Medical aid in dying (MAiD, or assisted suicide) is an ever-increasing option for the terminally ill all over the world. Instead of dying slowly in pain, patients have the option to end their life peacefully. However, euthanasia is becoming more and more accessible to people who are not actively dying. This crucial service is quickly transforming from a peaceful end to a terminally ill patient’s life to a disturbing death for the poor, mentally ill, and disabled.
Examples of misuse of euthanasia are increasing worldwide, but especially in Canada. Canadian paralympian and army veteran Christine Gauthier detailed her alienating experience to The Telegraph. While requesting a new wheelchair lift for her home, Gauthier claimed a Veterans Affairs Canada employee said, “You know, Madame Gauthier, if you really feel you can’t go on like this, if you feel that you can’t do it anymore, you know, you have the right to die?” The veteran added that, “It’s really hard to understand this when you feel, or may be blinded enough, or stupid enough, to believe that your government is there to help you, and not to end your life because you’re becoming too pricey, or too much of a problem.”
This isn’t an isolated incident, either; according to Catholic News Agency, over 10,000 people were killed by MAiD alone in 2021. Many of these people were not terminally ill, but disabled people who either lived or feared living in poverty. The CNA described the plight of a retired truck driver whose disability income was cut when he turned 65. Fearing homelessness, the man is seeking MAiD because he won’t be able to afford to live.
At first, it feels like some sort of cruel coincidence that so many people in similar conditions would choose to die in the same manner. However, considering the technicalities of the situation, it feels almost systematic. Why would an authority tell a disabled army veteran that she had the right to kill herself when all she wanted was a wheelchair lift? Why are so many people dealing with poverty or mental illnesses choosing to die instead of hoping for their conditions to improve? When you think about it for a while, it becomes clear that the government is practically encouraging people to choose death solely because they make these marginalized people feel like burdens. Medical care and aid for low-income people is expensive – that is a well-known fact. However, that is what government aid is for. When the people at the top of the food chain decide that helping those at the bottom is too much work or money, that’s when problems start to rise very quickly.
Messed up cannot even begin to describe how horrid this really is. For a country that prides themselves on being very progressive, this feels out of character. After all, according to Medical Tourism Magazine, Canada ranks third in the best countries for mental health treatments. This is hypocritical! Promoting assisted death to people who are not actively dying (which is what hospice is for, by the way) completely negates the goals of mental health advocates who work hard to help people out of health crises. Is this really the best way to tell people that their mission in aiding the sick is all for naught?
MAiD should only be preserved for those who are terminally ill – actively dying with no hope of a cure; slowly euthanizing the poor, disabled, and mentally ill just goes to show how the government really feels about these groups. Canada is in a state of crisis right now; since former prime minister Justin Tredeau stepped down from his role, the world is holding their breaths to see how the country will change. Hopefully, whoever steps into the cabinet as the next PM will see the severity of this issue and change the system before more people opt to kill themselves out of desperation.