MAiD
Conservative MP warns Canada to stop ‘wrong’ and ‘dangerous’ euthanasia expansion to mentally ill
MP Michael Cooper
From LifeSiteNews
On March 9, 2024, Medical Assistance in Dying is set to include those suffering solely from mental illness and MP Michael Cooper said Canadians ought to be ‘offered hope and help’ and ‘not death.’
Canada is set to go down a “very dangerous road in March of 2024” should it proceed with expanding euthanasia to the mentally ill, warned Conservative MP Michael Cooper, who urged the Liberal federal government to immediately “scrap” its “radical” assisted-suicide program and instead offer “hope” for the suffering.
“Unless the Liberals reverse course, Canada is set to go down a very dangerous road in March of 2024, when MAiD for mental illness becomes available,” Cooper said in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
“There is something they (the federal government) can do. Canada doesn’t need to go ahead with this, what the Liberals need to do is follow the evidence, stop the madness, and introduce legislation to permanently scrap this radical expansion.”
Cooper then said Canadians who are “suffering from mental health issues” ought to be “offered hope and help” and “not death.”
On March 9, 2024, euthanasia in Canada, or Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) as it is known, is set to expand to include those suffering solely from mental illness. This is a result of the 2021 passage of Bill C-7, which also allowed the chronically ill – not just the terminally ill – to qualify for so-called doctor-assisted death.
The expansion comes despite warnings from top Canadian psychiatrists who said the country is “not ready” for the coming expansion of euthanasia to those who are mentally ill, adding that the procedure is not something “society should be doing” as it could lead to deaths under a “false pretense.”
Cooper noted that the law itself is ambiguous in that it leaves open the door to anyone being approved for the grim procedure.
“It is impossible to accurately predict your immediate reality under the law,” said Cooper, adding, “The leading medical professionals said that Canada isn’t ready for two fundamental reasons.”
“The first is that in order to qualify for MAiD, someone must suffer from an irremediable disease or illness, and afterwards one must suffer from a disease or illness in which they are not going to get better, and they are in an irreversible state of decline,” he noted.
Cooper observed how medical professionals have said that suffering from mental illness can’t “accurately be predicted, and so, therefore, persons who could get better, who could go on to lead healthy and happy lives, will have their lives prematurely ended.”
He then noted that a second “fundamental problem” with expanding MAiD to those with mental illness is the difficulty to “distinguish in the case of mental illness between a rational request for aid and one motivated by suicidal ideation.”
“This is underscored by the fact that the vast majority of persons who commit suicide suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. And you might be wondering who would qualify for MAiD in mental illness? What constitutes a mental disorder for the purpose of the law?”
As it stands now, according to a task group appointed by the Liberals that was struck to establish MAiD practice “standards,” anyone would qualify “if they suffer from a mental disorder listed in” the standards guide, which includes those who are depressed, autistic, or having addictions issues.
Cooper said that the standards as written are “radical” as well as “dangerous” and “wrong.”
The mental illness expansion was originally set to take effect in March 2023. However, after massive pushback from pro-life groups, conservative politicians and others, the Liberals under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delayed the introduction of the full effect of Bill C-7 until 2024 via Bill C-39, which becomes law next year.
The delay in expanding MAiD until 2024 also came after numerous public scandals, including the surfacing of reports that Canadian veterans were being offered the fatal procedure by workers at Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC).
When it comes to MAiD, more Canadians are dying from the procedure every year. Indeed, a recent Statistics Canada update admitted to excluding euthanasia from deaths totals despite being the sixth highest cause of mortality in the nation.
The number of Canadians killed by lethal injection since 2016 now stands at 44,958.
Stopping euthanasia expansion still possible, says pro-life advocate
Recently, LifeSiteNews reported on how pro-euthanasia lobbyists want Canada’s assisted suicide via lethal injection laws to be extended to drug addicts, which critics warn could lead the nation down a dangerous path nearing “eugenics.”
Recent attempts by the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) to stop the expansion of MAiD have failed.
MPs in the House of Commons voted down a private members’ bill introduced by CPC MP Ed Fast that would have repealed the expansion of euthanasia laws to those suffering from mental illness.
However, according to LifeSiteNews contributor and pro-life advocate Jonathon Van Maren, Canadian Justice Minister Arif Virani noted that the “Trudeau government is considering delaying the expansion once again.”
Virani recently told The Canadian Press that the Liberal government is “weighing our options” about expanding MAiD in March while currently assessing what the joint parliamentary committee and medical experts are telling them.
“We’ll evaluate all of that comprehensively to make a decision whether we move ahead on March 17 or whether we pause,” he noted.
For respectful communication with Justice Minister Arif Virani:
Email: [email protected]
Constituency Office phone: 416-769-5072
Parliamentary Office phone: 613-992-2936
From LifeSiteNews
Karly Vavra, the little girl’s mother, told People that she chose to share the video in order to honor her grandfather—but also to normalize euthanasia.
A video of a 7-year-old girl sharing a “final cuddle” with her great-grandfather before he is euthanized has gone viral on TikTok, racking up millions of views.
@karlsbergggg Sobbing 😭 #MAID #medicallyassisteddeath #grandpasgirl #greatgrandpa #greatgrandparents
The video shows the child curled up next to an elderly man, sitting straight on the couch, their final moments together captured. “This is my 96 year old grandpa with my 7 year old,” the caption reads. “He’s doing MAID soon. I tried explaining gently to my daughter that this was the last visit she’d have with him. This is what she did the second she walked in. He’s so happy.”
Karly Vavra, the little girl’s mother, told People that she chose to share the video in order to honor her grandfather—but also to normalize euthanasia. “The feeling is very bittersweet,” she said. “I look back with smiles and tears.” She admitted that she knows “my daughter didn’t fully understand these were her last moments with him.”
Her grandfather, who had chosen euthanasia, did understand the gravity of the moment. “My grandpa knew those were his last moments with her,” Vavra said. “Him looking down in that short moment, I believe, was his way of trying to hide emotions as he was a very proud man.” Her grandfather was scheduled to be killed by lethal injection just days later.
READ: Glenn Beck offers to fund life-saving surgery for Canadian woman approved for euthanasia
Vavra says her grandfather was always a favorite of neighborhood children, who were drawn to him. “I am so grateful both my kids got to know him, though, as not many children get [much] time, if any, with a great grandparent,” she said. “My grandpa was honestly the sweetest man. He loved children, gardening, golf, music and was VERY opinionated… Him and my kids were always laughing with each other, and he loved how loud and proud my daughter was! I hope she is strong like he was and always laughs and sees the brighter side.”
Vavra posted the video because she wanted to celebrate her grandfather’s euthanasia. “I posted this because I truly believe MAID can be a wonderful thing,” she told People. “Letting people go the way they want, with dignity, and not suffering… A lot of religions don’t believe in MAID and some comments were more aggressive than others. Seeing how negative some of the responses were made me really want to advocate for the MAID program.”
“Her connection to MAID began long before her own grandparents made their decisions, as she previously worked on a case in British Columbia after she says many of her coworkers opted not to participate,” People reported.
“I am a very open, understanding person and believe in ‘your body your choice’ which is why I volunteered,” she says...This year alone brought unimaginable loss for her family. “My parents and aunt have had a harder time because both their mom and dad decided to do MAID this year, so it’s definitely been a rough year, but we are sticking together as a family and really trying to cherish all our moments together,” Karly shares.
There are over 10,000 comments on Vavra’s TikTok video, many of them expressing horror at the normalization of putting elderly people to sleep like sick household pets.
“I always try to be honest with my children,” Vavra said. “I explained that Big Papa (what my kids called him) was in a lot of pain and that he would be going to meet Big Grandma on Saturday (my grandma also did MAID this year). I explained that a very nice doctor and nurses were coming and they were going to give him some medicine and he would fall into the best sleep ever but forever, and that he wouldn’t be in pain anymore.”
It is notable that despite the irreligious basis of euthanasia, spiritual language is often incorporated into euthanasia conversations in order to soften the reality of what is taking place.
This is a new Canadian reality: Children losing their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents not to natural death, but to lethal injections. Their goodbyes are defined by moments that do not have to be the last but have been chosen. There could have been more conversations. More cuddles. More love. But there was not—and that was a decision. “Seeing her link arms with him was very touching but of course very painful,” Vavra said. “Both loving each other so much. I wish we could have had him forever.”
They could have had him longer.
From LifeSiteNews
Jolene Van Alstine, approved for state-sanctioned euthanasia after enduring long wait times to receive care for a rare parathyroid disease, is in need of a passport to enter the U.S.
Well-known American media personality Glenn Beck says he has been in touch with the U.S. State Department to help a Canadian woman in Saskatchewan reconsider euthanasia after she sought assisted suicide due to long medical wait times to address her health problems.
As reported by LifeSiteNews on Tuesday, Canadian woman Jolene Van Alstine was approved to die by state-sanctioned euthanasia because she has had to endure long wait times to get what she considers to be proper care for a rare parathyroid disease.
Van Alstine’s condition, normocalcemic primary hyperparathyroidism (nPHPT), causes her to experience vomiting, nausea, and bone pain.
Her cause caught the attention of Beck and many other prominent Americans and Canadians on X.
In an update today on X, Beck said, “Jolene does not have a passport to gain legal entry into the U.S., but my team has been in touch with President (Donald) Trump’s State Department.”
“All I can say for now is they are aware of the urgent life-saving need, and we had a very positive call,” he added.
Beck had said before that he was in “contact with Jolene and her husband” and that he had “surgeons who emailed us standing by to help her.”
As of press time, neither the State Department nor other officials have not yet confirmed Beck’s claim that he has been in touch with them.
As a result of Van Alstine’s frustrations with the healthcare system, she applied for Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) and was approved for January 7.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, over 23,000 Canadians have died while on wait lists for medical care as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government is focused on euthanasia expansions.
A new Euthanasia Prevention Coalition report revealed that Canada has euthanized 90,000 people since 2016, the year it was legalized.
As reported by LifeSiteNews recently, a Conservative MP’s private member’s bill that, if passed, would ban euthanasia for people with mental illness received the full support of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.
Trump DOJ seeks to quash Pfizer whistleblower’s lawsuit over COVID shots
Alberta introducing three “all-season resort areas” to provide more summer activities in Alberta’s mountain parks
Trump admin wants to help Canadian woman rethink euthanasia, Glenn Beck says
The $50 Billion Question: EVs Never Delivered What Ottawa Promised
-
Alberta2 days agoCanada’s New Green Deal
-
Business2 days agoCanada’s recent economic growth performance has been awful
-
Indigenous2 days agoResidential school burials controversy continues to fuel wave of church arsons, new data suggests
-
Alberta2 days agoAlberta’s huge oil sands reserves dwarf U.S. shale
-
armed forces2 days agoOttawa’s Newly Released Defence Plan Crosses a Dangerous Line
-
Health2 days agoSaskatchewan woman approved for euthanasia urged to seek medical help in Canada rather than US
-
Business2 days agoCOP30 finally admits what resource workers already knew: prosperity and lower emissions must go hand in hand
-
Health2 days agoCanadian gov’t considers sharing census data on gender-confused children