I can’t dispute this person’s story But I have personally known someone who chose medical assistance in dying (MAID) and I’ve heard of others from people I know. There was no coercion in any of those cases. The people choosing MAID wanted to end their own suffering on their terms.
Another person close to me who is in a nursing home at age 71 because she can no longer move herself from her wheelchair has looked into MAID and found she does not meet the criteria.
Of course it’s necessary to protect people from others making the decision for them or coercing them into it. But that’s no reason to make it unavailable to the many who want to use it to die with dignity when there’s no hope of recovery, and harsh suffering ahead of them.
As for abortion, those who don’t want it, don’t do it. And hands off those who do want it. It’s their choice.
Is there any financial incentive in Canada for hospitals or others to carry out ‘MAID’?
A good question, @PatB. Goes beyond Canada.
Redefining death…
The Hidden Crisis in Organ Transplantation — Brain Death Diagnosis and Ethical Failures
Though the story appears under the Mercola framework the analysis is by the much respected though anonymous “MidWestern Doctor”
It’s a difficult one to read. I myself would agree with @JackieL in principle, and believe people should in general have autonomy over their own deaths. Irrespective of anyone else’s religious beliefs.
But what happens when it’s run and even taken over by vested interests? You can probably guess…
As I say it’s a difficult read…
Thanks @LocalYokel for raising the issue.
ED
The Hidden Crisis in Organ Transplantation — Brain Death Diagnosis and Ethical Failures
Analysis by A Midwestern Doctor
Story at-a-glance
The concept of “brain death,” introduced in 1968 to enable organ harvesting, has never been proven equivalent to actual death — it merely defines an irreversible coma
Documented cases exist of “brain dead” patients who were conscious, including some who mouthed “help me” as their organs were nearly harvested
Global organ shortages have fueled a black market, with an estimated 5% to 20% of transplants involving illegal procurement and added pressure to lower diagnostic standards for “brain death”
Recent federal investigations found serious failures in the U.S. organ donation system: 29.3% of reviewed cases showed troubling signs, and 20.8% of patients had neurologic activity incompatible with procurement — yet transplant coordinators still pushed to proceed
Safer, ethical alternatives exist — such as natural therapies like DMSO that have revived “brain dead” patients and restored organ function, removing the need for transplant
(Analysis continues…)
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2025/09/12/organ-transplant-brain-death-diagnosis-ethical-failures.aspx
Do you know the source of this publication?
I’m not comfortable with this practice of posting untraceable disembodied headlines and snippets of this and that. It’s no way to debate.
I apologize for taking so long to respond to this, PatB. In Canada, MAiD is considered a medical procedure and is covered by the national health care program. There is no more incentive to carry out MAiD than there is to provide dialysis or any other basic health service.
Here’s the gov’t website about it, if anyone is interested in details.
Here’s the website for the Canadian Assoc of MaiD Assessors and Providers.
@LocalYokel 's link is here
Canadian Government Has Now Euthanized 90,000 Citizens with ‘Assisted Suicide’ Program
No doubt many or most are legit. There are true stories like this:
Canadian Woman with Cerebral Palsy Bullied by Doctors for Refusing Euthanasia, Called ‘Selfish’
"In addition to the alleged 2019 incidents, Hancock says she has been routinely encouraged to end her life via euthanasia.
She revealed that she feels reluctant to seek advice from medical professionals due to the consistent efforts to railroad her into being euthanized.
Hancock says she has been encouraged to take MAiD on three separate occasions since Canada launched its euthanasia program in 2016.
Doctors and nurses have repeatedly suggested that she’s a burden because she has cerebral palsy."
I guess there are people with fascistic views on ‘expensive’ patients even in the medical profession. But there is more than a hint that MAID was introduced with more than human dignity in mind. Eg (as shown in the screenshot in Local Yokel’s link), senators pushing MAID for ‘Mature minors’ sends shivers down my spine, even though I would support MAID with suitable controls and in the absence of sinister political hijacking.
Well, on that we agree. I’m certainly not in favour of ending the lives of people who want to live (that would be murder). And I do understand that people who rely on others to enable them to live could feel threatened or targetted by the legality of MAiD. That doesn’t prove that they are threatened or targetted, which would be horrible and absolutely wrong.
Thanks for the link. A quick perusal of the SLAY site shows me that it’s not a source I would consider reliable; I think it’s biased in the extreme. (On the other hand, my sister would love it. Different strokes, etc.)
I do wonder why a US publication is so concerned about MAiD in Canada. I doubt it’s because they care about the sanctity of life. I don’t see any opinion pieces there condemning the US for extrajudicial killings in int’l waters or condemning Israel for its treatment of the Palestinian people or condemning the policy of grabbing people off US streets and sending them to countries that they have no connection to, without charge or trial.
If there have been 90,000 deaths under MAiD, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It indicates that 90,000 people were not forced to suffer needlessly against their wishes. Over 9 years, it’s about 10,000 per year. About 80,000 people died of cancer in Canada in 2023 alone.
This SLAY article suggests that people are being forced or cajoled into MAiD so that their organs can be harvested. It seems to me that many or most of the people who would choose MAiD would also choose to donate their organs if possible because choosing MAiD indicates a certain way of looking at life. That is, being more concerned about quality than length of life.
Apologies for the delay. Phone issues.
My dad died of MND when I was a teen. In a perfect world, I’d be 100% behind assisted suicide. However, it is NOT a perfect world. We live in a world that deems the value of your organs as far more than your value to society.
A Canadian Paralympian, who became disabled by fighting for his country enquired into why his stair lift was taking so long. He was told it was too expensive, but he could apply for MAID immediately.
In recent news, Canadian doctors have successfully restarted a heart that was dead for 7 minutes. I’ll dig out the source.
I’m sorry to hear about your father. That must have been so hard for you and your family. It’s way too young to lose a partner and a parent.
No worries about the source re restarting the heart. I hear your concerns and they are valid but I’m still in favour of people not having to suffer and be dependent on others if they are terminally ill and don’t want to do it.
Modern medicine can keep us alive for far longer and through far more illness than nature intends.
Beyond the important concerns about organ harvesting and encouraging dependent people to end their lives to benefit others, it becomes an individual and personal choice of whether you value life for the sake of life itself as opposed to valuing life for quality of life. I’m in the latter group.
It seems to me, judging by the some of the sources and directions used to oppose MAiD, that this is being picked up as a wedge issue by people who do not truly value life or care about others.
Meanwhile in Britain;
https://nitter.poast.org/RightToLifeUK/status/1980950411713388694#m
Lord Falconer says people with “learning difficulties or autism” could, with “proper assistance”, access assisted suicide.
That should alarm every Peer in the Lords. Vulnerable people don’t need help to die. They need support to live.
Jackie
If the concern is important why is it being ducked, and those who raise the concern smeared?
‘Quality of life’ in the context of other peoples’ decisions on other peoples’ deaths is more a right wing trope. Nazis are an extreme example; sick people are just an economic burden etc etc.
Not so extreme actually - see this
You can’t get to the heart of the matter (see what I did there 
) by waving left and right flags. If economics is the main point of the policy then it’s wrong for it to be pushed, and wrong to cheer it and wrong to pretend it’s about people’s rights.
There seems to be an understanding between governments, corporations and the media that there is a need to present sick people as a harmful drain on the economy.
In terms of showing their slip on this issue, the govt of Canada seems the worst! Surprised you’ve not picked this up Jackie.
I gather you don’t like the flavour of the outlets that are highlighting it, and I understand that, but we’ve seen in covid that the so-called right looked better because the so-called left abandoned opposition and embraced the policy. That may be the case here too - if policy isn’t scrutinised, populations can be sleep-walked into supporting extremist ideology. The necessary scrutiny may involve constructive interaction between political opposites on new issues… 
Cheers
Sorry for late reply.
I’d argue that Dad’s death was too early. If I had been 5 years older or younger, it would have glanced instead of direct impact. Things happen.
I also believe in the right to avoid suffering. But I’ll never trust medicine again. DIY.
After dad passed, mother began to accuse me of mental health issues. She was a nurse at the time and pulled strings. I had a home visit from the county chief shrink. I had to explain myself and my feelings to this random stranger because of my mother’s accusations. Really not a good day and I can still recall our conversation clearly.
It ended up with mother being referred for counselling by the shrink. I was fine.
Why do write this? Because MAID has now announced that from 2027, mental illness is all that’s needed to qualify. As you’ve just read, others can accuse you of mental health issues.
This would put two of my step children into their sights. For being ruined by the MMR jab…