Medical Assistance in Dying : Easy Access to Death?

   Canada is among the 12 countries in the world that have made assisted death legal.

   Brought into law 6 years ago, MAID continues to be a point of contention in this country.

   Last year alone, 10,000 Canadians died by the procedure, with numbers expected to increase this year.

 When Bill C-7 was initially passed the caveat to accessing the procedure was that one’s death had to be reasonably foreseeable.

    Since then the law has changed and allows those with a serious and incurable illness disease or disability to access MAID.

    A special joint committee is looking into changing the restrictions once more- allowing those with mental health diagnoses and mature minors access to the procedure. Changes were expected in this year, but late last year the government sought to delay the expansion.

Critics say the law is flawed and has made it too easy for Canadians to choose death.  44-year-old Sathya Dhara Kovac died at the beginning of October, accessing medical assistance in dying. She says that she didn’t have enough home care support to help her cope with her disease.

Today on Context – Medical Assistance in Dying: has it become too easy in this country to die?