Canada’s Euthanasia Policies Under Scrutiny As Reports Surface Of Euthanizing A Man For “Hearing Loss”

Canada’s Euthanasia Policies Under Scrutiny As Reports Surface Of Euthanizing A Man For “Hearing Loss”

Recently, the Canadian government has ordered a ‘full and thorough’ investigation after a Veterans Affairs Canada employee encouraged a veteran to undergo assisted suicide when he called for help.

The Canadian Forces veteran was seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and a traumatic brain injury when he was casually offered medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in July.

A VAC employee reportedly brought up MAiD unprompted in the conversation with the veteran, who was ‘deeply disturbed’ by the suggestion.

Sources close to the military man told Global News Canada that he and his family were ‘disgusted’ by the conversation and felt ‘betrayed’ by the agency.

He had reportedly been seeking to recover from injuries that he suffered in the line of duty, and the unprompted MAiD offer has been harmful to his progress.

People are beginning to notice that the application of Canadian euthanasia laws are problematic, seemingly designed to cut the fiscal drain on the government-run medical system.

…[H]uman rights advocates say the country’s regulations lack necessary safeguards, devalue the lives of disabled people and are prompting doctors and health workers to suggest the procedure to those who might not otherwise consider it.

Equally troubling, advocates say, are instances in which people have sought to be killed because they weren’t getting adequate government support to live.

Canada is set to expand euthanasia access next year, but these advocates say the system warrants further scrutiny now.

Euthanasia “cannot be a default for Canada’s failure to fulfill its human rights obligations,” said Marie-Claude Landry, the head of its Human Rights Commission.

Landry said she shares the “grave concern” voiced last year by three U.N. human rights experts, who wrote that Canada’s euthanasia law appeared to violate the agency’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They said the law had a “discriminatory impact” on disabled people and was inconsistent with Canada’s obligations to uphold international human rights standards.

They are right to be concerned. Troubling stories are now being publicized that report Canadians with fairly standard medical conditions associated with aging are being pushed toward euthanasia.

Alan Nichols had a history of depression and other medical issues, but none were life-threatening. When the 61-year-old Canadian was hospitalized in June 2019 over fears he might be suicidal, he asked his brother to “bust him out” as soon as possible.

Within a month, Nichols submitted a request to be euthanized and he was killed, despite concerns raised by his family and a nurse practitioner.

His application for euthanasia listed only one health condition as the reason for his request to die: hearing loss.

Nichols’ family reported the case to police and health authorities, arguing that he lacked the capacity to understand the process and was not suffering unbearably — among the requirements for euthanasia. They say he was not taking needed medication, wasn’t using the cochlear implant that helped him hear, and that hospital staffers improperly helped him request euthanasia.

“Alan was basically put to death,” his brother Gary Nichols said.

It turns out more than 10,000 Canadians were killed through state-sanctioned euthanasia last year, a 33% increase from the year before. It certainly appears that Prime Minister Trudeau’s government is pushing death upon its citizens, especially the ones most in need of significant healthcare services.

Roger Foley, a patient suffering from a degenerative brain disorder in London, Ontario, was repeatedly told by hospital staff exactly how much his stay was costing taxpayers. They suggested euthanasia as a solution. The patient insisted he never brought it up, but the hospital “ethicist” tried to badger him to death with it.

“Roger, this is not my show,” the ethicist said. “My piece of this was to talk to you [to see] if you had an interest in assisted dying.”

As if all of this isn’t bad enough, a euthanasia advocacy group (Dying with Dignity Canada) is pressing for access for “mature minors.”

DWDC is of the view that the safeguards that exist now are acceptable for eligible mature minors.

DWDC recommends that the informed consent of a competent parent or guardian be required for eligible minors seeking MAID who are 12 to 15 years of age inclusive, and that MAID assessors be required to consult a competent parent or guardian for eligible minors aged 16 and 17.

People often make inappropriate or incorrect analogies to Nazi Germany. In this case, it may be apt.

Tim Stainton, of the University of British Columbia, described it as “probably the biggest existential threat to disabled people since the Nazis’ program in Germany in the 1930s.”

Last year, three United Nations human rights experts reported that the law seems to violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A former special rapporteur for people with disabilities has cautioned that “assisted dying must not be seen as a cost-effective alternative to providing personal assistance and disability services for persons with disabilities, in particular those with high support needs”.

When euthanasia becomes the sixth leading cause of death in your country, perhaps it is time to rethink the real value of “free” healthcare.

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