What happens when you open the door to assisted suicide?
In Canada, prior to 2015, no one could consent to being killed by another
Court Case 1
In Carter v Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada changed the criminal code on homicide to allow assisting suicide for the purposes of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)
Terminal Illness
C-14, the Medical Assistance in Dying Bill, was passed legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide for adults with a grievous and irremediable medical condition whose death was ‘reasonably foreseeable’
Court Case 2
The Quebec Superior Court ruled in theTruchon case that the safeguard of a ‘reasonably foreseeable’ death was an unconstitutional restriction since it was overly strict and prevented access to MAiD for some people
Chronic Illness
Bill C-7 expanded MAID by adding a second track to include chronic illnesses and disabilities, and removed many safeguards which had come to be seen as ‘barriers to access’
Mental Illness
An expansion to include people suffering solely from mental illness is legislated to come
into effect in 2027
Mature Minors
An expansion to include people suffering solely from mental illness is legislated to come
into effect in 2027
Safeguards were quickly seen as barriers to access, leading to demands to extend the law
More than 70,000 people are estimated to have been euthanised in Canada since 2016. These are some of their stories.
DONNA DUNCAN
61-year-old retired nurse, Donna, had concussion after a minor car accident.This led to months of mental and physical decline during which she began to restrict her food intake.
Unable to be seen by a local clinic due to the waiting list, she applied for MAiD and was approved within days on account of her low weight. Soon after, she was euthanised despite her daughters’ objections that she lacked mental capacity for the decision.
ALAN NICHOLS
The 61-year-old had a history of depression and was hospitalised over fears he was suicidal.
In less than a month he had been euthanised despite concerns being raised by his brother and a healthcare professional. He had no terminal illnesses and the reason listed on his MAiD application was “hearing loss.” His brother, Gary, says hospital staff helped him put in the request and he was ‘basically put to death.’
Allison Ducluzeau
In November 2022, Allison was diagnosed with Stage 4 abdominal cancer and given two months to live. She was told it was inoperable, and she should go home, sort out her affairs and decide if she wanted medical assistance in dying.
Unable to get treatment in Canada, she raised money and sold her house to fund private treatment in Maryland USA which was successful.
Today, Allison is in remission.
“I would tell Britain to only accept assisted dying when the health service is fixed— otherwise it is a very dangerous step to take. We deserve decent and timely care rather than offers of faster death.”
KATHRIN MENTLER
Kathrin was experiencing suicidal ideation and went to the Vancouver General Hospital for help. She was told by a counsellor that there were no available beds and the earliest that she could talk to a psychiatrist was in five months.
She was then asked, “Have you ever considered MAiD?” The clinician said that overdosing at home could lead to brain damage whereas a MAiD death was more ‘comfortable.’
Every hospital in Canada now has a MAiD team whose job is to make sure that every persion who might qualify for MAiD knows that they might qualify
This leads to unprompted suggestions from healthcare professionals, revealing a problematic attitude towards human brokenness and disdain for disability
HEATHER HANCOCK
Heather is a 56-year-old woman with Spastic Cerebral Palsy.
During one hospital stay for treatment for muscular spasms, a nurse said to her,
“You should do the right thing and consider MAiD. You’re being selfish. If I were you, I would take it in a heartbeat. You’re not living, you’re existing!”
Christine Gauthier
Retired Canadian soldier and Paralympic athlete Christine suffers with PTSD. She had been trying to get a wheelchair ramp installed in her home for five years.
After hearing her describe her deteriorating condition, a Veterans Affairs worker told her,
“Madam, if you are really so desperate, we can give you Medical Assistance in Dying now.”
Veteran Soldier
A Canadian Forces veteran seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury was shocked when he was unexpectedly and casually offered medical assistance in dying by a Veterans Affairs Canada employee.
He was told that MAiD was
“better than blowing your brains out against the wall.”
ROGER FOLEY
47-year-old Roger suffers from cerebellar ataxia, a disease that attacks the brain and muscles and has been bedridden for around eight years.
He secretly recorded a conversation with staff at a London, Ontario hospital, where he was told that keeping him alive would cost “north of $1500 a day” and had he considered MAiD?
Poverty, not pain, now drives some assisted deaths.
Feeling pressured financially, or because of a lack of social care or palliative care, can cause pensioners, people with disabilites or vulnerable people to seek an assisted death.
Amir Farsoud
A 54-year-old disabled man applied for MAiD because he was losing his shared social housing. He qualified for MAiD due to chronic back pain.
“It’s not my first choice,” Farsoud said. “I don’t want to die but I don’t want to be homeless more than I don’t want to die.”
He only stopped his application after a crowdfunder raised enough to pay for new accomodation.
MICHAEL FRASER
55-year-old Michael was sick, poor and lonely. He didn’t have a terminal illness but had not been outside for over a month because there was no lift in his building and he couldn’t navigate stairs.
The doctor who euthanised him said,
“poverty is pushing people to MAID … For sure, I think the fact that he had trouble paying his rent made it harder for him to be in this world.”
“SUSAN”
Susan had multiple disabilities but none of her diagnoses were terminal. Her dietary restrictions meant food banks were not an option.
“An increase [in income support] is the only thing that could save my life. I have no other reason to want to apply for assisted suicide, other than I simply cannot afford to keep on living.”
“SOPHIA” and “DENISE”
Sophia, a 51-year-old Ontario woman with severe multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS), chose a MAiD death after she couldn’t find any affordable housing free of cigarette smoke and chemical cleaners.
Denise, who also has MCS, said, “I’ve applied for MAiD essentially…because of abject poverty.”
“In some places in our country it is easier to access MAiD than it is to get a wheelchair.”
WHAT'S NEXT
Mature Minors
CANADA: Medical Assistance In Dying Advocacy Group Calls On Government To Expand Eligibility To “Mature Minors”
Drug Addicts
“Canada Will Legalize Medically Assisted Dying For Eligible People Addicted to Drugs”