Supreme Court of Canada refuses to hear case of woman being denied life-saving organ transplant over her refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a highly contentious legal battle, the Supreme Court of Canada has refused to hear the case of Ms. Sheila Annette Lewis, who is suffering from a terminal illness and has challenged the constitutionality of Covid-19 vaccine requirements for transplant candidates with the help of The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. After unsuccessful attempts in the lower courts, her plea for a hearing before the highest judicial authority in the country has been denied.

For over a year, Lewis has been challenging the Covid-19 vaccine policies established by AHS (Alberta Hospital Services) and six transplant doctors, asserting that they violate her rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, both the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench and the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled against her in 2022, concluding that the Charter does not extend to the specific Covid-19 vaccine policies of AHS and her transplant doctors. Moreover, her claims under The Alberta Bill of Rights were also dismissed.

A publication ban has been imposed by the lower court on the case, preventing the disclosure of vital information such as revealing the names of the doctors, the hospital, the city where the transplant program is based, or even the specific organ required for her life-saving surgery.

With the Supreme Court of Canada dismissing Ms. Lewis's plea for a hearing, the legal battle regarding the constitutionality of Covid-19 vaccine requirements for organ transplant candidates remains unresolved. The case raises complex ethical and legal questions, pitting individual rights against public health priorities. As the discourse surrounding this case continues, its implications are likely to have lasting effects on the intersection of medical treatments, constitutional rights, and the well-being of both individuals and society as a whole.