Dear editor,

The past weeks I鈥檝e read various opinions in our local newspapers on the new medical assistance in dying (MAiD) law that has recently been passed by our federal government. Though I am not a Catholic, I do encourage them to stand firm in their decision to not allow MAiD to be performed on their premises, St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital.

Yes it may be true only 12 per cent of the population is Catholic and is supported by our public funds and private donations. Let鈥檚 not go there as the majority of us believe that most government decisions concerning where our funds go are influenced by minorities. Also, 鈥渨ere those individuals and businesses who made large donations,鈥� as someone quoted, informed that MAiD was part of the support to which they were giving? MAiD is a new law.

Some have suggested that the hospice facility should be on a secular site. Well, may I suggest you be patient and proceed to build and fund your secular facility. In the meantime, honour the exceptional hospice care St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital gives and continues to give. That seems to be the choice of one letter: 鈥渆ither the prohibition ends or a non-faith-based site is chosen by Island Health鈥�.

Patience is a virtue as the scriptures say, even the approval of MAiD by the government didn鈥檛 happen overnight.

I believe the position of St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital truly meets a good compromise, to transfer the patients to facilities of their choice, including at home where MAiD can be carried out by a physician. Comments in the paper seem to state that the employees at St. Joseph鈥檚 Hospital put the patients into a potato sack, throw them in the back of a pick-up truck and dispose of them as if they didn鈥檛 care. Comments written in many of the obituaries in our local newspapers claim this not to be true.

St. Joseph鈥檚 started and remains today as a faith-based organization, and has done and is doing a remarkably compassionate service to the Comox Valley. The issue is that our society has changed dramatically the past few years from one based on Christian moral values to a secular society that has run amuck. Try changing the moral values and beliefs of the many other minority religions to those of a secular society that receive government support and see how far you get.

Charlie Zerkee,

Courtenay