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Woman approved for 'assisted dying' because she couldn't cook for family
A recent op-ed in the New York Times spotlighted a disturbing example of a woman in Canada approved for 'medical assistance in dying,' or MAiD, simply because she could no longer cook for her family.
Dr. Gary Rodin and Dr. Madeline Li wrote that while they support MAiD, it has gone too far.
They gave an example of a woman approved for euthanasia merely because she could no longer cook for her family.
With therapy and her family's support, she was able to see that her life still had value, and chose not to die.
This story has a happy ending, but what happens to those without access to therapy and family support?
Dr. Gary Rodin and Dr. Madeline Li, who both work with patients diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, are professors of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and wrote an op-ed for the New York Times discussing the expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada.
While both said they still support MAiD, they also argued it has gone too far.
"Too many people are receiving the procedure without the opportunity for careful reflection about it with a health provider," they wrote. "In some cases, patients are being approved who should not be."
Canada has the fastest-growing rate of assisted suicide in the world, with reports showing people are being killed because of loneliness, poverty, disability, and an inability to access health care services.
The Canadian government just this week stated that it would not pursue its original plan to approve MAiD for individuals with solely a mental health diagnosis — at least, for now.
Rodin and Li told the story of a patient who had become despondent after she was no longer able to cook for her family. She was in her 70s and the matriarch of her family, and making Sunday dinners was seemingly a large part of her identity.
"She sought and received approval for assisted dying after she lost the ability to cook," they noted. "She felt she had lost her value to her family."
Thankfully, the woman was given access to therapy and had support from her family, which helped her to understand she still had value, even if she wasn't able to cook for them.
"She decided not to go through with ending her life, at least for now," they said. "That Christmas, her family gathered and she sat proudly at the table, while others did the cooking and serving."
Yet what happens when someone isn't given access to therapy, or their family doesn't give them the support they need? It has long been confirmed that most people who request assisted suicide are not afraid of a long, painful death, but cite a fear instead of losing autonomy, not being able to enjoy life, or a fear of being a burden on their loved ones.
All too often, assisted suicide practitioners appear to confirm these fears, rather than affirm that the person's life still has value.
Rodin and Li pointed to this woman as a particularly horrifying exception to the MAiD rule, but the reality is far more disturbing. Stories like hers are far too common already, and will only grow in a country that continues to determine who is acceptable to kill and who is not.
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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·Woman approved for 'assisted dying' because she couldn't cook for family
A recent op-ed in the New York Times spotlighted a disturbing example of a woman in Canada approved for 'medical assistance in dying,' or MAiD, simply because she could no longer cook for her family.
Dr. Gary Rodin and Dr. Madeline Li wrote that while they support MAiD, it has gone too far.
They gave an example of a woman approved for euthanasia merely because she could no longer cook for her family.
With therapy and her family's support, she was able to see that her life still had value, and chose not to die.
This story has a happy ending, but what happens to those without access to therapy and family support?
Dr. Gary Rodin and Dr. Madeline Li, who both work with patients diagnosed with advanced stage cancer, are professors of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, and wrote an op-ed for the New York Times discussing the expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada.
While both said they still support MAiD, they also argued it has gone too far.
"Too many people are receiving the procedure without the opportunity for careful reflection about it with a health provider," they wrote. "In some cases, patients are being approved who should not be."
Canada has the fastest-growing rate of assisted suicide in the world, with reports showing people are being killed because of loneliness, poverty, disability, and an inability to access health care services.
The Canadian government just this week stated that it would not pursue its original plan to approve MAiD for individuals with solely a mental health diagnosis — at least, for now.
Rodin and Li told the story of a patient who had become despondent after she was no longer able to cook for her family. She was in her 70s and the matriarch of her family, and making Sunday dinners was seemingly a large part of her identity.
"She sought and received approval for assisted dying after she lost the ability to cook," they noted. "She felt she had lost her value to her family."
Thankfully, the woman was given access to therapy and had support from her family, which helped her to understand she still had value, even if she wasn't able to cook for them.
"She decided not to go through with ending her life, at least for now," they said. "That Christmas, her family gathered and she sat proudly at the table, while others did the cooking and serving."
Yet what happens when someone isn't given access to therapy, or their family doesn't give them the support they need? It has long been confirmed that most people who request assisted suicide are not afraid of a long, painful death, but cite a fear instead of losing autonomy, not being able to enjoy life, or a fear of being a burden on their loved ones.
All too often, assisted suicide practitioners appear to confirm these fears, rather than affirm that the person's life still has value.
Rodin and Li pointed to this woman as a particularly horrifying exception to the MAiD rule, but the reality is far more disturbing. Stories like hers are far too common already, and will only grow in a country that continues to determine who is acceptable to kill and who is not.
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!
Cassy Cooke
·International
Nancy Flanders
·International
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Bridget Sielicki
·Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
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Cassy Cooke
·Human Interest
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