Hi - thanks for your post. I'm a witness to a MAiD death and an academic researching the topic. You make some inaccurate claims.
1."fundamental life choice"
Because euthanasia is the norm in Canada patient can only request MAiD and provide final consent (if the clinician remembers to ask for it). The fundamental choices are with the clinicians who must approve the death, and after consent, still decide to kill the person.
3. “MAID for individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeably represents just 0.14% of all deaths in Canada in 2022.”
My father was a Track 2 case, but immediately upgraded to Track 1 after missing two days of meals and having a fall at his new Assisted Living apartment with a raised white blood cell count. His fall occurred during a heatwave, in the middle of the pandemic, and the ambulances took 6 or 7 hours to reach him, as the staff just left him where he fell and family could not reach him. He was in acute distress and suicidal as he often was during periods of change like house moves and losses, and accessed suicide prevention services before MAiD appeared on his radar. He picked a family member's birthday for his death in an act of malice - this is not illegal and the provider did not object. As family members (and even the patient's other doctors or healthcare support services) have no say and do not have to be consulted, we do not matter, and providers miss relevant information.
The point is that Track 2 MAiD rates may be much higher as MAiD providers can easily upgrade patients to Track 1 for as little as mentioning they might self-harm, according to CAMAP's advice. And providers have enormous leeway in how they go about their assessments.
No dignity there.
4. I, and many others, can attest to the harm and even clinical grief and trauma these kinds of deaths, more frequent than you might imagine, cause loved ones and witnesses.
It may not have been your government's intent, but what you have done is create a state-funded death-on-demand service with very few protections for patients from overzealous clinicians.
Well written and reasoned. Thank you. Please push your government to at least separate the people who need Advance Requests while they debate the issue of Mental Illness being the sole reason for Maid.
Hi - thanks for your post. I'm a witness to a MAiD death and an academic researching the topic. You make some inaccurate claims.
1."fundamental life choice"
Because euthanasia is the norm in Canada patient can only request MAiD and provide final consent (if the clinician remembers to ask for it). The fundamental choices are with the clinicians who must approve the death, and after consent, still decide to kill the person.
2. "to end unbearable suffering"
The suffering doesn't have to exist. Providers often take the view the law does not require them to determine the patient is actually (unbearably) suffering, just take their word for it. Research: https://bmcpalliatcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12904-021-00869-1
https://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2023/07/13/jme-2023-109327
Incidentally, there is evidence that patients may suffer agonising MAiD deaths that appear outwardly peaceful. Research: https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/142/1/15/6580517?login=true
3. “MAID for individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeably represents just 0.14% of all deaths in Canada in 2022.”
My father was a Track 2 case, but immediately upgraded to Track 1 after missing two days of meals and having a fall at his new Assisted Living apartment with a raised white blood cell count. His fall occurred during a heatwave, in the middle of the pandemic, and the ambulances took 6 or 7 hours to reach him, as the staff just left him where he fell and family could not reach him. He was in acute distress and suicidal as he often was during periods of change like house moves and losses, and accessed suicide prevention services before MAiD appeared on his radar. He picked a family member's birthday for his death in an act of malice - this is not illegal and the provider did not object. As family members (and even the patient's other doctors or healthcare support services) have no say and do not have to be consulted, we do not matter, and providers miss relevant information.
The point is that Track 2 MAiD rates may be much higher as MAiD providers can easily upgrade patients to Track 1 for as little as mentioning they might self-harm, according to CAMAP's advice. And providers have enormous leeway in how they go about their assessments.
No dignity there.
4. I, and many others, can attest to the harm and even clinical grief and trauma these kinds of deaths, more frequent than you might imagine, cause loved ones and witnesses.
It may not have been your government's intent, but what you have done is create a state-funded death-on-demand service with very few protections for patients from overzealous clinicians.
Will the substack author respond to the above points??
Well written and reasoned. Thank you. Please push your government to at least separate the people who need Advance Requests while they debate the issue of Mental Illness being the sole reason for Maid.
disgusting