Ugly Truth of MAiD

Euthanasia for humans is illegal in the majority of the United States. As of June 2021, the only jurisdictions that allow this procedure are Oregon, Washington D.C., Hawaii, Washington, Maine, Colorado, New Jersey, California, and Vermont. But assisted suicide and euthanasia is legal in several countries.

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Euthanasia and assisted dying rates are soaring.

Total figures from around the world are hard to collate. Figures from Switzerland show that the numbers of those living in the country who underwent assisted suicide rose from 187 in 2003 to 965 in 2015.

A poll conducted by the National Centre for Social Research for MDMD found that 93% of people in the UK approved of, or wouldn’t rule out, doctor-assisted suicide if the person is terminally ill. In the Netherlands, a survey of almost 1,500 physicians published in 2015 found more than 90% of General Practioners and 87% of elderly care physicians supported the liberal Dutch approach to euthanasia and assisted suicide.

There have been concerns by disabilities groups that as euthanasia and assisted suicide become more common, it could put a pressure on those living with non-terminal conditions to end their lives.

In June 2016, the Parliament of Canada passed federal legislation that allows eligible adults in Canada to request medical assistance in dying. Since then, it has become an effective way to reduce long term care costs. The Canadian health care system will suggest MAiD as a ‘treatment’ as easily as they would a prescription.

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In January 2024, the Canadian federal government introduced legislation to delay the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) eligibility to include people with mental illness (as young as 12 years old) as their sole underlying medical condition until March 2027. The delay was recommended by a parliamentary committee and supported by Health Minister Mark Holland and Justice Minister Arif Virani, who said that provinces and territories told them their health systems were not ready for the expansion. The legislation also allows for a review in two years to assess the system’s readiness.

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Woman with ‘unmanageable’ pain from Lyme disease chooses to die. She wasn’t always believed

After she chose doctor-assisted death because she was in agony with no end in sight, the family of a Quebec woman with Lyme disease is calling for change on how the medical system handles cases of the infectious illness.

Stéphanie Lavoie was only 30 years old when she died on May 17. She spent most of her adult life fighting a barrage of escalating symptoms that left her bedridden and barely able to eat by the end of her life.

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