Scheduled to Die: The Rise of Canada's Assisted Suicide Program
commonsense.news
commonsense.news
Government limits on both sides are never going to be right for everyone no matter where you fall on the political spectrum.
As an American adult living with chronic illness, I've viewed Canada as a nice vacation from Toronto to Vancouver, and now given MAID, a potential relocation target.
I admit the system isn't perfect, and MAID has the potential to split the country in half culturally and politically, but at least the conversation can happen at that level in Canada.
I can only imagine the conflict that would happen here in the US if we tried to have that conversation beyond non-profits like:
https://www.compassionandchoices.org/
Like my favorite Canadian, Neil Peart, I believe freedom may be the best solution we have to these problems. The need for palliative care is writ large now.
Thus, I can understand when people with chronic conditions choose an exit that, at least in Canda, is within reach for them, if more troubling for loved ones and care-givers who may not understand the choice of the individual given their attachment.
It's worth noting that the choice we're discussing here is literally, "give me liberty or give me death" - the paradox is that there is no liberty in suffering. In that sense, suffering alive may be far worse than death.
It's worth considering the words of Byung-Chul Han. Whether they play a role here or not, I've noticed that the healthcare system being a scene out of Gilliam's Brazil very likely plays a role in people's choice to exit the system.
If there is truly no way to fix the problem adequately I support MAiD. However, I'm hearing more and more of cases where finances are a big part of it--there are ways to improve their life but no money to pay for them because they're not medical treatments.
This is very much my objection! Feels very dystopian.
To clarify, if a person is suicidal and seeks MAID to end their life, they are electing to undergo a lengthy process to reach their chosen end. This differs drastically from a spur-of-the-moment decision to (for instance) leap from a tall building, in that it requires weeks of premeditiation and must still withstand a medical consultation. Many people who enact suicide and survive later express regret, and characterize it for varying reasons as a split moment decision, or even a sudden compulsion, rather than a long resolution. (I can find the study if anyone is interested).
If somebody truly wishes to die, they will find a way to die. We can (and should) certainly discuss providing people with better mental health services, and improving the quality of the lives of people who are dealing all manner of illnesses, but that won't change the fact that a certain percentage of people will choose obliteration rather than a continuation of their suffering.