Advance request for medical aid in dying

An advance request for medical aid in dying allows a person to give their consent in advance to receive medical aid in dying in the future, under certain conditions, when they will no longer be able to consent to receiving care.

Advance requests for medical aid in dying are strictly regulated. All the details are not yet known, but here is some general information:

Advance request for medical aid in dying

An advance request for medical aid in dying allows a person to give their consent in advance to receive medical aid in dying in the future, under certain conditions, when they will no longer be able to consent to receiving care.

Advance requests for medical aid in dying are strictly regulated. All the details are not yet known, but here is some general information:

Who can make a request?

To be admissible, the request must be made while the adult is still capable of consenting to care, for the purpose of receiving medical aid in dying when they become incapacitated, if all the conditions stipulated by law are met.

The request may be made by a person who has been diagnosed with a serious, incurable illness that leads to incapacity (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease).

Process

The person wishing to submit a request must:

• designate a doctor or specialized nurse practitioner who will agree to assist them in formulating their request using the form provided;
• if necessary, designate one or two persons of trust who will ensure that the patient’s wishes are known and respected, provided that all the conditions laid down by law are met;
• in the request, provide a detailed description of the clinical manifestations, such as symptoms, associated with their illness;
• sign the request form in the presence of the doctor or specialized nurse practitioner, and two witnesses, unless the request is made by notarial act, and the trusted third party or parties, if any.

To be valid, the advance request must be filed in the register provided for by law by the doctor, the specialized nurse practitioner or a notary.

An advance request for medical aid in dying may be withdrawn or modified at any time if the person is legally competent.

Information

Further details are available on the Government of Quebec website and in the Guide pour la personne et ses proches — Demande anticipée d’aide médicale à mourir — Octobre 2024, published by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux [in French].