Exclude mental illness from MAID
Petitioners ask the Government to pass Bill C-218 to amend the Criminal Code so medical assistance in dying (MAID) cannot be provided when a person's sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.
Why we would sign this petition
- It prevents MAID being used for people whose mental illness may be treatable or recoverable, avoiding irreversible decisions when recovery is possible.
- It prioritizes offering treatment and support before assisted death, addressing public and family concerns about premature MAID requests due to lack of care.
- It reduces the risk that vulnerable people seek MAID because of gaps in timely, effective mental‑health services.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- It may categorically deny assisted dying to people whose psychiatric conditions are treatment‑resistant and cause enduring suffering, limiting personal autonomy.
- Medical experts say predicting irremediability is difficult; a categorical ban may fail to account for genuinely irremediable psychiatric cases.
- A ban shifts focus from individualized assessments to a blanket rule; improving access to mental‑health care might better address risks without removing 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.