Doctor-Assisted Death

Any hospital benefiting from public funding, especially those closely associated with palliative care, should not be permitted to refuse an eligible patient a doctor-assisted death based on their religious convictions. The suggestion the patient be transferred to another hospital simply creates other problems with additional stress for the patient and their family. The time delay associated with a transfer along with the possibility the accepting hospital may be some distance away can add further complications. If there are no on site accommodating doctors, rather than transfer the patient, bring in a doctor. If a hospital is not prepared to do that, they should be prepared to lose their public funding.