Medically assisted death process and proposed bill too strict, Winnipegger says

A Winnipegger whose mother died with the help of doctors in Switzerland says she's concerned the current process and even proposed federal legislation would have prevented her mother from accessing the service in Canada.

Susan Griffiths had multiple system atrophy — an incurable, debilitating neurological disorder. The 72-year-old flew to Zurich in 2013 to take advantage of the country's assisted-dying law and end her life.

While medically assisted dying became legal in Canada on Tuesday for patients who meet certain criteria, until federal legislation is passed, Manitoba patients will still need to receive a judge's stamp of approval to access the service.​

You don't want to have to reach a point where you're unable to function before you get the relief.- Natasha Griffiths

"I think it's a shame because then you have to become involved in the legal system. You actually have to go through the process of going through the courts, which would've been very intimidating for me.... I don't think that would've ever been a choice for my mother," she said.

But Griffiths is even more concerned about the Liberals' proposed legislation, Bill C–14, which is currently under review by the Senate. The bill includes a "foreseeable death" provision, which Griffiths said would have restricted her mother from seeking the procedure.

"She had a terrible, very debilitating progressive disease with no chance of remission, but she could've lived probably for some time beyond the time she did, and it would've been unbearable for her," Griffiths said. "We would've had to have sought help elsewhere." 

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For a family of someone in pain and wanting to end their life, having to wait or jump through legal hoops would prolong the suffering and be needlessly stressful for everyone, she said.​

"I think she would've been hopeful that it could've been reworked," said Griffiths.

"It depends on what happens when it goes through the Senate.… I think the fact that nothing was done for so many months after the original ruling by the Conservative government meant there was a lot less time to work on it for the Liberal government, so in some sense it was rushed."

Susan Griffiths made the difficult choice to end her life because she led an active lifestyle and valued quality over quantity, her daughter said.

Natasha Griffiths said she hopes that over time, laws broaden in scope to allow someone like her mother to legally seek the procedure in the comfort of their home province without needing court approval.

"I would like it to be very much like the Supreme Court ruling that did not specify that you had to be at the end of life with a terminal illness that was measurable," she said. "I would like to see much broader parameters.... You don't want to have to reach a point where you're unable to function before you get the relief."

So far, two Manitobans have successfully gone through the courts and been approved for medically assisted death in recent months, with a third application is currently under review.