In a world where death is often hidden behind hospital walls, the role of end-of-life doulas is emerging as a response to a deep need: bringing meaning, connection, and gentleness back into a moment too often dominated by medical procedures and the fast pace of care. End-of-life doulas accompany people who are dying, and their loved ones, for months, sometimes years. They offer emotional presence, support difficult decision-making, and help families navigate this period in wa

In an article published in Nature  on September 15, 2025, science journalist Tammy Worth describes the rise of “griefbots,” conversational agents capable of imitating the voice, writing style, and even personality of deceased individuals based on their digital traces. There are now more than half a dozen platforms offering this ready-to-use service. Developers claim that millions of people use them to send text messages, make phone calls, or otherwise interact with digital re

Abortion and assisted dying (euthanasia), two practices situated at the opposite ends of life, generate intense ethical and political debates. Despite their fundamental differences, they raise common questions about autonomy, dignity, and the influence of society on individual choices. In Relational Autonomy in Bioethics: The Case of Late-Term Abortion and Medical Assistance in Dying (2022), Bernier, Bernatchez, and Sweeney Beaudry show that decisions regarding abortion or me

In their article, MAiD as Human Connection: Stories and Metaphors of Physician Providers’ Existential Lived Experience, Rosanne Beuthin and Anne Bruce, both from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, offer a unique exploration of the experiences of physicians providing medical assistance in dying (MAiD). They analyzed the narratives of eight physicians who have performed between 12 and 113 MAiDs using a phenomenological approach. The notion of human connecti

Palliative care plays a vital role in modern medicine. Its holistic approach addresses not only physical pain but also the psychological, social, and spiritual suffering of patients and their loved ones. The palliative approach aims to be integrated from the time of diagnosis of a serious illness, complementing curative treatments. It includes symptom management, psychosocial support, and advance care planning. Yet, in practice, this integration often happens too late, or not

Since the mid-20th century, Western societies have experienced a radical transformation in their relationship to death. French historian Philippe Ariès described this shift as a true moral revolution. By identifying four major cultural regimes, tamed death, one's own death, the death of the other, and forbidden death, Ariès illuminated how Western societies gradually moved death out of the public and ritualized sphere into a medicalized, hidden, and individualized reality. I

In our modern societies, death has quickly been relegated to the wings, removed from the collective stage, confined within the sanitized walls of hospitals and other healthcare settings. We almost no longer die at home, surrounded by loved ones, but rather more often in a medical bed, surrounded by machines, protocols, and healthcare professionals. This new reality results from a dual movement: the rise of scientific progress on the one hand, and the disappearance of religion

Ten years after the legalization of physician-assisted dying in Canada, experts around the world are pointing to Canada as a counterexample. The British Columbia civil liberties group that spearheaded the decriminalization of physician-assisted death in 2015 now warns that it has become too easy to obtain Medical Asssistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada and calls on the government to put safeguards in place. What about Quebec, which now leads the world in terms of deaths by MA

Facing death is one of life’s most profound challenges, not just for the dying but for their loved ones. In hospice palliative care,...

Since their introduction in 2016, advance medical directives (AMDs) have enabled any person of full age and capacity to indicate in advance whether they consent to or refuse certain medical care in the event of incapacity. They apply only to end-of-life situations, severe and irreversible cognitive impairment and severe dementia with no possibility of improvement.  In the report about end-of-life care in Quebec 2018-2023, tabled on February 18, 2025, in the Quebec National As

Religion, with its long history, has helped us understand and cope with death. It brought  comfort, meaning, and community, but it also...

In North America, without clear indications in their medical records, individuals are likely to receive all necessary life-prolonging treatments, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation and mechanical ventilation—interventions that can extend life but do not necessarily enhance its quality. An article published this week in Cahiers francophones de soins palliatifs  proposes a structured clinical intervention framework based on six patient profiles. This model helps tailor adv

ACP is intended to help individuals understand and express their values, goals, and preferences regarding future medical care, choose and prepare a trusted surrogate decision-maker, and document their wishes so they can be followed when they lose decision-making capacity.  Advance Care Planning (ACP) has been widely advocated for the past 30 years as a way of improving end-of-life care by aligning medical decisions with patients' values and preferences. However, today we know

With non-communicable diseases accounting for a growing share of the global burden of disease, palliative care is becoming an urgent priority, particularly in low-income countries in Africa. These services, essential for relieving pain and improving the quality of life of terminally ill patients, nevertheless remain largely insufficient in this region. A scoping review published in BMJ Public Health highlights the impact of palliative care interventions focused on health prom

First of all, it's important to know that, in the U.S. and Canada, without an explicit note in the medical record, every person is subject to all life-sustaining interventions, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, and admission to an intensive care unit. So it's crucial to be informed about life-sustaining interventions, to understand their risks and benefits, and to understand how to make our values and preferences known and respected well in adva

A common misconception persists: “Why offer palliative care to Westerners in Guatemala that everyone in the West already have access to it?” Unfortunately, this assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. Access to palliative care remains riddled with challenges, even in developed nations. Disadvantaged groups, particularly ethnic minorities and individuals with limited formal education, face significant barriers, from inadequate insurance coverage for palliative care to a

Going to Guatemala during the Christmas vacations of 2024 was a total impulse. I wanted to celebrate the end of my postdoctoral fellowship, the launch of my palliative and End-of-Life care consulting business, and, above all, to take some time for myself. After 10 years of higher education and the birth of 2 of my 4 children, this break was well deserved. Guatemala seemed like the ideal place: not too far to travel, only an hour's time difference, and a new place never explor