the Canada Health Act,” she said in answer to a question at the press conference.
“Many of the reasons people get MAiD is they feel a burden, they feel isolated and lonely, unable to enjoy life, that is to say, we have a duty to make sure that people have the resources they need to live well,” Herx said.
Resolutions
The symposium included an interfaith panel featuring different religious and cultural perspectives highlighting the importance of faith and culture in supporting the needs of the sick and dying and alleviating their physical, spiritual, and emotional suffering.
A working group is now tasked with collating the participants’ key recommendations and translating insights from the presentations and discussions into concrete strategies of actions. This will focus on five areas: advocacy for palliative care, community engagement and support, education, integrating the cultural dimension into palliative care, and palliative care policy and legislation.
“Each of us, as a member of society, has a duty to assist and love the sick and dying and to support their loved ones with compassion so that no one is isolated, alone, or forgotten in their time of need,” Bishop McGrattan said. “This Symposium signifies a strong commitment to life and holistic care, which will bear much fruit.”
