Religious views and experiences with disability colour views of Medical Assistance in Dying
December 12, 2024 – Medical assistance in dying or MAID has been legal in Canada for nearly a decade but remains a relatively new frontier in medicine. As seen with legislative changes and debates in this country and MAID’s burgeoning establishment around the world, parameters for this procedure are still being established.
Indeed, the United Kingdom parliament voted for the first time to pass a strict version of assisted dying in late November of this year. Though that bill still needs to clear the House of Lords and parliamentary committees, it would have the U.K. joining a small group of nations that have codified this procedure.
With many questions being answered in real-time, Angus Reid Institute, in partnership with Cardus, asked Canadians to weigh in on several key debates around Canada’s MAID law.
Click below to see Key Takeaways from the data
In some jurisdictions, doctors are prohibited from raising assisted dying with a patient unsolicited. Canadians offer divided views on this provision. Asked whether MAID should be left solely up to the patient to mention, 43 per cent say doctors should be free to use their discretion, while 40 per cent say they should not be able to raise it unless a patient does first.
Potentially driving some concern for those who would prefer a doctor not mention MAID is the fact that 41 per cent worry patients may feel pressured to choose the procedure if it is offered by a doctor. An identical number disagree that this is a potential issue.
Canadians who are dealing with a more severe form of disability are most likely to agree that pressure from a doctor could be a concern. Half among this group (50%) say this compared to 38 per cent among those with no disability challenges:
Canadians are also split on their support of so-called MAID-free spaces, that is, hospitals or facilities where the procedure is not performed. While a larger proportion (44%) disagrees with a need for such spaces, a still significant proportion (32%) feels this is a worthwhile option to have available. The former view is perhaps due to low levels of concern about receiving care from a doctor who performs MAID:
Even if a doctor does not believe in MAID, Canadians believe that person has a professional obligation to ensure that a referral for the procedure is made, if desired by the patient. Four-in-five Canadians (78%) say that a medical professional should be required to refer, up eight points compared to last year:
The Full Story
INDEX
- Four-in-five say doctors should be required to refer patient to another doctor for MAID
- Canadians prefer patient transfer rather than requiring MAID at religious hospitals
- MAID-free spaces?
- Should doctors be prohibited from suggesting MAID?
As experiences with medical assistance in dying increase and more Canadians are touched by this procedure, debates over it continue to unfold. Canadians’ views of this aspect of medicine are nuanced, showing support for choice but preferring restraint in some forms.
Four-in-five say doctors should be required to refer patient to another doctor for MAID
One aspect of this conversation is relatively uncontroversial and evidently growing in agreement. That is, that even if a doctor does not believe in MAID, that person has a professional obligation to ensure that a referral for the procedure is made, if desired by the patient. Four-in-five Canadians (78%) say that a medical professional should be required to refer, up eight points compared to last year:
Notable in this preference are the views of those historically most skeptical of MAID – the Religiously Committed on the Angus Reid Institute and Cardus’s Spectrum of Spirituality. While this group is indeed most likely to disagree with the necessity of a referral, a majority still say this should be made, regardless of a doctor’s ethical or moral position:
Canadians prefer patient transfer rather than requiring MAID at religious hospitals
As to whether certain spaces should be required to perform MAID, Canadians are less convinced. Supposing a patient was receiving care at a hospital or other health-care facility whose religious, moral and ethical codes are opposed to MAID, and that person decided they wanted to receive MAID, approaching three-in-10 say the hospital has an obligation to offer it, but a small majority say that the patient should be transferred to another facility:
MAID-free spaces?
Canadians are also split on their support of so-called MAID-free spaces, that is, hospitals or facilities where the procedure is not performed. While a larger proportion (44%) disagrees with a need for such spaces, a still significant proportion (32%) feels this is a worthwhile option to have available. The former view is perhaps due to low levels of concern about receiving care from a doctor who performs MAID:
Division about MAID-free spaces spans the spectrum of disability challenges in Canada. Those with severe conditions are most likely to say that spaces should be designated free of MAID but are still close to evenly split (44% agree, 38% disagree). Others lean toward disagreeing, but no group reaches a majority view on either side of the debate. That said, those with severe disability are twice as likely as all other groups to strongly agree with the concept of MAID-free spaces:
Should doctors be prohibited from suggesting MAID?
In some jurisdictions that allow MAID, including some Australian states, doctors are prohibited from mentioning the procedure to terminally-ill patients, instead leaving it to the patient and their family to broach the subject. Some argue that this prevents patients from being influenced, while others say it restricts patients from knowing about all end-of-life care options. Canadians are divided about this question, with close to equal numbers saying doctors should and shouldn’t be prohibited from raising the subject. Notably, older Canadians are more supportive of doctors raising MAID than younger ones:
Views across the Spectrum of Spirituality vary significantly on this question. Among the Non-Religious, a two-to-one preference for allowing doctors to mention this is noted. Among both the Privately Faithful and the Religiously Committed this perspective shifts, with the Religiously Committed almost three-times as likely to feel doctors should be prohibited from mentioning MAID and it should be left up to the patient:
Part of the of the evident skepticism about raising MAID may be rooted in the sense that it may be seen as pressure from patients who it is offered to as an option. Again, younger people are more likely to feel this could happen, while older Canadians, and particularly women over the age of 54 are most likely to disagree with this concept:
Notably, those Canadians who are dealing with a more severe form of disability are most likely to agree that pressure from a doctor could be a concern. Half among this group (50%) say this compared to 38 per cent among those with no disability challenges:
Survey Methodology
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from Nov. 29 – Dec. 5, 2024, among a representative randomized sample of 4,004 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
For the full release, click here.
For the questionnaire, click here.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Shachi Kurl, President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org
Dave Korzinski, Research Director: 250.899.0821 dave.korzinski@angusreid.org
