Canada is now the number one provider of medical assistance in dying in the world per capita. The latest stats, from 2023, show that MAID accounted for almost 5% of all deaths in Canada, or around 15,000 people in that year. And it’s only been legal since 2016.
MAID was introduced for patients who were experiencing intolerable suffering, irreversible decline and whose death was foreseeable. Within a few years it was expanded to cover people who are not close to death but who are living with chronic illness or disabilities and facing intolerable suffering.
Canada’s number one spot on the global stage and the expansion of MAID eligibility has attracted the attention of the United Nations. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issued a report that raised questions about access to housing, social support, and healthcare, especially for people with disabilities. It noted that the suffering that qualified these people for the recent expansion to MAiD is suffering that might have been avoided if their needs were met by the Canadian government.
Today we're going to meet four people, all with experience on the front lines of the debate, some of whom have been in the room witnessing firsthand death by MAID.
Further Reading:
Life After Film
Katie Engelhart NY Times Article
Kerry Bowman
United Nations Report
Credits:
Host: Jesse Brown
Julian Abraham (Reporter)
Caleb Thompson (Post Production), Bruce Thorson (Senior Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor and Publisher)
Fact checking by Lucie Laumonier
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