Editor:
Re: Delta Hospice must drop its refusal to provide MAiD or else, Feb. 2
I was saddened to see this article published in your newspaper. The article itself is clearly one-sided, inflammatory and certainly doesn't speak for the people of Delta.
I thought newspapers were supposed to report objectively and get both sides of the story. Certainly not in this case. This article and its writer made no attempt to even imagine that there may be another side to this. Perhaps the people of Delta feel differently.
I have done some research on Medical Assistance in Dying and have found that its focus is on the person who wishes to end their suffering. The line from your story, "Doing so would place it beneath a particular threshold so it can operate without being obliged to medically kill the sick and dying," is completely unfair and untrue.
There is no basis for MAiD to be carried by people who are against it, nor will the focus become killing the sick and dying. The people of Delta are overwhelmingly in favour of MAiD being offered within their community. Would you like it if your terminally ill parent/family member had to travel to receive the treatment they want. It's preposterous.
Perhaps you're unaware of a survey that the hospice itself commissioned but oddly didn't release. In March of 2018, the Delta Hospice Society hired Discovery Research, an independent consulting firm, to conduct a comprehensive telephone survey. With a random sample of 301 residents from Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta, residents were asked questions about their awareness and attitudes related to Medical Assistance in Dying. Survey results:
• 78 per cent of Delta residents indicated they were aware that medically assisted dying is legal in Canada.
• 82 per cent support making medically assisted dying services available if a terminally ill patient requests the service and meets the eligible requirements.
• If medically assisted dying services were available, 70 per cent would consider personally using the services.
• 49 per cent of Delta residents were familiar with the Irene Thomas Delta Hospice, 22 per cent have visited the Hospice and 52 per cent of respondents indicated they were familiar with the service provided at the Irene Thomas Hospice.
• 71 per cent support making medically assisted dying services available at the Irene Thomas Delta Hospice if a terminally ill patient requests the service and meets the eligible requirements.
Note: Statistics generated from a sample size of 301 will be accurate within ±5.6%, at the 95 per cent confidence interval (19 times out of 20).
Your paper must do better. You're supposed to be journalists. You're supposed to be unbiased and get both sides of a story.
This article is shameful
Mary Ramage
