Abstract
The recent passing of legislation decriminalizing medically assisted suicide was a landmark in Canadian history. Since the law’s passage, an average of four Canadians per day have chosen to die using medical assistance. With Canadians embracing this option of death, we argue that there will be moments in Canadian schools when this topic will be brought into the classrooms. In this paper, we outline how children view death both emotionally and conceptually, as well as how teachers can discuss death in their classrooms. The purpose is to provide a brief explanation of the law, an expiation of how children view death, and a framework for how teachers may be prepared to broach the topic when raised in their classrooms.
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Notes
We use the following definitions in this paper: “Euthanasia is the deliberate act undertaken by one person with the intention of ending the life of another person in order to relieve that person’s suffering. Assisted suicide is the act of intentionally killing oneself with the assistance of another who provides the knowledge, means or both” (Butler et al. 2013, Sect. 2.2, para. 1).
Those who are mentally competent can instruct their physicians not to treat them to continue their lives unduly. Physicians instructed not to treat patients are liable in damages if they disregard such instructions (Fleming v. Reid 1991; Malette v. Shulman 1990). Such patients eventually die either from starvation or from the untreated consequences of their condition. As well, patients undergoing life-support treatment are entitled to direct such treatment to be discontinued, in which event they too inevitably die (Nancy B. v. Hotel-Dieu de Quebec 1992; Rodriguez v. British Columbia 1993).
The most up-to-date provincial data (Slaughter 2016) show that, to mid-December, 154 procedures were performed in BC; 63 were performed in Alberta, with 19 occurring in the last month; 18 were performed in Manitoba; and 8 were performed in Saskatchewan. As of October 31, 16 were performed in Nova Scotia and 4 were performed in Newfoundland and Labrador. None were performed in PEI or the Northwest Territories. New Brunswick, the Yukon, and Iqaluit have not released data; however, in the Yukon, local media have reported on one case. In Quebec, where the procedures began in December of 2015, there were an estimated 300 assisted deaths in 2016 (Slaughter 2016).
Or a shorter period if the medical practitioner or nurse practitioner believes that it is appropriate due to the immanent loss of the patient’s ability to give informed consent.
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Donlevy, J.K., Schroeder, M. & Wilcox, G. Medical Assistance in Dying: Implications for Canadian Classrooms and the Academy. Interchange 49, 445–455 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-018-9335-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-018-9335-4