Exclude mental illness from MAID
Petitioners ask the Government to pass Bill C-218 to amend the Criminal Code so that mental illness alone cannot be considered a grievous and irremediable medical condition for eligibility for medical assistance in dying (MAID).
Why we would sign this petition
- It would bar MAID when a mental disorder is the sole condition, protecting people who might recover and ensuring life-preserving treatment is prioritized.
- It focuses policy on expanding treatment and support rather than ending life, aligning law with the view that mental illnesses can be treatable and recovery possible.
- It responds to public and family concerns that vulnerable people may seek MAID due to lack of timely, effective mental-health care.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- It could deny MAID to mentally ill people who are suffering and refuse or do not benefit from treatment, restricting autonomy for competent adults.
- A categorical exclusion may create legal and clinical dilemmas where some mental conditions are truly irremediable, complicating individualized assessments.
- Critics may prefer improving access to mental-health services and targeted safeguards rather than a blanket exclusion that removes choice.
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.