Alberta attempts to stop out-of-control MAiD death spiral
New legislations slaps back sloppy, deadly federal policy
It is a big day in Canadian healthcare and a win for people who have been raising the alarm about MAiD expansion in Canada.
Yesterday, the Alberta government hosted a press conference highlighting legislation they’ve proposed to stop Track 2 MAiD (where a natural death is not reasonably foreseeable) and to preventatively stop Track 3 (MAiD given to people who have mental health as a sole condition, which could expand federally soon).
If passed, these stipulations will protect the vulnerable, especially those in poverty and those struggling with disabilities. It will also protect individuals suffering with mental health issues, to ensure that MAiD is not used as a sloppy excuse when other treatments are possible.
This is, a strong step—perhaps even a leap forward for a society that has fallen so far backward in healthcare. It doesn't eradicate MAiD, which could be the bell that can’t be un-rung. It does show that major changes can be made and that legistlatures do, in fact, listen to the people.
In short: This is a huge win for people who care about healthcare and about life in Canada. Other provinces take note: We have more options at our disposal than simply saying, “Oh well, it’s here to stay and it’s inevitable that it will only expand.
If you've been reading Things I Wrote Down in the last few years, you'll know that I've been a vocal about MAiD expansion and have published about euthanasia’s evils frequently.
At Unveil, we created a documentary series that shines a light on what is happening in Canada and we've interviewed many of the leading voices who have raised the alarm about MAiD in Canada, including Dr. Ramona Coelho, who’s featured prominently in the above announcement 👆🏻.
What will the proposed legislation do?
The government's legislation introduces the following protections:
It limits MAID eligibility to those whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.
It prohibits MAID where a natural death is not reasonably foreseeable (this is what is known as “Track 2 MAiD”).
The legislation prohibits MAID for minors, which is under consideration federally.
It prohibits MAiD for people whose sole condition is a mental illness (the Pandora's Box experts are warning about).
It will allow physicians and health care facilities to refuse to assess or provide MAID, a huge win for the conscience of doctors.
It will prohibit physicians from making referrals for individuals to receive MAID outside of Alberta, preventing a MAiD trafficking system.
It requires patients to initiate the conversation, a measure to prevent suicidal ideation among the vulnerable, restricting health care professionals from initiating conversations about MAID with a patient.
It requires MAID providers to meet education and training requirements and introduce sanctions for MAID assessors and providers not complying with the law.
Watch our series
For context on why Alberta’s decision to stop Track 2 and 3 MAiD is so significant, watch our series.
We interviewed leading Canadian voices sounding the alarm about MAiD who described why patients are afraid to go to the hospital due to MAiD expansion, how euthanasia became a pillar of Canadian healthcare, and more.
