euthanasia - MAID

In 2015/6, assisted euthanasia, known as MAID (medical assistance in dying), became legal in Quebec/Canada. As the table below indicates, between 10 December 2015 and 31 October 2018 at least 6,749 have died. The reason for the “at least” is as the table indicates numbers for NWT, YK, and NU are not included. As well, it is not unreasonable to suggest that more individuals have been euthanized than the table shows.

How do we as followers of Jesus respond?

• All human life is precious. Life is a gift from God for us to respect and protect through all its stages. Each person’s life has worth, regardless of their age or ability, because they are made in the image of God and loved by him. This belief in the sanctity of all human life compels me to oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide.
• God calls us to care for those who are vulnerable, including those who are ill or near the end of life. Palliative care is a compassionate response that supports and cares for those who are suffering or terminally ill.

We recognize that in our world, many set up a hierarchy of value on people. Some people are seen as more valuable than others (for a variety of reasons that goes beyond the scope of this post).

With the “right” to choose MAID, I fear that this “right” may be imposed on the vulnerable – the elderly, the disabled, the chronically ill. Vulnerable persons do not always have people who will speak up and advocate for them. They may be pressured to choose death. 

There is currently a study underway by the Canadian Council of Academies to consider extending access to euthanasia and assisted suicide to:

• minors, and,
• those for whom mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition.

Fear and despair often fuel a request for assisted death. Many who are ill or at the end of life are concerned about being a burden and may be afraid of what lies ahead. The compassionate response is to support and encourage them, to provide high-quality palliative care, not to end their lives.

God calls us to care for the vulnerable. We are called to love our neighbour. Jesus’ parable of the Samaritan teaches that our neighbour is anyone who is in need. In both the Old and New Testaments, the people of Israel and followers of Jesus were commanded to care for the foreigner, the widow, the orphan and the poor. In Matthew 25:34-36 Jesus tells us that when we minister to the vulnerable in our society, we are ministering to him.

As God’s people, we are to care for those:

• Living with a disability or serious illness
• Struggling to receive proper medical care
• In despair, believing their lives aren’t worth living
• Afraid of losing capacity or afraid they may suffer
• Needing pain control, support, or quality palliative care

All human life is precious. Each person’s life has inherent worth and dignity because we are created by God, made in his image, and loved by him. Euthanasia and assisted suicide fundamentally devalue human life. They communicate that some lives are not worth living, that people with disabilities or illness are better off dead.

Allowing euthanasia and assisted suicide shifts our medical system from a presumption for life to one in which a patient, amid scarce resources, may feel the need to justify not choosing death. Forcing someone to justify their continued care and their existence denies the dignity we affirm in us all.

We affirm human worth and dignity with compassion. The suffering experienced by many living with illness or disability requires a response. We believe the compassionate response is to support and encourage people who are vulnerable, to provide high-quality palliative care, not to end their lives.

Table: Number of Medically Assisted Deaths in Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/health-system-services/medical-assistance-dying-interim-report-april-2019.html

Timeframe	Total assisted deaths
Number of medically assisted deaths in Canada provided between January 1 and October 31, 2018 (not including Quebec, NWT, YK, and NU)*	2,614
Number of medically assisted deaths in Quebec between December 10, 2015 and March 31, 2018	1,664
Total number of medically assisted deaths in Canada since legislative enactment (between December 10, 2015 and October 31, 2018) including available data for Quebec^ (not including NWT, YK, and NU)	6,749

*On April 3, 2019, the Minister of Health and Social Services of Quebec tabled a new report by the Commission on End-of-Life Care about the state of end-of-life care in Quebec which includes more comprehensive data on MAID in Quebec.

^Quebec’s data in this calculation represents 1,664 MAID deaths between December 10, 2015 and March 31, 2018, as reported by the Commission on End-of-Life Care. Approximately 7 months of Quebec’s MAID data is unavailable which will result in an under-reporting of the total MAID deaths in Canada.