Commentary on CANO/ACIO 2015 conference presentations

In 1993, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in a split decision against Sue Rodriguez, a woman with advanced ALS wanting medical assistance to end her life. Twenty-two years later, however, the Court ruled unanimously in favour of Lee Carter, a woman with progressive spinal stenosis, wanting medical assistance to die. The Court’s ruling impacts federal and provincial/ territorial legislation, as well as professional regulations. Recognizing that governments and professional bodies may wish to write practice-guiding policies, the Supreme Court instituted a 12-month waiting period before its ruling takes effect. This session [examines] the ruling’s impact on oncology nurses’ work in hospital- or community-based interprofessional settings