Canada: New MAID Bill Allows Advance Requests, Bars Mental Illness
The Facts
- The Canadian federal government introduced new legislation on Tuesday to allow Canadians to make advance requests for medical assistance in dying (MAID) before they lose the ability to consent due to an incurable illness.
- Bill C-41, the Medical Assistance in Dying Safeguards Act, would let Canadian adults diagnosed with a capacity-limiting disease such as Alzheimer's specify in advance the circumstances in which they would want MAID.
- To be eligible, persons must be 18 or older, voluntarily request MAID with the assistance of a medical or nurse practitioner, be professionally informed about the prognosis of their condition and live in provinces and territories where the law meets the local legislative regime.
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The Spin
Pro-government narrative
This legislation steps up for Canadians whose wishes would otherwise be derailed by an incurable condition that robs them of their capacity. With strong safeguards in place, the advance request lets people diagnosed with an incurable ailment decide how and when their life should end, as is their bodily right. At the same time, it protects those struggling with poor mental health by barring mental illness as eligible for MAID.
Government-critical narrative
Canada's latest assisted dying law arrives with serious flaws. Its introduction of advanced MAID requests ignores the fact that consent can be given and withdrawn at any time, while its so-called "safeguards" leave patients at the mercy of a health practitioner's guesswork. This policy agenda is nothing short of madness, and it is past time the Canadian government urgently reverses course.