In a disturbing sign of how far Canada’s euthanasia regime has strayed, a woman in her 80s was enrolled in the country’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program — not primarily because of her own wishes, but because her elderly husband was overwhelmed by “caregiver burnout.”
According to reports, this vulnerable woman was euthanized with the involvement of her spouse, who was reportedly struggling to care for her. Experts are now questioning whether her death was truly voluntary or the result of coercion born out of exhaustion and systemic pressure.
The MAiD framework effectively permits the state to facilitate death where real support and care should be provided. When a spouse — perhaps the person most invested in the patient’s well-being — can cite burnout as justification for assisted death, we’ve lost sight of the intrinsic value of every human life. That’s not compassionate care — that’s a slippery slope toward socially sanctioned euthanasia.
Conservative voices, including former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, have rightly condemned such outcomes as tantamount to “cold-blooded murder,” warning that Canada’s MAiD system is drifting toward a policy of death on demand, rather than dignity in life.
Canada must reconsider a policy that allows the exhaustion of a caregiver to override the value of a vulnerable person’s life. Our society should commit to bolstering genuine care — not sanctioning death as the easy way out.