The slippery slope of Canada’s fall toward 100,000 assisted deaths

Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program is nearing its tenth year. To date, nearly 100,000 people have taken their own lives through physician-assisted suicide, and it’s only going to get worse from here. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. 

Why it matters: As similar programs become more common in America and throughout the West, understanding how they often prey on the most vulnerable and play to our worst impulses is essential if we are going to stand for life rather than death. And to be clear, God is calling us to stand for life in every stage, from birth to natural death, so learning how to do that well is an important part of faithfully living out our calling as Christians. 

The backstory: What ten years of assisted suicide have brought

As Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program nears its tenth anniversary this summer, the nation is about to garner the ignominious distinction of becoming only the second nation in the world to help 100,000 of its citizens die of their own volition. The Netherlands beat them to the mark, though they needed twice as long to do it. However, the total number of deaths is not as troubling as the path taken to get there.

You see, when the MAID program was first introduced in 2016, it was intended to limit the suffering of those who were nearing the end of their lives. To qualify, you were supposed to be facing a terminal diagnosis without hope of getting better. Moreover, it also included a mandatory 10-day “reflection period” between submitting a request for the program and when the doctors could administer the “treatment.” 

However, both of those standards changed in 2021 when Parliament decided people with disabilities and non-terminal illnesses should qualify as well. Now, in some cases, it’s actually easier to qualify for MAID than hospice. 

In addition, the waiting period was waived for those whose deaths were “reasonably foreseeable.” In provinces like Ontario and Quebec, same-day or next-day deaths are becoming more common. And that is particularly the case in hospitals, which were three times more likely to carry out same-day or next-day procedures than “community-based” providers. 

Given that the patients in hospitals were more likely to be facing impending death, that statistic makes sense to a degree. However, it also points to the fact that MAID is increasingly presented as just another treatment option rather than a measure of last resort. 

And that normalization is going to be even more problematic when those with mental illness become eligible next year. 

Where MAID is going next

Canada passed legislation extending MAID eligibility to those who claimed mental illness as their only reason for wanting to die back in 2023. However, the addition has been delayed twice in the years since in order to give provinces more time to prepare and to make sure the necessary systems of support are in place for when it goes live. 

The reason for the delay is not that those making the decision see anything wrong with helping patients with a mental illness to kill themselves. Rather, it’s because they don’t feel like their doctors and systems are ready to process those requests well. 

In addition to those with mental illnesses, though, a reported 71 percent of Canadians also support extending the program to “mature minors” who meet all the other criteria to qualify for MAID. While it’s unclear at what age a person would be considered a mature minor in Canada, they have largely modeled their program off the Netherlands to this point, and in the Netherlands, a child can request euthanasia from the age of 12 with parental consent and 16 on their own. 

While such a choice is tragic at any age, it could become even more so once mental illnesses like depression are considered a viable reason for MAID. What it is not, however, is surprising. At least, not when you put that choice up against the background of beliefs that drive support for MAID in Canada and throughout much of the West. 

Living life on your terms

Georges L’Espérance, a retired neurosurgeon and the president of Quebec’s Dying with Dignity advocacy group, spoke for many of the program’s supporters when he stated:

It’s a sign of maturity of a society, of a progressive society, which says, ‘I prefer this for myself.’ It is cultural; it is about control over our lives. As we say here, joie de vivre—living life fully and on one’s own terms.

L’Espérance went on to add that “In Quebec, the majority are Catholics. But we don’t want to have religion interfering with our lives anymore.”

Few sentiments better describe the state of our post-Christian culture than the idea that religion is more of an interference than a guide. And while Canada is typically far less religious than America, the idea that how the Bible sees the value of life is less important than how we see it is driving similar movements toward assisted suicide across the United States.

Some form of “death with dignity” is currently available in thirteen states and the District of Columbia. However, fourteen more are considering legislation on the subject this year. 

While we’re unlikely to see assisted suicide rise to the levels of Canada anytime soon, since it is illegal in every state for doctors to administer the lethal dose, the normalization of the notion that we should get to decide the manner of our death is going to have a dramatic impact on the way we live up to that point. 

After all, the belief that we should be able to die on our own terms only really makes sense if you believe we should be able to live on our own terms as well. And, at least as far as the Bible is concerned, that’s a problem. 

Spiritual application: Finding God’s purpose in the midst of suffering

In Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning—a book reflecting on his time in a Nazi concentration camp—he notes that “A man who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” That notion is relevant to our conversation today because, oftentimes, it’s not the suffering itself that robs people of their desire to live. It’s the loss of purpose in the midst of that suffering. 

One of the reasons I love the Bible so much is that it doesn’t shy away from the fact that there will be genuinely awful things we have to go through in this life. I’m not going to pretend to understand what it would be like to face death or a debilitating illness with little to no hope of getting better. But the depth of our pain doesn’t change the truth of God’s word, and his word is clear on how we should approach life, death, and every moment in between. 

You see, God’s answer to suffering is not to act as if it isn’t real or ignore it in the hope that it will go away. Scripture doesn’t even call us to put on a brave face and write our suffering off as God’s will. 

Instead, the Bible promises that when those difficult times come, and life feels overwhelming, we don’t have to suffer alone (Isaiah 41:10, 2 Corinthians 1:4). And, even in the midst of that suffering, we can find meaning; a “why to live for” as Frankl put it. But that “why” has to come from God if it’s going to be strong enough to hold up under the pressure of our greatest difficulties. 

Your life matters to God

So many of the things we are tempted to turn to for meaning in life can be taken away from us in the face of disease, depression, or many of the other reasons someone might consider suicide—medically assisted or otherwise. Whether it’s your job, friends, family, a fun hobby, or simply the grind of making it through another day, if we derive our purpose from something we can lose, then it’s not sufficient to face the worst that this life can bring. 

If our “why” comes from the Lord, though, then we can trust that he will bring purpose out of whatever difficulties we face, even if we don’t get to stick around long enough to see that purpose come to fruition.

And what’s true in extreme cases like a terminal illness is just as true in the smaller sufferings we face as well. While eternity with the Lord is the ultimate blessing of salvation in Christ, the sense of meaning and direction that God gives to our lives is one of the greatest blessings from our faith on this side of that eternity. 

So, whether you’re suffering today or life seems good, ask the Lord to help you find your meaning and purpose in his will rather than your own. Then ask him to redeem any sufferings you have experienced by using you to help others who are suffering as well. 

And if all of that feels impossible, remember that the Lord of all creation chose to give you life for a reason. While it can be easy to lose sight of that fact from time to time, it doesn’t change the reality that your life matters to God.

Please, make sure it matters to you as well.

Note: If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please don’t wait to get help. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org. And if you’d like to know more about what the Bible says about suicide, see our in-depth article on the subject. 

God is good

While host cities have been preparing for this summer’s World Cup since the US, Mexico, and Canada were announced as the hosts back in 2018, faith communities like those around Kansas City have also been hard at work. They’re hoping to provide a place for fans to worship and connect while in town for the games, while also using the World Cup as an opportunity to share the gospel with those traveling to their region. 

Kingdom impact

The idea for the first World Cup was proposed by Jules Rimet, a devout Catholic who became a founding member of FIFA and was motivated by the power of sports to connect people. Now, nearly 100 years later, the sport still has the chance to connect people to each other and—if the local churches have a say in the matter—to God as well. 

Prayer point

Will you join me in praying that God will help churches in each of the host cities to prepare well for the opportunities they’ll get to share the gospel this summer with people from around the world? 

KCUR has more on the story