HALCO and the the Mental Health Legal Committee (MHLC) were granted intervener status in the upcoming Supreme Court of Canada case of Brian Cuthbertson, et al. v. Hassan Rasouli by his Litigation Guardian and Substitute Decision Maker, Parichehr Salasel (Rasouli).
Last week we submitted our intervener factum to the Court, taking the position that doctors must obtain consent for treatment, including treatment plans that provide for the withdrawal or withholding of treatment – even treatment that the physician categorizes as having no medical benefit. You can read our intervener factum on our website: www.halco.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Rasouli_intervention_Factum-2012July.pdf
The doctors in this case are asking the court to rule that they are not required to get consent to the withdrawal or withholding of treatment that has, in their opinion, no medical benefit.
We look forward to finding out whether the Court will grant HALCO and the MHLC the opportunity to speak to the panel of judges directly at the hearing scheduled for December 2012.
For more information about the case, please see page 5 of our HALCO news Spring 2012 newsletter: www.halco.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/HALCO_Newsletter-2012SpringJune.pdf