According to a recent CBC article, over 3,700 Canadians have died by “MAiD”, or “Medical Aid in Dying” (a palatable euphemism for euthanasia) since the Federal Government legalized assisted suicide in June of 2017. Over 1,500 of those deaths occurred in just the last six months, a 30% increase over the six months prior. The slippery slope is apparently much slicker than even the pro-life community warned.
The death toll is sure to grow, for several reasons. For one, the law is vague on exactly who is “eligible” to have their life ended by a doctor. Currently, anyone over 18 years of age with a “grievous and Irremediable” medical condition, whose death is “reasonably foreseen,” and is deemed mentally competent can qualify to be killed, paid for by the tax-payer.
Even long-time abortionist and now enthusiastic killer of the suffering, Dr. Ellen Wiebe (Vancouver), is unclear on who she is legally permitted to put down. She told MacLean’s Magazine in June that both federal and provincial legislation are so vague she simply relies on her own personal judgement to determine whether someone is eligible.
Dr. Wiebe, as you may know, ratcheted up her notoriety when she snuck into a Vancouver nursing home late at night and administered a lethal injection to an elderly resident. The home had a policy of not permitting assisted suicide within their walls, but Wiebe argues the patient had a right to it no matter where she happened to live. There was no criminal investigation.
Further, many people (including Wiebe) have been pushing for fewer restrictions on who has the “right to die.” They want to help end the lives of those with psychiatric conditions too, no matter if their deaths aren’t reasonably foreseen or they have any sort of physical disease.
Another reason the number of people succumbing to “MAiD” is sure to grow is that leftist associations and governments, such as BC’s GreeNDP coalition, will continue to insist facilities provide the “service,” and pressure or outright require doctors to commit or refer for the procedure. Pro-life doctors from coast to coast are already having to defend their conscience rights to not participate in assisted suicide or euthanasia.
Moreover, our aging population and the rising costs of medical care are sure to act as accelerators of euthanasia. In Oregon and other places where assisted suicide is legal, there have been reports of patients being approved for the cost of suicide but not for treatment of their conditions. How long before similar cases come to light in Canada?
Finally, we can look to the Netherlands to see how two decades of legalized euthanasia have changed the way a generation views death and dying. There is a growing acceptance of the practice as a morally legitimate, even preferred way to die, not only among the general population but among doctors and health care workers too. People come to accept euthanasia as a valid way to avoid a long and painful death. It’s easier, it’s less expensive, it’s not as scary, family can be present at the moment of death. It’s all so neat and tidy, not to mention convenient for caregivers and, in many cases, survivors.
However, what is lost when we normalize euthanasia is too great a price to pay: reverence for the sanctity of human life, finding meaning in mysteries of suffering and death, true selfless compassion, and opportunities to heal old family wounds. All are casualties of the creeping evil of euthanasia.
Photo by Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash