Assisted Dying: A Whose Right?

In Canada, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has been legal since 2016, when the
Supreme Court ruled that banning medical assistance in dying deprived Canadians of their
dignity and autonomy. Since then, changes and reforms to the law have been presented,
which initially was only valid for those patients who presented terminal conditions or
illnesses. A new reform in 2021 indicated that it would include people with serious and
chronic physical conditions, even if their condition was not life-threatening. Currently, the
possibility of including people with mental illnesses among those eligible to request
medical assistance in dying has been discussed. (1,2)
Including people with mental illnesses is perhaps one of the most difficult issues that this
law has faced, since there are associations that are in favour of it, but there are also
groups with very valid reasons to be against it, and that is that given the morality, values,
and faith that people practice, how can you be for or against something? It is a very big
ethical dilemma, and one to which one may not have a right or wrong answer. However,
we must not lose sight of the fact that at the heart of all of this is a human being who, for
whatever reason, suffers, and to whom we must not only offer the option of dying easily,
but also a range of possibilities that can alleviate some of their suffering, and, as many
opponents of the law's extension fear, who can assure us that people with mental
illnesses are fully aware of the decision they are making when applying for MAID. Could
you ensure that they do not apply for MAID for social reasons? (Poverty, loneliness, and a
lack of employment opportunities)
The other protagonists of this story are the doctors and nurse practitioners who are the
authorized personnel to carry out these procedures, although when someone studies to
be a doctor or nurse their main objective is to preserve life, it cannot be forgotten that it is
also to avoid suffering, if there are some cases where the best option is to help the patient
to die with dignity, however it is the duty of those who legislate to get adequate advice
and thoroughly investigate the issue so that when laws are passed they give the clarity
that a topic deserves as delicate as this, avoiding leaving open interpretations that could
be dangerous for both patients and health providers.
As the doctor that I am, I agree with assisted death for terminal patients or those with
catastrophic illnesses, because I consider that under no circumstances should a human
being suffer; in addition, I consider that adults without mental illnesses have the
judgement and autonomy to decide on the only thing that is completely theirs, and that is
their own life. We must always remember that death is part of life, and when assistance is
required to find it, it is perhaps the way in which death itself is presenting itself and wants
to be found for that person.
References

1. BBC News World. (2023, January 16). Canada's controversial plan to expand access to
euthanasia for people with mental illness. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-
internacional-64290878
2. Dying with Dignity Canada. (2023, 2 febrero). Get the facts on MAID. Dying With Dignity
Canada. https://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/end-of-life-support/get-the-facts-on-maid/