'Outraged and distraught': Reaction to disabled B.C. woman's approval for medically-assisted death
A B.C. woman speaking out about “death care” being easier to access than adequate health care is sending shockwaves throughout the country, with disabled advocates, doctors and observers holding up her experience as a potent example of the slippery slope of expanded dying with dignity legislation.
The topic of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is in the spotlight and many experts, patients and advocates have testified at a special committee that the elderly, chronically ill and disabled are at risk of feeling pressured or cornered into choosing to die under expanded legislation – which is exactly what “Kat” described.
The woman in her late 30s asked to be referred to with a pseudonym and does not have a terminal diagnosis but is in constant pain and now experiencing organ failure due to complications from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, so she applied to the Fraser Health Authority for assisted death in the hope it would lead to more medical or social supports.
“If I'm not able to access health care am I then able to access death care?” she said of her thought process. “My suffering was validated to the extent of being approved for MAID, but no additional resource has opened up.”
Disabled Canadians who have been holding marathon roundtable discussions on MAID and the implications for the vulnerable cited her situation the day after Kat spoke up.
“We are raising our voices because Kat and many others like Kat need us in their corner,” said Disability Filibuster participant, Catherine Frazee. “We are still outraged and distraught with every new report that one of our kinfolk have succumbed to a MAID application.”
Others are taking to social media voicing similar concern and dismay at the details.
GROWING NUMBERS TURNING TO MAID
There is no doubt that since the laws changed to allow medical personnel to help suffering people end their lives, there’s been a steady increase in the number of people choosing to do so.
Of the three most populous health authorities, Island Health saw the most deaths per capita and has the highest rate of MAID in the country. The Ministry of Health says in 2016, 80 people had MAID compared to 683 in 2021. In Fraser Health, there were 26 and 361, while Vancouver Coastal Health had 57 and 445 in those years, despite much larger populations in those two regions.
CTV News asked the ministry for the number of applicants for each of those years, but a spokesperson claims they don’t collect that data.
A peer-support network that provides guidance and information to those considering MAID says they’ve seen a tripling of web traffic, engagement and registration since they established their volunteer service when MAID started in 2017.
“Every week we're getting more and more requests where people say 'I just need to talk to someone,'” said Bridge C-14 CEO Lauren Clark, who confirms that some of those people do not want to die but feel they have few other options amid poverty, disability and a lack of access to resources.
“There are individuals who this is their experience,” she said. “They're navigating this all on their own and they are trying to fight a system that hasn't been supportive of them."
WHAT COMES NEXT?
As the special committee of parliamentarians and senators begins writing its draft recommendations to government, observers say it may be public pressure that has the biggest result.
“My sense is that members of the public may not have appreciated how the legislation would impact people with disabilities living in poverty,” said Kerri Joffe, a lawyer with the ARCH Disability Law Centre in Ontario.
She pointed out that the expansion to include people suffering but without a reasonably foreseeable death happened during the pandemic, when COVID-19 was dominating everyone’s lives. Already, United Nations representatives have raised concerns about “ableist assumptions about the inherent 'quality of life' or 'worth' of the life of a person with a disability,” noting disability is not a burden or defect.
“Tragically those warnings have now become reality and that's what I think is really shocking,” said Joffe. “It really should give us all pause (before expanding further).”
For its part, Fraser Health insists it’s doing enough for the people with serious health issues living within its jurisdictional boundaries.
“Our role is to support people in accessing appropriate health resources and services that best meet their care needs,” wrote a spokesperson. “If a person is low-income and is experiencing financial barriers to accessing care, we will support them in understanding how they may access health supports or services not covered under MSP, if funding supports are available.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.