Assisted suicide is legal in Canada and I’m certain that different people will have differing opinions on the subject. It’s not an easy topic. I realize that my own point of view would probably not be easily be embraced by all; I believe that people should be able to choose. In the case of terminal illness, it felt like needless suffering. But even in the cases of severe depression—to someone who had tried every other option, the suffering might be too much. In both scenarios, I believe that humans in pain should have a choice.
I would be wary of the opinion of someone who has "provided MAID" to 400 people. That is a deeply evil individual and you can't be sure they're not carrying out some sadistic fetish through medicine
Your article is thought provoking, however having a nearly lifelong mentally ill mom I can say, at least here in America that we can’t get our ducks in a row w/current programs (medical/mental). Feels awkward to make such a statement when we here in America do you have care that does not exist in many places around the globe.  I have witnessed many abuses at the hands of “professionals”. So while all the warm open discussion and fuzziness is appreciated, the reality of what is deployed is much much different.  I am sick and to read articles about “the blue whale”, not to mention other efforts to hurt young people. Maybe if someone cared to get a handle on those abuses this “MAID”practice wouldn’t be so hard to digest. For now the systems that are in place are not trusted from this reader.
When a government can coerce you into locking yourselves indoors, pull your children out of schools and cause your business (your livelihood) to close, and people obey, should we really be talking about assisted suicide? I think there may be a time in the future, when the earth’s population has awakened to the levels of corruption in our government and medical/pharmacy institutions, maybe then we can discuss it. We have a lot of waking up to do before we consider this topic.
What srikes me as an outsider to the Canadian system is that the concept of death in Western psychiatry invites a freudian identified drive, and so perhaps acceleration, daresay, to the point of fear? Herein a boundary,. albeit psychological in nature.
Death is not accounted for, however, by psychological causes, mental illness has to be invisible; so, not a cause of physical death. That's what troubles me about the prescription described from a medical standpoint.
But from a public health perspective it just makes practical sense. The endeavor to pass on one's genes, just like the struggle to survive, has social corroboration involved.
I'd say this. People may deserve the choice to do it painlessly and supervised to assist in that. In a legal and real world sense people have the right to choose things that others may think are morally wrong.
But there is nothing good that can possibly come from the state having control over this. Canada has socialized medicine. It is not the same as someone deciding this with private physicians and family. The risks of this being a lever of power that can be pulled, with plausible deniability, by the government is too great.
If such a thing is going to exist you can talk about how to do it. How it should work. Like all emphasis being on dissuading people and it being a last resort. But there is a real problem that is structural with Canada or any state that has socialized medicine doing this.
After that there are still issues. If we resolve all of that I've seen the financial incentives play out with what amounts to mutilating children in real time. In a "wave a magic wand" sense I think the option should exist with doctors paid above costs only if they dissuade the person and it sticks a certain amount of time. But that's not really how markets work. Never will.
All I can say with certainty is the government should be nowhere near any of this.
I have so many thoughts in response to this piece. And I will self identify as the wife of a man who chose MAiD. I will focus on two things.
One ... The MAiD application system is an intense process of checks and balances. If you receive MAiD it is because that is what you truly wanted as an individual. Which leads me to ...
Two ... Our relationship with death is truly individual and not black and white. We do not talk about that enough in society. Death is a part of life, and it is as messy and unique as life. The only people who really know the full picture of the choice of MAiD are the individual who received it and their assessors/provider. Family and friends can think they know, but they do not. We need to normalize conversations about death.
I don’t trust any institution to have the empathy required to carefully support people through suffering that doesn’t put their economic priorities first.
This is an incredible thought piece Katherine on a really uncomfortable and complex topic highlighting the need for many checks, balances and accountability to prevent abuse of ‘free’ choice lest it be another final solution masquerading as compassionate death.
All the troubling what-ifs you raise are undoubtedly true, but they trouble me no more than the mess we live with now ... I’m for giving people the choice
I would be wary of the opinion of someone who has "provided MAID" to 400 people. That is a deeply evil individual and you can't be sure they're not carrying out some sadistic fetish through medicine
Your article is thought provoking, however having a nearly lifelong mentally ill mom I can say, at least here in America that we can’t get our ducks in a row w/current programs (medical/mental). Feels awkward to make such a statement when we here in America do you have care that does not exist in many places around the globe.  I have witnessed many abuses at the hands of “professionals”. So while all the warm open discussion and fuzziness is appreciated, the reality of what is deployed is much much different.  I am sick and to read articles about “the blue whale”, not to mention other efforts to hurt young people. Maybe if someone cared to get a handle on those abuses this “MAID”practice wouldn’t be so hard to digest. For now the systems that are in place are not trusted from this reader.
My terror is being in hospital in the care of others. Suicide is hard, have tried several times and been saved.
When a government can coerce you into locking yourselves indoors, pull your children out of schools and cause your business (your livelihood) to close, and people obey, should we really be talking about assisted suicide? I think there may be a time in the future, when the earth’s population has awakened to the levels of corruption in our government and medical/pharmacy institutions, maybe then we can discuss it. We have a lot of waking up to do before we consider this topic.
What srikes me as an outsider to the Canadian system is that the concept of death in Western psychiatry invites a freudian identified drive, and so perhaps acceleration, daresay, to the point of fear? Herein a boundary,. albeit psychological in nature.
Death is not accounted for, however, by psychological causes, mental illness has to be invisible; so, not a cause of physical death. That's what troubles me about the prescription described from a medical standpoint.
But from a public health perspective it just makes practical sense. The endeavor to pass on one's genes, just like the struggle to survive, has social corroboration involved.
I'd say this. People may deserve the choice to do it painlessly and supervised to assist in that. In a legal and real world sense people have the right to choose things that others may think are morally wrong.
But there is nothing good that can possibly come from the state having control over this. Canada has socialized medicine. It is not the same as someone deciding this with private physicians and family. The risks of this being a lever of power that can be pulled, with plausible deniability, by the government is too great.
If such a thing is going to exist you can talk about how to do it. How it should work. Like all emphasis being on dissuading people and it being a last resort. But there is a real problem that is structural with Canada or any state that has socialized medicine doing this.
After that there are still issues. If we resolve all of that I've seen the financial incentives play out with what amounts to mutilating children in real time. In a "wave a magic wand" sense I think the option should exist with doctors paid above costs only if they dissuade the person and it sticks a certain amount of time. But that's not really how markets work. Never will.
All I can say with certainty is the government should be nowhere near any of this.
I have so many thoughts in response to this piece. And I will self identify as the wife of a man who chose MAiD. I will focus on two things.
One ... The MAiD application system is an intense process of checks and balances. If you receive MAiD it is because that is what you truly wanted as an individual. Which leads me to ...
Two ... Our relationship with death is truly individual and not black and white. We do not talk about that enough in society. Death is a part of life, and it is as messy and unique as life. The only people who really know the full picture of the choice of MAiD are the individual who received it and their assessors/provider. Family and friends can think they know, but they do not. We need to normalize conversations about death.
I don’t trust any institution to have the empathy required to carefully support people through suffering that doesn’t put their economic priorities first.
This is an incredible thought piece Katherine on a really uncomfortable and complex topic highlighting the need for many checks, balances and accountability to prevent abuse of ‘free’ choice lest it be another final solution masquerading as compassionate death.
All the troubling what-ifs you raise are undoubtedly true, but they trouble me no more than the mess we live with now ... I’m for giving people the choice