Thursday, June 11, 2020

Delta Hospice is still being pressured to do euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Sign and share the petition: Hospice Organizations Must NOT be Forced to do Euthanasia (Link).
In February 2018 the Board of the BC Delta Hospice was given an Edict from Fraser Health to provide euthanasia (MAiD). At that time, the Board of the Delta Hospice decided not comply with the edict and continued its good work.

In December 2019, the Delta Hospice was once again ordered to do euthanasia or lose it's government funding.

A spokesperson for Fraser Health told the Delta Optimist that:
it fully supports a patient’s right to receive medical assistance in dying wherever they may be, including in a hospice setting.
The edict by Fraser Health is contrary to the stated purpose of the Delta Hospice Society constitution.

A few weeks later, BC Health Minister, Adrian Dix, stated that he would force the Delta Hospice to do euthanasia or it would lose it's funding. In February 2020, Adrian Dix gave notice that funding for the Delta Hospice would cease in February 2021.

The Delta Hospice battle continues. 


In response to the funding notice, the Delta Hospice Society decided to change its constitution to declare that it is a faith-based hospice. Faith-based organizations are not being forced to do euthanasia.

An article by James Smith in the Cloverdale Reporter explains that the Delta Hospice declaring themselves a faith-based hospice is facing opposition from local politicians. A joint letter from political leaders states:
“As Delta’s elected officials, we are united in voicing our concerns with the board’s recent decision to significantly alter its constitution and bylaws, while at the same time seemingly thwarting the efforts of our citizens to have a say in the direction of the society.”
Local politicians are accusing the Delta Hospice of denying regular citizens membership in the hospice organization.

Angelina Ireland
Smith reports that Delta Hospice Society President, Angelina Ireland, disagrees with the position of the local politicians. Smith reports:
DHS president Angelina Ireland said she takes issue with the mayor and company’s characterization of the situation, explaining the society has been inundated with applications and had to “draw the line” for practical, not ideological, reasons. 
“Just to send out this information to our membership now at 1,500 people, it cost us $5,000 in postage. So we can’t afford to have a meeting if the meeting’s going to cost us $20,000. We have to be realistic. And I know that’s difficult for government [to understand] because government has unrestricted funds, unrestricted tax payer funds, to do whatever they want, but we’re just a small society and we just can’t afford to have any more people, not to mention the administrative nightmare of trying to administer to 1,500 members.”
Hospice organizations should not be forced to do euthanasia. 

The Delta Hospice Society is not trying to restrict its services to Christians, but the BC government ordered the Delta Hospice to provide euthanasia or lose its funding. The BC government is not forcing faith based organizations to provide euthanasia.

Smith reported that, according to BC Health Minister, Adrian Dix, the majority of the 3000 euthanasia deaths in British Columbia were done in the person's home.

The Delta Hospice Society is an independent non-profit corporation.
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1 comment:

  1. CharleneJune 11, 2020 at 6:44 PM

    Those politicians seem to forget that their constituents also include people who support the Hospice's position and for change to their Constitution if that's what it takes.

    ReplyDelete