Catholic priest was twice offered 'assisted dying' for a broken hip

A Catholic priest in Canada was twice urged to consider Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) while in the hospital for a broken hip though he was not terminally ill and was morally opposed to it.

Key Takeaways:

• Father Larry Holland, a Catholic priest in Vancouver, British Columbia, was hospitalized with a broken hip after suffering a fall on Christmas Day in 2025.

• While in the hospital for a broken hip, he said health care staff offered him euthanasia twice, despite knowing that he is a priest and opposed to euthanasia.

• Holland is recovering from the hip fracture, and is not terminally ill.

The Details:

In an interview with the B.C. Catholic, the official media outlet for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, Holland said he had been admitted to Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) for a hip fracture after a fall on Christmas Day in 2025.

Yet on two separate occasions, he was offered death instead of health care.

“There are some things you just don’t talk about to some people,” he said, adding that he was shocked when MAiD was suggested to him.

Holland said a doctor first mentioned it, and said he was initially quiet as the doctor told him that MAiD is “something they have to discuss with someone who’s been given a terminal diagnosis.”

Despite saying he was a priest and morally opposed to euthanasia, the doctor persisted, saying  “he just wanted to make sure that, if a [terminal] diagnosis came up or not ... I knew of the different services I had access to.”

Holland was not, and is not, terminally ill.

Soon, he was urged to consider MAiD again, this time by a nurse. “It’s a false compassion, really,” Holland said.

In a statement to the B.C. Catholic, a Vancouver Coastal Health spokesperson said “staff may consider bringing up MAiD based on their clinical judgment, provided they possess the necessary knowledge and skills to do so.”

The Big Picture:

Canada is in the process of legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia to individuals whose only health issue is a mental health condition.

The country is already one of the world's leaders in euthanasia deaths, and has steadily been eroding the original safeguards that were placed upon MAiD. A 2024 survey found that less than half of respondents support allowing assisted death solely for mental illness.

Currently, Canada is on track to reach 100,000 deaths from euthanasia and assisted suicide; it is already a leading cause of death in the country.

Though often presented as a compassionate solution for individuals who are suffering, reports have found that people have been offered MAiD for reasons including poverty, homelessness, or even an inability to access disability or mental health services.

The Bottom Line:

Father Holland's story further illustrates how dire and predatory the situation has become in Canada regarding MAiD.