SASKATOON—Until recently, if you dialed the 811 health line in Saskatchewan looking for help with everything from COVID-19 to mental health and addictions, one of the options was contacting the medical assistance in dying (MAID) program. “Press 5 if you wish to leave a message with the Medical Assistance in Dying Program,” said the recorded…
Critics Relieved Saskatchewan’s Health Phone Line Drops Assisted Suicide Information
‘Abandoning People’: Canada’s Broadening Assisted Suicide Law Dangerous for the Vulnerable, Critics Say
Canada’s broadening medical assistance in dying (MAiD) law has already harmed the country’s most vulnerable and will continue to do so unless amended, say critics of the legislation. Alex Schadenberg, executive director of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Canada, says there are many recent cases that showcase this point. He cites the case of a woman who…
Eco-Anxiety and Medically Assisted Suicide: Man Seeks Death Due to Anxiety Over Climate Change
A climate change activist diagnosed with eco-anxiety has requested a medically assisted death, a sign that some observers say indicates restrictions on the practice have quickly become flimsy since legalization in 2016. Howard Breen, a 68-year-old eco-activist from Ladysmith, B.C., is a member of the group Extinction Rebellion, which describes itself as an international movement…
Delta Hospice Society Says Mayor’s Call to Redirect Charity Funds ‘Chilling’
Delta Hospice Society (DHS) president Angelina Ireland is calling the actions of Delta’s mayor “chilling” after he urged B.C. Premier John Horgan to redirect private funds from the society’s thrift shop to a hospice facility formerly run by the charity. DHS found itself in controversy last year following a provincial directive to require provincially-funded hospices…
Barbara Kay: Weasel Words and the Slippery Slope of Assisted Death
Commentary Misleading language is a friend to tyrants, for whom it works as a placebo against public unrest. In Russia, the charged words “war against Ukraine” are forbidden. Russians must use the more soothingly anodyne “special military operation.” Ideologues are also masters of the weasel-word craft. In the domain of euthanasia, a concept tainted with…
BC Hospice Society Opposed to MAiD in Palliative Care Faces Momentous Vote at AGM
Having lost its 10-bed hospice due to B.C. government regulations, the Delta Hospice Society (DHS) will soon face what it expects to be a fierce confrontation at its annual general meeting as it attempts to adopt an explicit anti-euthanasia stance on its way to building a new private facility. “This AGM is the ultimate showdown…
Assisted Dying Expansion Aided by Legislation, Public Attitudes
The number of Canadians seeking medically assisted dying grows with each passing year, a trend that is expected to continue due to its legal expansion and other trends in society and health-care delivery. In 2020, 7,595 Canadians received medical assistance in dying (MAiD). This was an over 34 percent increase from 2019’s 5,660 figure, but…
Disability Community Worried About Assisted Dying Expansion
Taylor Hyatt has cerebral palsy and advocates for people with disabilities. She recalls an occasion where acute breathing problems brought her to a hospital emergency room in Ottawa. When a doctor asked her if she wanted oxygen, she replied, “Of course I do.” The doctor then asked, “Are you sure?” “I was floored,” Hyatt told…
Canadians Who’ve Recovered from Depression Urge MPs to Vote Against Bill C-7
Canadians who had recovered from depression are urging MPs to vote against amendments to a bill that would expand access to medically assisted deaths for people suffering from mental illnesses. In a press conference co-hosted by Conservative MPs on Monday, witnesses expressed concerns about the Liberal government’s latest amendments to Bill C-7, which would allow people who…
Commons Must Decide Whether to Accept, Reject Senate Amendments to MAiD Bill
OTTAWA—A power struggle between the elected House of Commons and the appointed Senate could erupt this week over the emotional issue of medical assistance in dying. Senators have already approved five amendments to Bill C−7, including two major changes that would expand access to assisted dying well beyond what MPs agreed to when they passed…
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