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The parents of Sam O’Neill speak to media at the Vancouver Law Courts on Jan. 12 ahead of a B.C. Supreme Court trial challenging the province’s MAiD policy.
Special to The B.C. Catholic
January 15, 2026
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The mother of a Vancouver woman who was transferred from St. Paul’s Hospital to another facility for medical assistance in dying testified Tuesday that the doctors and nurses at St. Paul’s were “wonderful,” but said the transfer itself was “very, very quick” and that family members had to move medical equipment blocking access to the room where her daughter would die.
Gaye O’Neill told B.C. Supreme Court that the medical staff who cared for her daughter, Sam O’Neill, for a year were “good to her” and were respectful of her choices, including her decision to receive MAiD.
O’Neill is a plaintiff in a Charter challenge against the province, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Providence Health Care, the Catholic health-care provider that operates St. Paul’s. The plaintiffs also include pro-MAiD organization Dying with Dignity and a palliative care doctor who ended her work at a Catholic hospice because MAiD is not provided on site.
The plaintiffs are challenging the constitutionality of the B.C. government’s MAiD policy, which exempts faith-based hospitals from providing assisted dying on the basis of religious belief.
During cross-examination, O’Neill said her daughter was fiercely independent and wanted to make her own medical decisions. She learned that Sam had decided to access MAiD and that a plan had been developed with her care team for her to be transferred to another facility.
O’Neill described a rushed transfer that meant loved ones had “minimal” time for a quick farewell in groups of five. O’Neill agreed that nurses were following Sam’s directions as to who came into her room, and that there was time pressure because the transfer vehicle was waiting.
Her daughter was sedated for the transfer and was unconscious when she left St. Paul’s and when she arrived at the hospice.
O’Neill described the experience of arriving at the hospice, saying the room her daughter was being taken to was blocked with wheelchairs and walkers. O’Neill said family members had to push equipment out of the way of the door to clear a path for her daughter to be brought in.
She described the day as “very out of control” for her, while agreeing that all the medical decisions were made by Sam.
The trial is expected to continue through Feb. 6.
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Photo courtesy TED
