Is Canada Euthanizing People Against Their Will?
You will likely have seen some pretty inflammatory headlines about Canada’s healthcare system and the policy of euthanizing people against their will. Is this true? Or more accurately, how much of this is true?
What seems to be true is that a woman named Brigette Stegemann received Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), despite making statements to not wanting it and seeminingly not competent to request it.
I do not know the full story behind this but just based on what has been reported, there is plenty to be concerned about. This seems to be a terrible event that should be investigated.
What is also true is that some people have been offered MAiD when they are not terminally ill and it has not been an appropriate situation. Most often these offers are not by the health system but other “caregivers.”
I am also very concerned about attempts to include mental illness as a reason for MAiD. I am not discounting the real pain that people with mental illness experience, but I believe that it will open a door that will cause much abuse.
So I have concerns about MAiD. But that is not why I am writing this post.
The headlines that I am seeing online are very misleading. They make it sound as if Canada has a policy of euthanizing people, even if they do not want it and it goes against their religious values. That is not the case, even if unfortunately has seemed to have happened.
Understanding that euthanasia and MAiD are extremely controversial and that there are strong opinions on both sides over whether it just exist, there is something else happening.
As I have said, abuse of procedures such as the tests for competency and ability to assent should be investigated, that does not prove that the abuse is official policy.
We can be concerned and vigilant without falling into fear-mongering. I have seen posts from American sources that this is proof that the Canadian healthcare system is bad and should be avoided.
This is part of a bigger conversation about concerns over “socialism.” The message being sent is that if you start down the road of affordable healthcare, the end result will be people being euthanized against their will. This is nonsense.
We can have conversations about euthanasia and medically assisted death. We can have conversations about regulations regarding MAiD and similar programs. But we should stick to those topics and not use these terrible abuses to prove something that they do not prove.
As a Canadian, I can say in full confidence that I do not live in fear that myself or my family will be euthanized against our will.
