HALIFAX — Some Nova Scotia doctors say a recently approved regulation requiring them to make referrals for medical assistance in dying could drive physicians from their practices and harm recruitment. Three doctors told a news conference Thursday the wording of the professional standard crosses a line because it requires physicians to give an "effective referral" to another doctor willing to administer the procedure. The policy, passed May 24 by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, could worsen the province's shortage of family doctors if the regulator censures those who refuse to obey it, the doctors warned.
The news conference was organized by the Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canada and led by its director Larry Worthen. The advocacy group said in a news release that 41 physicians in the province have signed a letter stating they're unwilling to follow the policy, potentially putting them at risk of discipline. The three doctors — Dr.
Amy Hendricks, an internal medicine specialist in Antigonish; Dr. Jeanne Ferguson, a geriatric psychiatrist in North Sydney; and Dr. Paul Young, a family physician and director of care at two nursing homes in Halifax — said Thursday the wording of the rule means they may be required to refer patients to another doctor who would carry out or arrange a procedure that is contrary to their consciences.
Ferguson said that during her 26 years in practice she has had patients request MAID because they suffered f.