Hospitals should have the right to refuse
Dear editor,
This letter is in response to Dr. Jonathan Reggler’s recent announcement that he will provide physician assisted death .
I believe in the right of individuals, hospitals and doctors to refuse to accept or perform assisted suicide, on the grounds of religious, ethical and moral convictions. In 2000 I was placed on the liver transplant list. While waiting for a transplant my condition grew exceedingly worse. I was hospitalized in St. Joseph’s Hospital in Comox and Vancouver General Hospital. I continued to waste away, becoming incontinent, going in and out of comas and having extreme almost unbearable pain at times. I am a man of faith, I believe in divine healing, but there were moments when had I been offered assisted suicide I may have considered the option. However in the midst of all the suffering and depression I was experiencing, I received a word of hope that I was going to be alright.
I thank God for the hospitals that will adhere to a foundation of faith. Give comfort to their patients and pray with them in times of illness. Suffering can be one of our greatest opportunities, not only for physical healing, but spiritual and relational healing as well. The premature termination of life can be one of the greatest stumbling blocks to our society and to the road of life. The importance of moral and religious rights must never be minimized or we will seriously compromise our values and freedoms. I am ever so grateful that I am healthy and well after 15 years post-transplant.
Always remember “That where there is life there is hope.”
Murray Coulter
Courtenay