Prohibit MAID for mental illness
Petitioners ask the House of Commons to pass Bill C-218 to prevent medical assistance in dying (MAID) from being available to persons whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would protect people whose mental illness may be treatable or recoverable by banning MAID when mental illness is the sole condition.
- It prioritizes providing treatment and supports before assisted death, addressing petitioners' concern that lack of care could drive MAID requests.
- It responds to public and family concerns about premature loss of life when recovery may be possible.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- It restricts the choice of competent adults who may seek MAID for severe psychiatric suffering and removes an avenue they judge appropriate.
- It could prevent access for patients whose psychiatric suffering is persistent and who, after careful assessment, consider MAID appropriate.
- A categorical ban may be blunt policy; opponents could argue targeted safeguards or improved review would better balance protection and individual autonomy.
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.