Archbishop of Montreal challenges the law on medical aid in dying

The Archbishop of Montreal challenges part of the law on medical aid in dying, which obliges Maison St-Raphaël, a former church converted into a palliative care home, to administer medical aid in dying.

The Archbishop of Montreal and the Roman Catholic Archbishop’s Charities of Montreal have filed an appeal, challenging the law governing medical aid in dying, which, since December, has prevented the exclusion of this service in hospices.

They argue in the appeal that this infringes their right to freedom of religion and conscience under the Canadian and Quebec Charters.

The plaintiffs point out that they are faced with an “insoluble” dilemma, forcing them to choose between supporting Maison St-Raphaël, or allowing this former church to “commit acts that they consider morally unacceptable”.

They therefore want this part of the law to be invalidated so as not to oblige hospices to administer medical aid in dying.

According to the court document, in September the Archbishop of Montreal had requested an exemption from the law from the Minister of Health, Sonia Bélanger, which she refused.

“The consequence of the new law is that acts that we consider morally unacceptable will be committed on our property,” the archbishop lamented in a statement released Tuesday.

“The State is thus de facto diverting the intention of the founders and donors as well as the mission of the former church, which we are graciously making available to a community organization.”

-This article was translated from French by CityNews