Assisted suicide is a topic bound to get people talking.
The provincial government found that to be the case as they wrapped up a survey asking the public to weigh in on what the framework should look like for those who seek death to end their suffering.
More than 10,000 surveys were completed, said health minister Sarah Hoffman. The province will now set about reviewing and compiling the responses.
“It speaks to the fact that this is a matter that Albertans feel strongly about,” said Hoffman.
The Supreme Court ruling last February against a law making it illegal to help someone suffering from “grievous and irremediable” medical conditions to end their life. The deadline for lawmakers to come up with a new law or regulatory structure is June 6.
Hoffman said while the survey responses have yet to be thoroughly reviewed — the input period ended March 31 — some early trends have appeared.
“People want to make sure that those who are vulnerable feel that they really do have a choice,” she said, adding that many people emphasized the importance of high-quality home and palliative care as an alternative.
There are also those still opposed to assisted suicide whatsoever, but Hoffman points out that that ship has sailed.
“The Supreme Court has made their decision and patients will have the right to make that choice.”
A recent Angus Reid Institute survey of 1,517 Canadians on the issue found broad support for assisted suicide in some cases. Seventy-six per cent supported assisted suicide for the terminally ill with less than six months to live who “would rather end it sooner,” as well as for people with intense pain.
But 78 per cent said that “psychological suffering” alone should not be sufficient criteria.
Last month, a Calgary woman became the first person outside of Quebec — which enacted assisted-dying legislation in 2015 — to end her life with the help of doctors. The woman, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, was suffering from ALS and had to travel to Vancouver to find a doctor willing to help her die.
The next step for the province will be sorting through the contentious practical issues around the subject: How to decide what suffering will qualify? Where should the procedure take place? Should a doctor be required to be present? How to balance the rights of patients with the right of doctors to refuse to participate?
“We’ll be working through those nuances,” said Hoffman. “There are a number of little pieces being worked through right now, but that’s one of the reasons we asked the survey questions, to give us an idea of where Albertans stand on the issue today.”
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With files from James Wood