212 Canadian medical heroes fight the Canadian government euthanasia juggernaut with 300 other medical professionals from around the world
“We believe neither assisted suicide nor euthanasia is a medical procedure. Doctors should play no role in the regulation, or practice, of euthanasia and assisted suicide.” READ OPEN LETTER HERE.
Women, the lonely and the disabled are at risk in Canada
Colleagues,
I have updated my write up on Canada at https://www.australiancarealliance.org.au/canada and attached as a pdf to reflect the latest annual report.
Some disturbing points emerge – two showing differential impact on women:
- In Canada in 2022, for 8.3% of cases of euthanasia the “main condition” is reported as “multiple comorbidities” and a further 14.9% as “other conditions” – that is other than cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological or organ failure. For these two categories combined, 25% of cases involved “frailty” and 11.9% involved diabetes. Other conditions cited included vision or hearing loss; tendency to falls; and difficulty swallowing. For women these two categories now account for nearly one out of three (29.1%) deaths by euthanasia.
- 463 cases of euthanasia where “death was not reasonably foreseeable” were reported for 2022. Notably 273 (59%) of these cases involved women, so for those whose death is not reasonably foreseeable, women are being euthanased at a rate 44.4% higher than men.
Also:
- There were 13,241 reported cases of euthanasia in 2022, bringing the total of such deaths since legalisation to 44,958.
- The number of cases each year has more than quadrupled (466%) in 6 years from 2,838 in 2017, the first full year of legalisation, to 13,241 in 2022 with annual increases of 57.8% (2018); 26.4% (2019) 34.2% (2020); 32.4% (2021) and 31.2% (2022).
- In 2022 euthanasia and assisted suicide accounted for 4.1% of all deaths in Canada. Provincial rates of euthanasia are highest in Quebec – 6.6% in 2022 and British Columbia – 5.5% in 2022.
- In only 161 cases in 2022 did the clinician administering euthanasia give their specialty as oncology. Additionally, 806 cases involved some consultation with an oncologist. This means that in 2022, at least 7,649 Canadians were euthanased on the basis that they had cancer with no discussion with an oncologist about this course of action. This represents 90.6 % of cases of euthanasia for cancer.
- In 2022 there were 328 cases where palliative care was not accessible if needed – an increase of 63% from 2021 when cases had already increased by 60% from the 126 cases in 2020. The 2021 report notes even where palliative care was being accessed or was available “this result does not offer insight into the adequacy or quality of the palliative care services that were available or provided”.
- In 2022 there were 568 cases where disability support services were needed but NOT received (up from 332 in 2020 – an increase of 71%). In 2021 this included 12 of the 219 people whose deaths were “not reasonably foreseeable”.
- in 2022 some 2,294 Canadians were given a lethal injection because they were lonely: Why didn’t the doctor or nurse practitioner just have a cup of tea and a chat with them instead of giving them a lethal injection?
And very disturbingly:
- Of the 1746 physicians and 91 nurse practitioners who euthanased people in 2022, some 336 of them did so 10 times or more – up 29.2% from 260 in 2021. The 91 nurse practitioners killed an average of nearly 14 people each – twice the average for medical practitioners of 7 people each.
Cheers,
Richard Egan
Thank you to Richard for this information and his wonderful presentation at our First Monday session this month. Too many questions remain – the March 2024 deadline must be extended – state sanctioned suicide should not be extended to those who will be able to access their dying faster than any medical assistance for their mental health condition – it is a travesty. Well, of all the ways for Canada to lead it had to be in allowing medical killing of its most vulnerable. Canada has been called a “Living Laboratory” and has recently stated that those with addictions to substance abuse will be included in those eligible for medical killing – there is also a move to lift the dead donor rule in Canada.
Medical heroes at home also defend our right to healthcare for mental illness not euthanasia or assisted suicide. This is no time for the faint of heart – we must oppose euthanasia with all our might now, while it is possible to do so. We encourage every group to send this message to all people of good will in your community to alert them to the awful path Canada has taken. You have to ask yourself if we as Canadians wish to be the “first” at killing each other, when we are sick and in need of loving support. God help this country it seems the politicians will not! Between 2016 and 2022 there has been a 3,000% increase in deaths due to euthanasia, now 4% of all Canadian deaths and 7% in Quebec are euphemistically MAiD killings! There is an average wait time of 4 months for psychiatric help but only three months for assisted suicide, with rumours everywhere that the “dead donor” rule will be lifted. The next we will hear is that, like other jurisdictions, our consent to organ donations will be presumed and we will have to contact to government to withdraw that presumed consent!
It is especially worrying if this change goes through, because folks suffering with mental health challenges will be very malleable to helping others by providing organs for donation – in a life filled with mental pain, anguish and often despair, the idea of donating organs will be presented as a means of altruism, a way to give their lives meaning and worth in one full of pain. It seems the vultures are not only in the desert!
“Mental illness impacts every family in Canada. During her periods of despair, the Prime Minister’s own mother fortunately had access to the best care the country could provide, and was given a chance at recovery rather than a facilitated path to suicide. We believe all Canadian’s suffering from mental illness deserve the same chance, rather than having their despair being reinforced by medical assessors wrongly telling them their condition will not improve, when they cannot in any honesty make that prediction.” https://www.eagmaid.org/letter-2023
It is society’s vocation to bring hope to those who have lost it, succour to those who need it and friendship and companionship to those who’s pain blocks it out – offering the option of killing yourself, as a last gesture of finding your self-worth is a cold abandonment by society of the most vulnerable among us and we need to speak out.
Canada is “Living Laboratory.”
“MAiD is a form of suicide turned into a medical procedure.”
Dr. Mark Komrad
