M.A. Rothman | Facebook - "𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐒𝐈 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐃𝐘𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐒 𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐖𝐎𝐊𝐄 𝐔𝐏 𝐌𝐈𝐃-𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍
Kelsi Sheren — a Canadian veteran and one of the loudest critics of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program — sat with 𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘰𝘥 and walked through what the press is not telling you about “𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.”
𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝟏: 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤. A woman went in for euthanasia. “𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘳.” They started the procedure. Halfway through she woke up screaming “𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘦.” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝. Court ruled the doctor did nothing wrong.
𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝟐: 𝐊𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐮, 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝟐𝟔, 𝐎𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨. Approved for MAID by a Dr. Tepper at “𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦” (a Canadian euthanasia clinic) at age 𝟐𝟐. His diagnosis: 𝐓𝐲𝐩𝐞-𝟏 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. He had untreated mental-health issues and active substance use. “𝘏𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱. 𝘏𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘔𝘈𝘐𝘋.” His mother went to the media. The doctor backed off — because 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤. “𝐖𝐡𝐲? 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠”.
𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝟑: 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚’𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 — 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐭𝐨 “𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞.” The 2023 Ahmed parliamentary report proposed euthanizing down to age 12. 𝐈𝐟 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐢𝐬 “𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚,” 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬?
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫∗𝐠-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐫. 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐥 𝐙𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐭 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝. The head of Critical Care and Anesthesiology at Emory ran post-mortem autopsies on over 200 lethal-injection patients. 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟖𝟎% 𝐡𝐚𝐝 “𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐬” — 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡. The drugs cause “𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘢 — 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯.” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫. Canada quietly stopped allowing MAID patients to be considered for organ donation — UNTIL recently. Now it’s the 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 they have. “𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳?” 𝐁𝐂 — 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚 — 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚. 𝐂𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝-𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝: 𝐚 “𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐝” 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥. Increase the morphine. The patient sleeps. Breathing slows. They pass naturally, comfortably, with their family there. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥? Because 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞-𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃. Delta Hospice Society lost $20M+ in funding because Angelina Ireland — a former palliative patient who got better and runs the facility — said no on religious grounds.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐃’𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭-𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬: Quebec, Ontario, BC. “𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥-𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺. 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘦 70+.” A $𝟏.𝟐𝟕𝟑 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 “𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬” 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝟐𝟎 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 — per a single government estimate Sheren cited — if you swap healthcare for the cheaper option.
𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬. 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞."
Canada risks 'suicide contagion' if MAID approved for mental illness | National Post - "People with mental illnesses are already dying assisted deaths in Canada “under the guise of flimsy medical excuses” and others will “doctor shop until death” if euthanasia is allowed for psychiatric suffering alone, MPs and senators were told this week. “I and other colleagues are experiencing this: People are clearly getting MAID for reasons that are frankly illegal,” psychiatrist Dr. John Maher told a special joint parliamentary committee weighing Canada’s readiness to extend assisted death to those whose sole underlying condition is a mental disorder. Maher, who specializes in treating severe mental illness, also warned Canada risks a “suicide contagion” effect if medical assistance in dying (MAID) becomes seen as a legitimate option for mental suffering. He pointed to the Werther Effect, a phenomenon that refers to a rise in suicides after publicized reports of celebrity deaths by suicide. Rates of suicide in jurisdictions that have legalized doctor-assisted death “have risen much faster after it was legalized than before,” he said. “Suicide contagion is a well-proven reality. Don’t pretend that it won’t happen in Canada,” he said. The committee has heard conflicting testimony over the safety of expanding MAID eligibility to those with mental illness alone, including over whether, or how, a mental disorder could be considered incurable. Maher, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Ethics in Mental Health, works with specialized teams that treat the most severe mental illnesses. “For the last 23 years I’ve treated patients that other psychiatrists told me could not get better and they get better,” he told the committee. “Suffering can always be reduced…. There is absolutely no such thing as ‘everything has been tried,'” he said... “People need lifeguards, not someone to push you under,” he said. Maher rejected the argument by MAID proponents that a request for assisted death is well thought out while true suicides are impulsive. “Decades of suicide research put the lie to this: 80 per cent of suicide attempters thoughtfully plan their suicides,” he said. “MAID is suicide par excellence, like having a wedding planner to make it all as easy as possible, even with same-day service.” At times, requests for MAID are made urgently: In 2023, 54 requests for same day assessments and provision (less than 24 hours) were reported in Ontario, and 154 provisions occurred the day after the MAID request, according to Ontario data. Conservative MP Andrew Lawton asked Maher, “When you describe mental health as already qualifying people in the eyes of some assessors and providers for MAID, you’re describing criminal misconduct, are you not?” “I absolutely am,” Maher responded. He said he had a patient with schizophrenia who was approved for MAID based on a treatable skin condition and a sore ankle from not cooperating with physiotherapy for a broken ankle. “That is what’s happening. These are already happening,” he said. Maher told the committee he tried reporting his concerns with a doctor to a provincial college and was told “until the patient is dead there is no malpractice.” “My teams are pulling their hair out over people planning to refuse medications so they can get get MAID who would have healed, recovered,” he said. “I had a patient today (with) schizophrenia very, very cavalierly say if he didn’t get a job and a girlfriend he’s going to get MAID.”"
Canada told mentally ill must be euthanized lest they kill themselves - "Jocelyn Downie, a leading MAID activist since 2004, warned that if the federal government keeps excluding mentally ill Canadians from accessing assisted suicide, the result will be more mentally ill Canadians dying by suicide... The argument is not a new one. In fact, it’s been at the core of the Canadian assisted suicide regime since the beginning... In 2021, she co-authored a paper which argued that suicidal ideation should not disqualify patients from wanting to seek a doctor-assisted death. It argued that suicidality may not even be evidence of mental illness at all."
Why even bother with suicide prevention? Just send everyone who wants to kill himself for MAiD
Families of Canadians who received MAID talk of rushed assessment, not being told of decision: study - "Rushed, incomplete assessments, families kept in the dark, loved ones driven to choose MAID because of unbearable suffering. A new study adds to growing evidence that Canadian families’ experiences with doctor-assisted death are deeply mixed, with some describing the experience as raw, traumatic and surreal — including sometimes oddly “cheerful” providers... In 2021, 61-year-old Alan Nichols, who had a history of depression, was euthanized over the objections of his family and nurse practitioner soon after being hospitalized for a psychiatric episode. The sole condition listed in his MAID application was hearing loss... “Canada is now noted as the fastest growing assisted dying program in the world,” the U of Alberta research team wrote... in some cases the decision for MAID was driven by... feared loss of autonomy, and having to rely on others for daily tasks like bathing or toileting, or the possibility of moving into a nursing home... Some MAID deaths were driven by insufficient home care — “they come when they come but not when you need it,” one family member said — or drawn-out waits to see specialists. “My mom needed psychiatric help,” reads one transcribed interview. “My mom was a victim of a broken healthcare system. My mom had been trying to see specialists for months and months and months (for a brain injury)…. It got to the point she lost all hope. “And so my mom ended her life because of desperation, not anything to do with dignity.” “Although many participants experienced respectful, caring and compassionate interactions with healthcare professionals involved in the MAID process, others did not, adding to already stressful and intense emotions,” the researchers wrote in BMC Palliative Care. Some families described hasty assessments done over Zoom, without deep discussions about alternatives and supports families could offer to help, and “what felt like a rapid assessment-to-provision timeline, which contributed to concerns that MAID may have occurred prematurely.” Canada’s law requires two assessors to agree a person is eligible for MAID. But some families said the second assessor seemed to simply “rubber stamp” the first assessor’s decision. Concerned were raised about the accuracy of assessments, including whether mental health issues were fully addressed. A two-page list compiled by one family of their father’s history of depression, suicidality, personality traits and other suspected mental illnesses was largely ignored... Some participants described dispassionate care and a “cold, uncaring, unempathetic” MAID provider. “Booking our MAID date was like booking a dinner reservation. So, it’s just all very, very, very impersonal.” What one family found most off-putting was that the MAID provider seemed strangely “cheerful about it.”... “MAID policy is often framed as purely about autonomy. But health care has never treated autonomy as absolute,” said Dr. Ramona Coelho, a family physician and member of the Ontario’s Office of the Chief Coroner’s MAID death review committee. “Most families are not asking for veto power,” she said. “They are asking to share information, to be involved and to know that all safeguards and care options were meaningfully considered.”"
This doesn't stop euthanasia supporters from claiming all of them want to die and they are all suffering from terminal diseases, and only religious extremists oppose euthanasia
Alberta to ban doctors from offering euthanasia before a patient asks — unlike rest of Canada - "Alberta doctors will be explicitly banned from raising assisted death with a patient without the person first bringing it up... Some critics argue that it’s “mind boggling” that, across Canada, medical assistance in dying (MAID) is being presented as a care option. The fear is that initiating a discussion about MAID risks unduly influencing someone to choose it, given doctor-patient power dynamics... That fits with most jurisdictions in the world with legalized euthanasia: The suggestion must come from the person... Ontario family physician Dr. Ramona Coelho said she has witnessed patients being approved for MAID quickly, “without a deep dive of their suffering” or discussions around possible solutions to reduce the suffering... Coelho, who cares for people with complex conditions such as disabilities, mental health issues and chronic pain, said patients have told her they’ve been offered MAID repeatedly, by different people, “and sometimes felt pressured to book MAID assessments.” While it’s not the majority of doctors in MAID practice, it raises patient safety issues, she said. “While these conversations are often framed as compassionate, we have to consider the risks, particularly the risk of discrimination,” Coelho later said in an email. Doctors, like anyone else, can hold both conscious and unconscious biases, she added. “This means certain groups — such as people with disabilities, older adults, racialized communities and women — may be more likely to have MAID raised to them based on assumptions about their quality of life, and discrimination,” Coelho said. “The suggestion that MAID should be put on the table for anyone who might qualify runs counter to the core duty of physicians to respect the standard of care,” said Trudo Lemmens, a University of Toronto professor in health law and policy. “In standard medical practice, physicians must not offer a therapy that comes with significant risks, if other less intrusive means to help the person are available,” he said. “It’s mind boggling that MAID would have to be offered as some form of universal therapy for chronic illness,” Lemmens added. “Imagine what that will mean if suffering from a mental illness is a basis for MAID.” Would a person who has had recurrent cycles of depression be offered MAID at some point, he asked. “It’s perfectly reasonable and in line with suicide prevention if health-care providers are prohibited from bringing up MAID,” Lemmens said."
The pro-euthanasia people are going to be very upset
Andrew Lawton on X - "Psychiatrist promoting expansion of MAID to people with mental illness says depression or an eating disorder could qualify someone for assisted death."
From Mona Gupta
The "myth" of the slippery slope strikes again
B.C. woman claims she was offered MAID in Vancouver hospital before other treatments - "A B.C. senior is speaking out after a simple trip to an emergency department last year, she says, took an unsettling turn. For 83-year-old Miriam Lancaster, the experience started as she was getting out of bed one morning. “I put my foot on the floor and had such excruciating and unusual pain that I called out,” said Lancaster. Paramedics rushed Lancaster to Vancouver General Hospital, but when she arrived, she claims the initial treatment offered to her by a young doctor came as a shock. “The admitting staff in the ER had whistled me into a bed, and she was the first medical person questioning me, and that’s where it all started,” said Lancaster. She says the doctor began asking about medical assistance in dying (MAID)... Lancaster, who declined MAID, says doctors later identified the pain as a fractured sacrum — a bone in the base of the spine which is treated through bed rest... the Alberta provincial government introduced a new bill to implement safeguards around MAID and provide new frameworks to protect vulnerable individuals. Lancaster says the same legislation should be considered in B.C. “Hospitals should review their policy and not be so hasty to offer MAID,” she said... A 2025 Statistics Canada report on MAID found B.C. was among the provinces with the most MAID provisions"
B.C. woman offered assisted suicide for fractured hip bone : r/ilovebcsub - "The Supreme Court determining that the 'right to life' in the charter meant the right to death was peak stupidity. Time to clean house."
Kari Bundy - Health Activist | Facebook - "🚨 An 84-year-old Canadian woman says she was offered medical assistance in dying (MAiD) almost immediately after arriving at Vancouver General Hospital, before any doctor had asked about her symptoms or attempted a diagnosis. The patient, who asked to be identified only as Miriam, described the experience in a recent interview with Amanda Achtman, founder of the Dying to Meet You Project. Last year she woke up in severe pain and was unable to get out of bed. Her daughter called an ambulance, and Miriam was taken to the hospital for evaluation. According to Miriam, a young doctor came to her bedside and, in her words, "the very first words out of her mouth [were]: 'We would like to offer you MAiD.'" Miriam said she was stunned. "That was the last thing on my mind! I just wanted to find out why I was in pain! I did not want to die!" She had not requested assisted dying, discussed it with anyone, or been told she had a terminal condition. After a month in the hospital, Miriam recovered fully. She has since traveled to Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala, describing her recovery as "amazing" and saying there was "no need for MAiD to even be suggested." The account has renewed debate over how MAiD, Canada's government-regulated euthanasia and assisted suicide program, is presented to patients, especially older adults in acute distress. Critics cite reports of unsolicited offers and argue the system sometimes positions assisted death as an early option rather than a last resort. Supporters say MAiD provides compassionate choice for those suffering intolerably. Conservative MP Garnett Genuis has introduced Bill C-260, the Preventing Coercion of Persons Not Seeking Medical Assistance in Dying Act. The private member's bill would amend the Criminal Code to prohibit certain individuals, particularly those in positions of authority outside direct clinical care, from initiating discussions about MAiD with people who have not expressly requested the conversation. Miriam's story, shared through Achtman's advocacy work, joins other similar accounts that have surfaced in recent months. It raises questions about safeguards, informed consent, and whether fiscal pressures in the healthcare system influence how end-of-life options are presented. Cases like this highlight the ongoing tension in Canada between expanding access to MAiD and protecting vulnerable patients from undue influence. As the program continues to evolve, stories from patients and families are prompting calls for clearer boundaries in medical practice. What are your thoughts on unsolicited MAiD offers in acute care settings?"
Alberta seeks to set limits on use of medically assisted dying - "Alberta has proposed a bill that would limit the use of medically assisted dying - also known as voluntary euthanasia - in the Canadian province solely to end-of-life circumstances... Alberta is the first jurisdiction in Canada to independently propose limits to the practice. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, said during a news conference on Wednesday that Maid should only be an option for those with no hope of recovery... The proposed seeks to prohibit doctors from unilaterally raising Maid with patients and banning its public advertising in healthcare facilities. It would also enshrine conscience protections for healthcare professionals and institutions."
This is why left wingers hate Alberta so much. Best quote: "Being alive is a terminal illness"
Left wingers usually defend euthanasia claiming that it's only for those who are going to die already. I guess the cognitive dissonance to claim that in response to this article was too much, even for them
Canada: Man gets next-day assisted death after alcohol-related falls - "A Canadian man who was hospitalised due to repeated alcohol-related falls had his life ended by assisted dying the day after having virtual eligibility assessments, despite no clinical investigations and no terminal diagnosis. An official report by the Chief Coroner of Ontario’s Medical Assistance in Dying Death Review Committee (MDRC) highlighted that the man, known as Mr A, had previously been found ineligible to end his life under Canada’s euthanasia and assisted suicide regime because he did not have a “grievous and irremediable condition”. The report states that Mr A developed covid approximately a month after his prior assisted death assessment, but was showing “no significant impact to his function or ability to live independently”. During this period, Mr A was suffering from alcohol use disorder. Just over a month later, Mr A was admitted to the hospital due to what the attending practitioner referred to as falls that were “precipitated by alcohol use and decreased oral intake of other fluids”. Shortly afterwards, he was voluntarily admitted to a psychiatric unit in a care institution; following a psychiatric assessment, this status became an involuntary admission. During his psychiatric admission, Mr A experienced a functional decline and repeatedly expressed a wish to die, expressing significant pain in his upper arm. Mr A asked to be provided with state assistance in ending his own life. He received two virtual eligibility assessments by phone, one after the other, which the inpatient treatment team was not made aware of, and was found to be eligible due to a presumptive diagnosis of complications following covid and possible heart failure, though no additional clinical investigations took place. Immediately following the assessments, Mr A was transferred to a hospital, where he was found to have a dislocated shoulder, which was subsequently stabilised. The next day, Mr A was discharged from the hospital and ended his life with the assistance of the state... According to the report, most members of the MDRC agreed that the short turnaround time between Mr A’s virtual eligibility assessments and an assisted death “did not promote a quality approach” to assisted dying. They argued that a short timeline like this does not allow for adequate investigation of an individual’s conditions or collaboration with a treatment team, evidenced by the fact Mr A’s treatment team were not aware of his over-the-phone assessments. They also argued that this does not allow for alternative care options to be offered."
Clearly, upper arm pain is a terminal disease
Shocking report exposes terrifying reality of assisted suicide in Canada - "In one shocking case, a woman in her 80s, only referred to as Mrs. B, had her life ended under the country’s euthanasia program despite withdrawing her request — when her husband and caregiver requested it again on her behalf. The woman, who suffered from chronic complications following coronary artery bypass graft surgery, was receiving palliative care support at home when she told her family that she wanted to end her life through the MAiD program. She then informed her assessor that she “wanted to withdraw her request, citing personal and religious values and beliefs,” according to the report. Her spouse then requested another euthanasia assessment, which deemed Mrs. B eligible despite her expressed desire to opt for palliative care instead. A third assessor confirmed the second assessor’s approval, and Mrs. B received MAiD the same day. MAiD was passed in 2016 and originally required a 10-day waiting period between a request for assisted suicide and the act of euthanasia. This requirement was removed in 2021 by Canada’s parliament for those whose deaths were “reasonably foreseeable,” despite concerns that patients would opt for same-day suicides because it was quicker than accessing high-quality palliative care... Critics have held up Mrs. B’s case as evidence that patients are being given same-day euthanasia because it is easier for doctors to arrange than end-of-life care, and families are taking it due to caregiver burnout. Mrs. B was granted same-day euthanasia, despite her first assisted suicide practitioner having “concerns regarding the necessity for ‘urgency’ and… the seemingly drastic change in perspective of end-of-life goals, and the possibility of coercion or undue influence (i.e., due to caregiver burnout),” the MDRC’s report stated. “The focus [in this case] should have been on ensuring adequate palliative care and support for Mrs. B and her spouse. Hospice and palliative care teams should have been urgently re-engaged, given the severity of the situation,” Dr. Ramona Coelho of the MDRC said. It is the latest troubling incident under Canada’s euthanasia program, which many say is targeting so-called “burdensome” groups such as the elderly and disabled. The policy was described as “probably the biggest existential threat to disabled people since the Nazis’ program in Germany in the 1930s,” by Tim Stainton, director of the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship at the University of British Columbia in 2022."
Clearly, euthanising her was the right decision, because she had been brainwashed by religious extremists into withdrawing her MAiD request!
200+ Ontario residents were approved for assisted suicide on the same or next day in 2023 - "Assisted suicide became even easier to get after Liberals passed Bill C-7, which got rid of a mandatory 10-day reflection time before someone could have themselves killed by euthanasia. A report has highlighted just how prevalent euthanasia has become in Canada’s largest province of Ontario, noting that, of the thousands who died from assisted suicide, some 200 died from the procedure after getting same-day or next-day approval. The 2024 report from the “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAID) Death Review Committee (MDRC) of Ontario noted how, in 2023, a total of 219 Ontarians were asked to die by euthanasia and then were given quick approval, under what is known as Track 1. Track 1 rules stipulate that a person has to have a reasonably foreseeable death. Of the quick assisted suicide approvals, 30 percent of them chose to die the same day, records show. Highlighted was a case of a man, known as Mr. C, in his 70s with cancer. He asked for assisted suicide, and five days later, he was placed in the hospital. While in the hospital, his condition worsened to the point that he could not speak clearly. The person who was the assisted suicide practitioner tried to “vigorously rouse” him to get him to consent to being killed. This was after holding his sedation for 45 minutes. He was killed later that day. According to some members of the MDRC, not giving the man sedation for 45 minutes was “insufficient time for medication clearance.” There are many cases like Mr. C in Ontario, according to the report. Assisted suicide became even easier to get after Bill C-7 came to light, which got rid of a mandatory 10-day reflection time before someone could die by euthanasia... Euthanasia is now the sixth-highest cause of death in Canada, after it was not listed in Statistics Canada’s top 10 leading causes of death from 2019 to 2022. In 2021, the federal government under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expanded euthanasia from killing “terminally ill” patients to allowing the “chronically ill” to qualify after the passage of Bill C-7. Since then, the government has sought to include those suffering solely from mental illness."