Exclude mental illness from MAID
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to pass Bill C-218 to amend the Criminal Code so mental illness alone is not a grievous and irremediable condition eligible for MAID.
Why we would sign this petition
- It prevents MAID being applied when mental illness is the only condition, prioritizing efforts toward treatment and recovery.
- It seeks to protect vulnerable people who might choose MAID due to lack of accessible mental-health care rather than irremediable suffering.
- It clarifies law by defining eligibility criteria, reducing uncertainty for patients, clinicians and families about MAID in mental-health cases.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Opponents may argue it restricts autonomy for competent adults with unbearable, treatment-resistant psychiatric suffering who seek MAID.
- It could prolong suffering for individuals who consider all reasonable treatments exhausted and wish access to MAID.
- A blanket exclusion may prevent case-by-case assessments and complicate patient care where prognosis is objectively poor.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons In support of M.P. Tamara Jansen's Private Members Bill C-218, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying). Whereas: The Government of Canada intends to expand medical assistance in dying (MAID) to individuals whose only medical condition is a mental illness; Mental illness is treatable, recovery is possible, and experts agree it is currently impossible to predict when a mental illness is truly irremediable; Expanding MAID in this way risks suggesting that some lives are beyond saving, while many Canadians still struggle to access timely and effective mental health care; Public concern is high, with many Canadians believing that treatment options should come before MAID and fearing that vulnerable individuals may seek MAID due to lack of care; Families and communities are concerned that people who could recover through treatment and support may instead lose their lives; Bill C-218, the Right to Recover Act, would amend the Criminal Code to ensure that mental illness alone is not considered a grievous and irremediable condition for the purposes of MAID. Therefore, we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Pass Bill C-218 to stop the expansion of MAID to those whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.
Government response
No government response is available yet.