CALGARY -- The friend of an Alberta woman who obtained one of the first legally sanctioned, medically assisted deaths in Canada says she would be proud.
Hanne Schafer, who was 66, had the neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and ended her life in Vancouver on Feb. 29 with the help of two doctors.
Schafer, a Calgary clinical psychologist for 38 years, had been diagnosed in April 2013.
The Supreme Court last year overturned a ban on physician-assisted death for patients deemed to have a grievous and irremediable medical condition that causes intolerable suffering. It gave the federal government a year to write legislation and extended that by four months.
The deadline passed this week, but Alberta has developed guidelines for its doctors until federal legislation is passed.
"I feel that Hanne Schafer would be extremely pleased to know that perhaps the way in which she had to work to find assisted dying ... has helped bring about this particular situation that we're in now," said Mary Valentich, who was with her friend when she died.
"I think she'd be very pleased that we've made this kind of progress."
Valentich was at a news conference Friday with Alberta's associate health minister for an update on the province's framework for assisted dying. The guidelines were passed by cabinet this week.
"We thought it was really important to ensure we had a framework in place ... so Albertans would know what to expect when the June 6 deadline had passed," said Brandy Payne.
"We think it's important to be clear, not only with medical professionals, but also so that patients know what to expect," she said.
The Alberta regulations say anyone who wants medical assistance in dying must be at least 18 and have a "grievous and irremediable medical condition."
They must be mentally capable of making a decision on their own health, make a voluntary request for assistance and give informed consent to have it carried out.
Any doctor who is asked by a patient to assist may decline for reasons of religion or conscience, but must ensure the patient has access to others who can carry out the request.
Alberta has also made it clear that law enforcement officials will not prosecute anyone who takes part in a medically assisted suicide.
Valentich, who helped draft the Alberta legislation, said her experience with Schafer made it clear that there was no need for a period of reflection.
"It isn't something you think of on a Friday afternoon and think you're going to have this happen on Monday. They've taken months, if not years, to think about their situation," she said.
"I can use my friend's situation as an example. She made her decision approximately six to seven months before she actually got the court exemption."
