MAiD Expands in Canada

Writing in Providence, Alina Clough documents the rapid expansion of physician-assisted suicide, euphemistically termed “medical aid in dying” in Canada.  Legislation approved in 2016 set strict eligibility requirements, limiting it only to those terminally ill.  “This initial vision, intended as a niche carve-out for extreme medical cases has, in just a few short years, quickly evolved into a central pillar of Canada’s healthcare system: it now accounts for 4.1% of deaths in Canada.  This popularity, now seeing a steady 30% growth rate year over year, is due to the fact that the initial guardrails around citizens’ eligibility for medical euthanasia have rapidly begun to crumble. As a result of new legislation passed in 2021, a citizen need no longer be terminally ill to qualify for MAiD, opening up eligibility to those with non-deadly illnesses and disabilities.”

Read more:  Providence