As published in the National Post

More troubling developments when it comes to euthanasia in Canada. It was recently reported that CAMAP (Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers) is recommending that doctors have a professional obligation to bring up euthanasia with patients who meet eligibility requirements. This is especially concerning when we consider that next March people with mental illness will be able to avail themselves of euthanasia. It’s tragic to think that Canadians with mental health issues could be asked to consider euthanasia while they are visiting their doctor.

It is lamentable that we have moved so quickly from a patient having the right to request euthanasia to a patient having an obligation to consider doctor assisted suicide.

This touches our family on a personal level as well. Our 18-year-old son Markus recently passed away after a fifteen-month battle with Ewing sarcoma. He received dignified, life-affirming palliative care at the Canuck Place Hospice in Vancouver. The nurses who helped us care for him knew his days were short, but they ensured he lived his final days well. It is deeply troubling to us to know that we are quickly moving to a place where families like ours will be on the receiving end of a doctor suggesting assisted suicide as a response to suffering. In our situation the message we would have heard would have been: Markus’ life is no longer worth living and we should choose for the option of ending it. Dreadful.

We thank you for engaging with ARPA’s Care Not Kill campaign. Please continue to do so by visiting carenotkill.ca for ideas on what you can do to implore our government to stop the slide down this very slippery slope.