Alberta Woman’s Medically Assisted Death Halted by BC Judge
A British Columbia judge has issued an injunction halting a woman’s planned medically assisted death in Vancouver just a day before it was scheduled to occur.
The injunction, granted on Saturday to the woman’s common-law partner, prohibits Dr. Ellen Wiebe or any other medical professional from facilitating the end of life for the 53-year-old Alberta woman within the next 30 days.
According to the court application filed by the woman’s partner, she was initially diagnosed with bipolar disorder but eventually believed she suffered from “akathisia” – a condition characterized by an inability to remain still. This led her to consider medical assistance in dying.
Medical experts informed her that her condition was treatable and transitory, and thus not eligible for assisted dying in Alberta. Subsequently, she sought out Dr. Wiebe in Vancouver, who allegedly approved the procedure without a thorough review of her medical history or a complete health assessment.
While these allegations have not been proven in court, Dr. Wiebe has declined to comment on them when approached by The Canadian Press.
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Justice Simon R. Coval, in his decision to grant the injunction, emphasized the risk of “extreme irreparable harm” in this case.
Coval acknowledged the existence of a potentially valid argument regarding the proper application of assisted dying criteria in the woman’s situation, who was granted anonymity by the court.
