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Table 1 Bill C-14 eligibility criteria and safeguards (previous legislation)

From: Health care providers’ ethical perspectives on waiver of final consent for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): a qualitative study

BILL C-14 eligibility criteria

18 + years of age

Eligible for publicly funded health services

Has decision-making capacity at the time of request and to provide final consent

Informed consent to receive MAID given after patient informed of means available to relieve suffering

Voluntary request for MAID

Person has “grievous and irremediable medical condition”, meaning:

 serious and incurable illness, disease or disability and has an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability;

 has enduring physical or psychological suffering that is intolerable to them and cannot be relieved under conditions that they consider acceptable

Their natural death has become reasonably foreseeable

Bill C-14 safeguards

Patient must make a written request that must be witnessed and signed by two independent witnesses

Witness may not be a family member or a health care worker

Two independent practitioners must confirm all eligibility criteria

Person must be informed that they can withdraw request at any time, by any means

Mandatory 10-day reflection period after written request is signed, unless death or loss of capacity imminent

Immediately before MAID is provided, person must be given opportunity to withdraw consent

Must confirm consent at the time of provision to receive MAID

  1. Government of Canada [6]