Citation

Clements-Cortes A, Yip J. Music Ther. Perspect. 2021; 39(1): 11-16.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/mtp/miaa009

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia are two procedures of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) that are readily requested by patients internationally. In April 2016, the legalization of these procedures occurred in Canada after the pursuit of many jurisdictional cases. Known as Bill C-14, this legislation aims to balance patient autonomy at end-of-life with revised standardizations for medical and healthcare professionals. Music therapists may be included in the medical and healthcare team that can be recommended by patients considering MAiD. At present, there are no written guidelines that empirically outline the role of music therapists in this area. This paper explores the global history of MAiD as well as MAiD in the Canadian healthcare system and its implications. Information on the legislation Bill C-14 will be explained, along with a discussion on the current practices of music therapy at end-of-life and the potential scope of a music therapist during the MAiD procedure. Ethical issues and future research are also presented as recommendations to healthcare and music therapy professionals. © 2020 The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Music Therapy Association. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en

Keywords

palliative care; hospice; music therapy; patient preference; end-of-life care