Access to MAID, abortions raises questions about the limits of B.C. faith-based health care

Questions are being raised about the services provided or not provided by B.C.’s faith-based health-care facilities.

Hospitals such as St. Paul’s in Vancouver do not allow medical assistance in dying, or MAID, forcing patients at the end of their life to be moved to other facilities for the process.

Catholic-affiliated hospitals also do not perform abortions or even offer contraceptives.

Religion plays a big role in British Columbia’s health-care system due to a master agreement signed in 1995 between the province and a group of faith-affiliated health-care providers.

“As long as they have it documented in their mission statement that they do not believe in it, they do not have to provide it,” Alex Muir, a spokesperson with Dying with Dignity, the Vancouver chapter, told Global News.

“That’s why, for example, at St. Paul’s, women cannot get an abortion and people cannot be provided with MAID.”

Patient advocacy groups are now coming together and calling for faith-based agreements to be abolished in B.C.

“These hospitals, these administration systems do not represent the Canadian people at all,” Joyce Arthur, the executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada said.

The latest Census polling from 2021 shows that 12 per cent of the B.C. population identify as Catholic, while 52 per cent reported no religious affiliation.

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“And we’re looking at hospitals here that are publicly funded and to the tune of billions of dollars at St. Paul’s Hospital and then weighing that funding, and it’s just unacceptable that they should be allowed to deny this necessary care for people,” Arthur said.

“I think the answer is to turn all these Catholic hospitals into secular hospitals so they are no longer under Catholic directives.”

Global News reached out to many faith-based organizations to speak about their perspective, however, some never returned any messages and the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada declined to speak on camera or share a statement.

Providence Health also declined any request to comment due to an active court case.

Sam O’Neill, 34, was a patient at St. Paul’s Hospital last year. She had terminal cancer but was denied MAID due to the hospital’s religious affiliation.

In immense pain, Sam had to be sedated while sitting on a commode, wrapped in a blanket inside St. Paul’s so she could be transferred to St. John Hospice, also operated by Providence Health Care, where MAID is allowed.

The difference is that Providence Health Care owns and operates St. Paul’s Hospital, whereas it only operates St. John Hospice.

Sam ended up being sedated multiple times during the transfer and never regained consciousness at St. John Hospice and therefore was not able to provide final consent for MAID prior to the procedure.

Her parents are now suing Providence Health Care and the B.C. government over what happened.

“It still involves depriving the individual of religious rights,” her mother, Gaye O’Neill, told Global News on Wednesday. “It involves moving an individual who is in too much pain, unimaginable pain … to be adjusted in a bed let alone being transferred to a gurney and bounced along hallways and elevators and corridors, just so they don’t sin on Providence Health Care’s watch.

“It’s cruel, it’s disrespectful. It’s illegal because access to MAID is legal in Canada.”

B.C. has 44 health-care facilities that faith-based organizations operate. Providence Health manages 17 of them.

“Quebec has said if you get taxpayer dollars you have to provide MAID and so we think we should follow Quebec’s lead,” Muir said.

However, Health Minister Adrian Dix said the B.C. government would not be taking over any faith-based health-care organizations.

“Providence Health Care has led the world in innovative progressive health responses,” he said.

“They’re a big part of our response everywhere. So we work very well with Providence Health Care. On the issue of medical assistance and dying we have taken steps in part in response to recent events, but because we need to provide medical assistance and dying services across our province.”

Dix said that St. Paul’s Hospital has led research and treatment of HIV and AIDS and the work everyone at the hospital does is very important.

“I understand that some people would like us to change the status of a nonprofit provider associated with the system like Providence Health Care and St Paul’s Hospital,” he added.

“But what I always try to do is make health care better and to respond to patient needs by focusing on the patient. And I think St Paul’s in his history… does an exceptional job.”