Put the Brakes on Allowing Medical Assistance in Dying for Those With Mental Illness

 By Harvey Max Chochinov It’s time to put the brakes on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada for those whose sole underlying medical condition is mental illness. The federal government has tasked the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying to determine if Canada is ready to extend

The right to living with dignity

 By Rabia Khedr and Nick Saul. In March 2021, the federal government made it legal for Canadians living with a disability to apply for medical assistance in dying – regardless of whether natural death is inevitable. One year later, many people living with a disability in Canada are considering this

Stop telling people with disabilities they might be better off dead

 By Lisa Bendall Senators are currently deliberating the passage of Bill C-7, which would amend medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to allow assisted suicide for people who aren’t near death. Not all people, mind you; just people who happen to have disabilities. While many of us fear that this bill

Bill C-7 is a matter of life and death for persons with disabilities

 By Nicolas Rouleau   PHOTO: CAMPAIGN LIFE COALITION By cavalierly hurrying through Parliament and limiting debate on legislation to expand access to assisted suicide in Canada (Bill C-7), the Canadian government is fast-tracking the deaths of persons with disabilities. Up until now, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) has been limited to

A good woman, a good doctor, six good friends, and MAiD

 ABOVE: Alma Norman passed away on November 6, 2020 By David B. Brooks MAiD is the short form of a medical procedure that has recently become legal under Canadian federal law: Medical Assistance in Dying.  It provides for situations in which people are in significant pain or are in some other situation

It will soon be easier and faster to get a medically assisted death than many disability supports

 By Trudo Lemmens and Leah Krakowitz-Broker To meet the twice-renewed deadline imposed by the Quebec Superior Court in the Truchon case, the federal government is pushing its new Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) bill through Parliament before year’s end.  They should go back to the drawing board and start again. Truchon ruled sections

What does the government’s promised ‘disability lens’ really mean?

 The last minute Liberal election commitment to apply a disability lens to all federal government decisions was both fought for and welcomed widely by the disability community across the country. But it’s easy to promise. Now the government must deliver.  The pledge for a disability lens meets its first test