There is a concerning question, should we consider medical assistance in dying (MAID) a part of palliative care? The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association believes that MAID “by definition falls outside of what palliative care covers.”
We can see MAID as part of palliative care if it belongs in the medical field. If medicine doesn’t include it palliative care can’t either, since everyone agrees that palliative care is a branch of medicine.
Figuring out if MAID counts as medical treatment is worth thinking about using a helpful rule of thumb from Thomas and others. They talk about the basic principles of treatment. The first of these principles, “suggests that all treatment should aim to bring the patient back as much as possible, to a balanced state.” Restoration tries to get the patient back to how they were before, in terms of health, abilities, or state of mind.Â
For people with advanced terminal illness, this means redefining what a balanced state looks like. It involves focusing on comfort care easing pain, and as much as possible helping the patient connect more with their loved ones. It’s tough to think of MAID as something that helps restore, since once it happens, you can’t go back.
How doctors relate with MAID
In 2015, a project by the British Medical Association looked into what people thought about end-of-life care and help with dying. Some folks said making it legal to speed up death would help doctors give them a good end and more options. But others worried it might make them less likely to trust doctors and more scared of them. This was true for older people, those with disabilities, people who feel vulnerable, religious folks who are against MAID, and those who see themselves as a burden.
Ethics and medicines
The ethical debate about taking human life doesn’t seem to be the main issue dividing palliative care from MAID. Some people say MAID harms society and goes against what health care professionals should do. ON the other side, people argue that it gives freedom to the individuals who are suffering to end their lives.
This data shows that medicine doesn’t agree with MAID, as it falls outside normal practice. Viewing MAID as a legal action and a rights issue, focused on one act to end life, shows how complex this act is even though people now see it as medical care. While this might make patients and doctors feel less positive about MAID, some health workers will still offer this service though not as part of medicine. This new perspective might also bring more resources to help care for and better understand patients who suffer and are close to death.
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