Around Town: BC Humanists intervene, clinic closing, Good Friday joint services

The BC Humanist Association has has been approved, along with several Christian groups, as intervenors in a lawsuit which poses a threat to all religiously based medical institutions.

The BC Humanists posted April 2:

The BC Humanist Association will be going to the Supreme Court of British Columbia to bring the perspectives of the non-religious and the importance of the duty of religious neutrality in a case that’s challenging the refusal of St Paul’s Hospital to provide medical assistance in dying (MAID) on site.

In BC, religious hospitals like St Paul’s have been permitted to refuse to provide medical procedures that violate their organizational viewpoints.

This required Sam O’Neill undergo a sedated transfer to access MAID in 2023. Her family, together with Dying With Dignity Canada, is now suing the Government of BC, Providence Healthcare and Vancouver Coastal Health.

With our interest in religious neutrality and access to medical assistance in dying, the BCHA applied for leave to intervene.

I wrote about the lawsuit last June:

Providence Health Care has accepted that a government-run ‘clinical space’ will provide euthanasia right next to their new St. Paul’s Hospital complex – but that is not good enough for critics who insist that patients who choose MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) should have the right die where they have received care.

A couple whose daughter died shortly after being transferred from St. Paul’s to another facility is suing the province and Providence Health Care, saying its policy to ban MAiD violates patients’ Charter rights.

Go here for the full article.

Following the March 4 O’Neill v. British Columbia (Minister of Health) hearing, BC Supreme Court Justice Skolrood also granted the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and several Christian groups leave to intervene.

These are the Christian groups:

• Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC)
• Christian Legal Fellowship (CLF)
• Canadian Centre for Christian Charities (CCCC) 
• Canadian Physicians for Life (CPL)
• Delta Hospice Society (DHS)

The EFC noted in their April 8 Update:

The EFC has been granted intervener status in a case about the ability of a Christian healthcare facility in B.C. to offer care that is consistent with its religious beliefs.

The EFC’s arguments will focus on institutional religious freedom and the ability of Christian institutions to provide services to the public without being compelled to compromise their beliefs. This case decision will answer the question of whether the state can compel MAiD in all medical facilities and care homes, regardless of the institution’s religious beliefs.

Chief Justice Skolrood stated:

In deciding whether to grant public interest intervenor status, the Court is concerned with ensuring that important points of view are not overlooked. . . . However, such interventions must be able to present a perspective that is not already before the Court without expanding the litigation by raising matters that are not already part of it . . . .

I am similarly of the view that each of CCCC, CPL, CLF, DHS and EFC meet the criteria for being granted intervenor status. I appreciate the plaintiffs’ point that all of these parties are generally aligned in interest, both amongst themselves and with the defendants, however I am satisfied that each brings a unique and different perspective to the issues.

Providence Health Care has posted a seven-page policy statement covering ‘Medical Assistance in Dying: Responding to Requests.’

Abortion clinic to close

The B.C. Catholic reported April 3 that pro-lifers are “reacting with cautious hope” to news that the Elizabeth Bagshaw Clinic on West Broadway will soon be closing its doors:

In a statement, the clinic cited funding uncertainty and changes within the provincial health-care system as key reasons for the decision.

The clinic’s board said the closure was driven by structural challenges, including Vancouver Coastal Health’s (VCH) plan to consolidate reproductive health services into a single-provider, single-site model. It said relocating did not make financial sense due to limited funding and an upcoming lease expiry.

CBC News reported that VCH is considering merging the three reproductive health clinics it funds – Elizabeth Bagshaw, Everywoman’s Health Centre and Willow Reproductive Health Services – into one location to increase service capacity and financial sustainability. However, details on the exact impact of this transition on patient care remain unclear.

Pro-lifers are hoping the closure goes through:

Father Larry Lynn, pro-life chaplain for the Archdiocese of Vancouver, welcomed the clinic’s “potential closing,” saying “anytime an abortion mill closes is good news.” 

He credited “our prayer and witnessing, our diligence and faithfulness” as having “some effect on that huge abortion juggernaut, adding, “I think I see a crack in their seemingly impenetrable armour.”

The announcement could “change hearts and minds throughout the country, one soul at a time,” he said. He pointed to the United States, where he said “The tide is turning.”

Go here for the full article.

Good Friday joint services

Congregations in several communities will meet together for Good Friday services. These are the ones I am aware of:

• Coastal Church, First Baptist Church and The Way will meet for three services at Centre Church;
• God’s Friday Way of the Cross at Gore & Hastings will involve people from several churches;
• God’s Friday Walk around Hasting Sunrise will meet at Longhouse Church (Franklin & Penticton), 10:30 am.
• Citywide Service will take place at Connaught Heights Pentecostal Assembly in New Westminster;
• Churches of Langley will gather for two services at Christian Life Assembly;
• Ridge Meadows Ministerial Joint Service will be held at St. George’s Maple Ridge.

Wish there were more! Please let me know if I’m missing any.