MAiD Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

Earlier this year, the federal government expanded physician-assisted death laws to apply to people with chronic medical problems even if they have years or decades to live. Unbeknownst to many, it also set up a process that will almost certainly result in death becoming available, in the near future, as an intervention for chronic mental illnesses. This is destined to create a massive legal quagmire, which, unfortunately, hasn’t got the attention it deserves. Importantly, these are not issues that the government’s forthcoming recommendations, set to be released by this coming March, will be able to resolve.

Triggered by grim experience my personal view on euthanasia for the terminally ill is evolving. It may be the most merciful of acts in some circumstances but always the choice must be left to the afflicted.

DIY suicide devices show just how far the misguided quest for individual autonomy will go

You can 3D-print your own suicide pod now. No doctor’s note required. And it’s legal in Switzerland. One woman featured in the official announcement video called the pod “utopian.”

According to one of the numerous news pieces covering Sarco (as the device is known), those who die by this and similar means are “cared for,” not “killed.” And yet that same article included the phone number of a suicide hotline along with a disclaimer: “If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help.”

Recently released statistics and anecdotal accounts have caused anti-euthanasia activists increased concern, as they believe medically assisted death is not only permitted, but encouraged.

Medically assisted deaths in Quebec rose to 2,426 in the year ending March 31, an increase of 37 percent over the year before, and represented 3.3 percent of all deaths. The statistics were made public by the province’s commission on end-of-life care, which submitted its report to the Quebec parliament on Oct. 20.

Wim van Dijk says he wants to fuel debate on assisted dying and does not care about possible jail term

A Dutch psychologist has told an interviewer from a newspaper that he gave “suicide powder” to more than 100 people and that he was speaking out in an effort to provoke debate about the Netherlands’ laws on assisted dying.

Wim van Dijk, 78, said he was unconcerned that he could be jailed over his actions and insisted that the issue needed to be aired.

“I am aware of the consequences of my story. I don’t care,” he told De Volkskrant. “I want the social unrest to become so great that the judiciary cannot ignore it. I don’t really care if they arrest me or put me in jail. I want something to happen.”

Right-to-die advocates are dreaming up ever-more grotesque ways of killing ourselves.

You may have heard of advance directives, also known as living wills. They are advance instructions to refuse treatment issued to doctors and carers by very ill people who expect to find themselves unable to communicate when the time comes. Right-to-die associations often promote advance directives as a way of avoiding life with dementia. But what if the doctors involved with your care refuse to follow the advance directive? After all, they are not currently legally enforceable in most jurisdictions.