Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

B.C. judge halts the medically assisted death of Alberta woman

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 Oct, 2024 03:55 PM
  • B.C. judge halts the medically assisted death of Alberta woman

A British Columbia judge has granted an injunction stopping a woman's medically assisted death, the day before it was scheduled to take place in Vancouver. 

The injunction granted on Saturday to the woman's common-law partner prevents Dr. Ellen Wiebe or any other medical professional from helping end the life of the 53-year-old Alberta woman within 30 days.

The court application by the woman's partner says she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but later became convinced she had “akathisia" — an inability to stay still — and began exploring medical assistance in dying. 

It says medical professionals told her the condition was "treatable" and "transitory" and could be managed, and she was unable to obtain approval for assistance to die in Alberta.

The application says she then found Wiebe, and that the Vancouver-based doctor breached her statutory duty by approving assistanced in dying for a condition that does not qualify, while failing to review the patient's medical history or conduct a full health assessment.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and Wiebe declined a request for comment by The Canadian Press. 

Justice Simon R. Coval says in his reasons for granting the injunction that it was "clearly a situation of extreme irreparable harm." 

Coval says there is an "arguable case" about whether the assistance in dying criteria were properly applied in the case of the woman, who was granted anonymity by the court.

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. short-term rental restrictions reducing rents, saving tenants millions: study

B.C. short-term rental restrictions reducing rents, saving tenants millions: study
Crackdowns on short-term rentals in British Columbia have effectively reduced rents by 5.7 per cent, saving tenants more than $600 million last year, says a report led by the Canada Research Chair in Urban Governance at McGill University. That figure is the result of municipal restrictions, in particular requirements that short-term rental units must be located within the operator's principal residence.

B.C. short-term rental restrictions reducing rents, saving tenants millions: study

Woman dies, watchdog notified after police shooting in Surrey

Woman dies, watchdog notified after police shooting in Surrey
British Columbia's independent police watchdog has been notified after a women was shot and killed by police in Surrey. RCMP say in happened Thursday when police were called to a disturbance at a home at about 4:40 a.m.

Woman dies, watchdog notified after police shooting in Surrey

RCMP and the Surrey Police Service to keep working alongside each other even after Nov29th transition

RCMP and the Surrey Police Service to keep working alongside each other even after Nov29th transition
R-C-M-P and the Surrey Police Service are set to keep working alongside each other, even after the takeover date by the municipal police force. The S-P-S is slated to take jurisdiction of Surrey on November 29th, but says the R-C-M-P will continue to operate in the area and help with transition support. 

RCMP and the Surrey Police Service to keep working alongside each other even after Nov29th transition

Teenager charged in Surrey stabbing

Teenager charged in Surrey stabbing
Surrey R-C-M-P say one youth has been charged following a stabbing attack on two men earlier this month. Police say on September 11th, officers responded to calls of a fight on 130-A Street.

Teenager charged in Surrey stabbing

BC Greens want to lower voting age

BC Greens want to lower voting age
The B-C Green Party wants to lower the voting age in the province to 16, saying the move would empower young people and strengthen democracy. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau says lowering the voting age and allowing teens to vote in provincial elections while they're still in high school would jumpstart civic engagement while giving young people a real say in shaping their future.

BC Greens want to lower voting age

VPD on lookout for SUV occupants

VPD on lookout for SUV occupants
Vancouver Police are looking for the occupants of an S-U-V that was in the area where Japanese chef Wataru Kakiuchi was fatally stabbed early on June 5th. A 32-year-old man was arrested and charged with second-degree murder less than a week after the stabbing in the city's Downtown Eastside.

VPD on lookout for SUV occupants