Dear Friend,
In less than a year, Canadians will be able to ask for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) even if their only health issue is a mental illness. We must act
now to stop this change before people are irreversibly harmed.
How did we get here?
It became legal for doctors to end the lives of their patients in 2016. Back then, a person could only ask for doctor-assisted suicide or euthanasia if they had a very serious illness that could not be cured and if they were already close to dying.
Since that time, the rules have changed. In 2021, the law was updated so that a person did not have to be dying to be eligible for MAiD. Canadians living with conditions like hearing loss and diabetes have had their lives ended via MAiD. This is already deeply concerning.
Now what?
Another change to the MAiD law is coming soon. People whose
only condition is a mental illness will be able to ask for MAiD. This change will take effect in March 2027 unless the law is reversed.
Why should Canadians be concerned?
Hope of Recovery: One of the key criteria for MAiD eligibility is that a person’s illness be incurable. But experts agree that it’s not possible to determine whether an individual’s mental illness will respond to treatments and supports. Offering MAiD to those with mental illness sends the message that there is no hope of recovery, and that any effort to treat them will be useless.
Adequate Protections: Proper safeguards have not been built into the law to protect people making life and death decisions in moments of vulnerability, desperation and hopelessness. In Belgium and the Netherlands, doctors are not allowed to take a patient’s life if there are still treatments that have not yet been tried. But in Canada, patients are not required to exhaust all reasonable treatments before seeking death. They need only be informed of treatment options.
Access to Care: As well, like many living with physical disabilities, individuals living with psychiatric conditions often already struggle with getting the services and support needed to live well and to thrive. In this reality, people may choose death, not because their medical conditions cannot be managed, but because despair over the lack of adequate care and social supports lead them to request it. People facing mental illness can end up waiting months, sometimes years, for specialized treatment. It should not be easier to get MAiD than it is to access affordable care, timely treatments, and needed supports.
Created in God’s Image: Every human is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) and is loved and honoured by God as His creature. Our lives have meaning and are precious to God, regardless of our age, illness or ability.
God compels us to love our neighbour (Romans 13:9). We are to care for, serve, and walk alongside those who are suffering. Jesus illustrated this with the story of the Good Samaritan, who showed compassion to the man who had been left “half dead,” helping him to live, not to die (Luke 10:25-37).
The EFC has always been opposed to MAiD, believing that it fundamentally devalues human life and normalizes suicide. The taking of a life stands in direct opposition to God’s command to not murder (Exodus 20:13). We are very concerned that this expansion of MAiD eligibility for mental illness alone will put already marginalized Canadians at risk and undermine suicide prevention efforts in Canada.
Can the expansion be stopped?
Bill C-218 is the
Right to Recover Act. If Bill C-218 passes, a mental disorder will no longer be considered a “grievous and irremediable medical condition” for the purposes of MAiD. This would ensure that individuals will not be eligible for MAiD on the basis of mental illness alone.
A special joint committee of MPs and Senators to study MAiD for mental illness began meeting in March. A debate and vote on Bill C-218 are supposed to happen this month. It will need widespread public support to pass.
We need your help. Please ask your Member of Parliament to support Bill C-218.
Please join us in praying for life and hope:
- For family, friends and neighbours struggling with mental health
- For parliamentarians to pass Bill C-218, reversing the law that will allow MAiD for mental illness
- For a society that sees all lives as having meaning and value
- For medical professionals to be able to care well for their patients
And if the Spirit so moves you, please make a donation today in support of our efforts on Parliament Hill. I am so grateful for the support of God’s people. Gifts of any amount would be warmly received and greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Dr. David Guretzki
President & CEO