Amid growing criticism over the concerning increase and continued expansion of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada, renewed attention has been drawn to the assisted suicide of beloved mother and companion, Donna Duncan, age 61, in 2021. Duncan’s daughters became vocal opponents of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) regime after their mother died by assisted death following an automobile accident.
Alicia and Christie Duncan filed a complaint in the aftermath of their mother’s death and have shared their story in multiple media outlets, creating an online petition to increase awareness of the need to stifle Canada’s expansive law. The British Columbia online magazine, “The B.C. Catholic,” has also supported their efforts as it pursues multiple Freedom of Information requests against the hospital system that facilitated Duncan’s death.
After being involved in a minor car accident and incurring a concussion, Donna became mentally ill and suffered from mysterious ailments. She was “not terminal” but her daughter Alicia said Donna “starved herself” because she was “depressed” following complications from the car accident. She said she was given just 48-hours’ notice that her mother was going to die.
“My mom speculated that she had something called central sensitivity syndrome that the car accident had triggered,” she recalled. “What we didn’t know was that she was restricting her diet. She would say that it would hurt to eat solid foods so she was pureeing everything, having soups.”
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Because of possible malnutrition, Donna met a low threshold for MAiD approval. Her physician of over 20 years had refused to approve her for assisted suicide, but Donna’s final consultation was via phone, which is permitted under Canadian law. According to her closest relatives, she was “fast-tracked” through the process as a terminal patient and any barriers meant to protect vulnerable people were worthless.
Under Canadian law, any adult with a serious illness, disease, or disability can qualify for physician-assisted death. Those with mental health concerns are not eligible, however, efforts have been made to expand MAiD to include those with mental illness.
Fraser Health is a British Columbian hospital system that is notorious for hiding the process by which it implemented assisted suicide and euthanasia, for overriding the expert advice of its doctors, and for its forced and draconian adoption of assisted suicide and euthanasia throughout its facilities, including hospice centers. Alicia and Christie are just the latest in a series of relatives who have made complaints against Fraser for pressuring their loved ones to die.
Alicia tearfully recounted her anguish over the process by which her mother was expedited for approval and administered MAiD in a new documentary produced by Liz Carr. Carr is an actor, comedian, and activist for disability rights who has been a vocal opponent of assisted suicide. Her documentary, “Better Off Dead? “aired on May 14, 2024, on BBC1.
