Dear Friend,
We’re less than 6 months away from Canadians being able to ask for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) where their only health issue is a mental illness – unless a bill is passed to stop it.
How did we get here?
In 2016, it became legal for a person to have their life ended by a doctor. Back then, a person could only be eligible for doctor-assisted suicide or euthanasia if they had a serious illness that could not be cured and their death was reasonably predictable.
Over the past ten years, the rules have expanded. In 2021, the law was changed so that a person did not have to be dying to be eligible for MAiD. Canadians living with chronic conditions like diabetes or arthritis have had their lives ended via MAiD. This is already deeply concerning.
What’s next?
Another change, already passed into law, is coming soon. People whose
only condition is a mental illness will be able to have their life ended via MAiD. This will come into effect on March 17, 2027, unless a new law is passed to delay or stop it.
Why should Canadians be concerned?
Hope of Recovery: One of the key criteria for MAiD eligibility is that a person’s illness be incurable (irremediable). But experts agree that it’s not possible to determine if an individual with mental illness might respond to any given treatment or support. Offering MAiD to those with mental illness sends the message that the doctor has given up and any effort to treat them will be useless.
Adequate Protections: This expansion doesn’t come with any specific safeguards related to mental illness 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 reasonable treatments that have not yet been tried. But in Canada, patients only need to be told 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. People facing mental illness can end up waiting months, sometimes years, for specialized treatment. 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. 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 continues to oppose MAiD. We believe it fundamentally devalues human life and normalizes suicide. Taking a life stands in direct opposition to God’s command to not murder (Exodus 20:13). 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?
Just before the summer break, a parliamentary committee recommended that MAiD for mental illness be delayed indefinitely. However, the government has not yet indicated whether it will follow the recommendation or not.
This fall, after parliament resumes sitting, Bill C-218, the
Right to Recover Act, will come up for debate and vote. If Bill C-218 passes, a mental disorder will no longer be considered a “grievous and irremediable medical condition” for the purposes of MAiD. As a result, individuals will not be eligible for MAiD on the basis of mental illness alone.
As a private member’s bill, it will need widespread public support to pass. As such, this is a critical time to pray and to act. Ask your MP to delay MAiD for mental illness indefinitely or to completely reverse the law that allows it. Even if you’ve contacted your MP about this before, this is an important time to communicate again. Let your MP know that you support an indefinite pause on MAiD for mental illness, or better still, a complete stop.
And if the Spirit so moves you, please make a donation today in support of our efforts on Parliament Hill. As always, I am deeply grateful for the support of God’s people.
Sincerely,
Dr. David Guretzki
President & CEO