British reality star Prue Leith praises high euthanasia rate in Canada as a 'success'

Prue Leith, best known as one of the judges for The Great British Bake Off, recently celebrated the high number of euthanasia deaths in Canada.

Key Takeaways:

• Leith is a chef, restaurateur, novelist, and broadcaster, most notably as a judge for The Great British Bake Off.

• She is also a supporter of Dignity in Dying, an assisted suicide advocacy organization, and has spoken in favor of assisted suicide and euthanasia for years.

• In a recent op-ed, she noted that four percent (4%) of all deaths in Canada are from euthanasia, and called that a "real success."

The Backstory:

Leith, a South African and British restaurateur, novelist, and chef, is best known as one of the judges on The Great British Bake Off. She is also a long-time campaigner for assisted suicide, and is a patron of the organization Dignity in Dying. She has also campaigned on the group's behalf and used her brother's death from bone cancer to justify legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia.

“That is no way to treat a human being," she said. "Whose life is it anyway? How dare anyone keep a person alive, when they are so ill and they are going to die and they want to die. Dying like that, in so much indignity and pain is monstrous. It’s barbaric. We wouldn’t treat a dog like that."

The Details:

She recently spoke out again, this time in a Radio Times op-ed in which she praised Canada for killing so many people through euthanasia. In response to the failure of a United Kingdom (UK) bill which would have legalized assisted suicide, she pointed to other countries in comparison.

"How come all those countries where assisted dying is legal do not suffer the dire consequences the bill’s opponents dread?" she asked, and then added that no country has yet repealed its laws. But then, she continued:

Today four percent of deaths in Canada are by euthanasia. Our opponents claim this is proof of the law not protecting people. But I see it as proof of real success, allowing those wanting to be done with life to get peace.

The Big Picture:

As Right to Life UK pointed out, the percentage of euthanasia deaths in Canada is actually higher than what Leith reported. It has climbed to five percent (5%), with over a fifth of applicants citing “isolation or loneliness” as reasons for their request to die. In the meantime, Canada is in the process of legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia for individuals whose only 'illness' is a mental health condition.

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

And while Leith, like many assisted suicide advocates, tries to present it as a compassionate solution for people who, like her brother, are suffering through a long, painful death, this is not what is occurring. Reports have found that people have been offered MAiD for reasons such as poverty, homelessness, and even an inability to access disability or mental health services.

Yet to Leith, helping people commit suicide for these reasons is a success story.

The Bottom Line:

The needless deaths of thousands of people are not something to celebrate. Encouraging people to take their own lives is not compassionate, and it can never be justified, no matter the excuses activists like Leith make.