Assisted dying is not Palliative Care

By:  Louise Lee  Posted On:  Jul 1st, 2016

Let's talk about hospice and palliative care first

Echoing the view of Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association, GIPPEC urges the public not to confuse assisted dying with palliative care.

While it's true that palliative care advocates believe in choices - people need to know their end-of-life options, and they need to know them ahead of time, having choices does not only mean choosing whether to receive assisted death or not. Assisted dying is simply one of the many choices people can have at the end of life.

Don't forget palliative and psychosocial care

This animation is an adaptation of the letter, "Beyond Assisted Dying: Dignity, Autonomy and the Human Condition" published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal by Drs. Jennifer Bell, Gary Rodin, and Camilla Zimmermann. 

Through exploring the concepts of dignity and autonomy, the authors urge the public not to forget palliative and psychosocial care when weighing various end-of-life choices. 

Related Info

Gary Rodin

Director of GIPPEC at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto

Camilla Zimmermann

Department Head of Supportive Care at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Head of Division of Palliative Care at University Health Network
Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto

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