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Canadian bill would make it easier for people with dementia to be killed
After halting the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in Canada for mental illness, a new bill has been introduced expanding the MAiD program in other ways.
In October, the Canadian government announced it would not move forward with expanding MAiD for mental illness.
However, MPs said they would instead look to allow advance directives allowing MAiD for conditions like dementia.
A bill has now been introduced expanding MAiD as promised.
MAiD was legalized in Canada in 2016, and the country has since reached the fastest-growing rate of assisted suicide and euthanasia in the world. After 10 years, Canada is on track to reach 100,000 deaths from MAiD, with plans to expand the program in 2027 to allow mental illness as the sole diagnosis required for approval to die. Already, people were reportedly killed for non-medical reasons, like loneliness, poverty, disability, and an inability to access health care services.
Early in October, MPs voted down a bill that would have banned MAiD for mental illness. However, the government announced it had decided to halt the expansion, with Justice Minister Sean Fraser and Health Minister Marjorie Michel explaining the change in a press conference.
According to Fraser:
Canada has made a decision not to move forward with the expansion that is scheduled in the Criminal Code of medical assistance in dying in circumstances where mental illness is the sole basis.
This decision reflects the conclusion and recommendations of the recent special committee that was established as between the House of Commons and the Senate, who recommended that we move forward in this direction.
MPs said they would still pursue expanding MAiD to allow people to create advance directives so they can be killed after diagnosis of a condition like dementia.
Fraser has now introduced Bill C-41, titled "The Medical Assistance in Dying Safeguards Act."
The bill...
outlines that mental illness cannot be used as the sole criteria for MAID.
allows advance directives.
provides little oversight to prevent people from being euthanized solely due to mental illness, as the physician or nurse practitioner responsible for the euthanasia need only be of the opinion that the euthanasia meets legal requirements.
So, in essence, the person committing the euthanasia would need only say they followed the law, even if a person had been seeking out MAID solely due to mental illness. Given that some MAID practitioners were openly angry about MAID not being expanded for mental illness, it's a disturbing thought, and not difficult to see what would happen. The MAID practitioner would merely say mental illness wasn't the only reason for dying, and the government would look the other way.
C-41 would also amend the criminal code exemption to homicide to allow euthanasia by advance request, though it does acknowledge laws on this specific issue vary by province; in Canada, each individual province has constitutional authority over health care. This also means that, even if C-41 passes, each province can inform the federal government it will not allow advance directives for euthanasia.
Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition in Canada, noted in a recent blog post:
Canada's euthanasia law allows people to be killed by euthanasia:
• Even when they do not have a terminal condition,
• If they have a terminal condition they can be approved and killed on the same day,
• It permits euthanasia for people who have a treatable condition but are refusing treatment,
• It permits people who are motivated to die, based on a mental illness (disorder) if they have another medical condition,
• It permits euthanasia of people who are incompetent, if the person had previously been approved to be killed by euthanasia.
and more.
Bill C-41 only serves to further expand MAiD, in a country where it already is alarmingly widespread.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·Canadian bill would make it easier for people with dementia to be killed
After halting the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in Canada for mental illness, a new bill has been introduced expanding the MAiD program in other ways.
In October, the Canadian government announced it would not move forward with expanding MAiD for mental illness.
However, MPs said they would instead look to allow advance directives allowing MAiD for conditions like dementia.
A bill has now been introduced expanding MAiD as promised.
MAiD was legalized in Canada in 2016, and the country has since reached the fastest-growing rate of assisted suicide and euthanasia in the world. After 10 years, Canada is on track to reach 100,000 deaths from MAiD, with plans to expand the program in 2027 to allow mental illness as the sole diagnosis required for approval to die. Already, people were reportedly killed for non-medical reasons, like loneliness, poverty, disability, and an inability to access health care services.
Early in October, MPs voted down a bill that would have banned MAiD for mental illness. However, the government announced it had decided to halt the expansion, with Justice Minister Sean Fraser and Health Minister Marjorie Michel explaining the change in a press conference.
According to Fraser:
Canada has made a decision not to move forward with the expansion that is scheduled in the Criminal Code of medical assistance in dying in circumstances where mental illness is the sole basis.
This decision reflects the conclusion and recommendations of the recent special committee that was established as between the House of Commons and the Senate, who recommended that we move forward in this direction.
MPs said they would still pursue expanding MAiD to allow people to create advance directives so they can be killed after diagnosis of a condition like dementia.
Fraser has now introduced Bill C-41, titled "The Medical Assistance in Dying Safeguards Act."
The bill...
outlines that mental illness cannot be used as the sole criteria for MAID.
allows advance directives.
provides little oversight to prevent people from being euthanized solely due to mental illness, as the physician or nurse practitioner responsible for the euthanasia need only be of the opinion that the euthanasia meets legal requirements.
So, in essence, the person committing the euthanasia would need only say they followed the law, even if a person had been seeking out MAID solely due to mental illness. Given that some MAID practitioners were openly angry about MAID not being expanded for mental illness, it's a disturbing thought, and not difficult to see what would happen. The MAID practitioner would merely say mental illness wasn't the only reason for dying, and the government would look the other way.
C-41 would also amend the criminal code exemption to homicide to allow euthanasia by advance request, though it does acknowledge laws on this specific issue vary by province; in Canada, each individual province has constitutional authority over health care. This also means that, even if C-41 passes, each province can inform the federal government it will not allow advance directives for euthanasia.
Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition in Canada, noted in a recent blog post:
Canada's euthanasia law allows people to be killed by euthanasia:
• Even when they do not have a terminal condition,
• If they have a terminal condition they can be approved and killed on the same day,
• It permits euthanasia for people who have a treatable condition but are refusing treatment,
• It permits people who are motivated to die, based on a mental illness (disorder) if they have another medical condition,
• It permits euthanasia of people who are incompetent, if the person had previously been approved to be killed by euthanasia.
and more.
Bill C-41 only serves to further expand MAiD, in a country where it already is alarmingly widespread.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·Pop Culture
Cassy Cooke
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·International
Cassy Cooke
·Analysis
Cassy Cooke
·Fact Checks
Cassy Cooke
·International
Cassy Cooke
·Pop Culture
Cassy Cooke
·