Canada's Culture of Death: Doctors regret killing the vulnerable, not just the terminally ill
Grief, debt and obesity are now being used as justifications for assisted suicide as Trudeau’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program spirals out of control.
Canada’s doctors are raising the alarm about a disturbing trend: more people are being euthanized for non-terminal reasons like homelessness and depression, thanks to the Trudeau government’s expanding euthanasia laws. Newly revealed reports, cited by the Daily Mail, show that many physicians are struggling with the moral implications of being asked to end lives for reasons that go far beyond terminal illness.
In 2021, the government made the controversial move to expand the country’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) law, allowing euthanasia for people with incurable — but not terminal — illnesses. This change led to a 30% increase in assisted deaths by 2022, and many of these cases have raised serious ethical concerns.
One Ontario doctor’s report, highlighted by the Daily Mail, described a patient who sought euthanasia, not because of illness but because he was homeless and drowning in debt. Another case involved a doctor who euthanized a severely obese woman suffering from depression, who felt she was “a useless body taking up space.”
Doctors on private forums, speaking anonymously, shared their unease at being asked to end the lives of patients not facing imminent death.
One elderly woman was euthanized simply because she lost her husband and her pet cat, triggering unbearable grief. Meanwhile, an Alberta man, 65-year-old Lee Landry, applied for MAID because financial cuts left him facing homelessness, despite not wanting to die.
He told doctors that if one rejected his request, he’d just “shop around” for another willing to sign off on his death — a chilling reality allowed under Canada’s permissive laws.
Canada is poised to break records for assisted deaths again, with 15,280 expected euthanasians in 2023, a 15% increase from 2022.
Critics like Alex Schadenberg, director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, warn that the program is spiralling out of control, with people being approved for euthanasia over non-terminal conditions like “frailty” or social suffering.
Trudeau’s government is under increasing scrutiny as the public — and even medical professionals — question whether euthanasia is now being used as a grim solution for poverty and despair, and an overburdened social safety net.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
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COMMENTS
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Roy Harvie commented 2024-10-21 00:25:18 -0400As cruel this may sound, I think it is ok for these examples. It is the person themselves asking for euthanasia, not a relative or other person. However, being broke and homeless is a terrible reason, and I believe this person should be able to collect welfare at a level where he can be comfortable, and options of declaring bankruptcy explained. The solution is to help these people, not deny them the choice of euthanasia. -
Shaun Morrison commented 2024-10-18 19:24:26 -0400WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY?
