Will Canada Close it's Hospice Centers Soon?

Will Canada Close Its Hospice Centers Soon?
No More Funding? I Bill Vassilopoulos

What Is Happening:
Dying with Dignity Canada is attempting a constitutional challenge, arguing that faith-based hospitals and care facilities should not be allowed to refuse MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying), even for religious reasons, if they receive public funding. They argue that families of patients who wanted MAiD were forced to transfer out of faith-based facilities to receive it, which they claim violates their Charter rights.

Why This Matters:
If successful, this challenge could require faith-based hospices to allow MAiD on-site, or at minimum, not require patient transfers.

Consequences:
Hospice centers could be taken over by the government and MAiD could be required to be permitted on-site, or some hospice centers could be permanently closed.

To remind Canadians why people admit themselves to a hospice center: it is because they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have less than six months to live. Patients often opt out of chemotherapy and other treatments and want to die in peace, either alone or with family at their side. The care they receive from nurses, aides, and doctors is intended to keep them comfortable. Hospice care is similar to, but different from, palliative care, which may still offer treatment while a patient is in the hospital. Many patients understand that they do not want to be hurried toward death and want as much time to live as possible.

This could greatly affect funding for Jewish and Muslim hospice centers as well, even if they have religious exemptions in their government contracts. Currently, these faith-based centers have not been sued or directly threatened, unlike some Christian faith-based hospice centers. Some Jewish centers allow MAiD requests only if the patient initiates the request, and the procedure is not performed on-site. Muslim centers do not comply with MAiD requests and do not allow MAiD on-site. These religious centers may have to give up government funding and operate privately, but that still may not protect them if this court case in BC is successful.

The Delta Hospice Society in Delta, British Columbia, which operated Irene Thomas Hospice, was not originally a faith-based organization. In 2020, it lost its primary government funding after refusing to permit Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to be provided on site. Society leadership stated that their refusal was based on a moral and philosophical objection to MAiD rather than a formal religious doctrine. During the public dispute, some members supported transitioning the organization toward a Christian faith-based model, which added controversy but was not the original reason for the MAiD policy. Following the defunding, the hospice facility was taken over by Fraser Health and MAiD access was incorporated under the new administration.

Dying with Dignity, which began in the United States and later expanded into Canada, is a highly controversial movement. Unlike hospice care, which focuses on comfort and support for patients who decline aggressive treatment, Dying with Dignity promotes life-ending options. Many hospice patients enter care seeking to live their remaining time in peace and dignity, not to hasten death. Introducing or advocating for death-hastening measures in these settings can conflict with the values and wishes of patients who have chosen comfort-focused care, making the movement a source of ethical and social debate.

Conclusion:
This court case in BC could significantly change the role of hospice centers in Canada, and the option for people to die alone or with family at their side may be affected. Concerns about the direction of end-of-life policy in Canada continue to grow. I will not be intimidated, and I will continue to speak out and educate others about the direction Canada is taking us towards in our courts.

I pray every day for courage and strength for people facing hunger, poverty, mental health struggles, terminal illnesses, intellectual and physical disabilities, injuries from street and medical drugs, and all vulnerable people who face darkness every day.

Please read, (25:34-40)*

There are many smaller court cases across Canada addressing the right to keep hospice centers open in provinces that do not want MAiD offered or performed. Please keep them in your prayers.

Warmly, Your friend,

Bill Vassilopoulos

*Matthew 25:34-40, "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."