A Canadian veteran of the war in Afghanistan says it is “disgusting, unacceptable and infuriating” that ex-soldiers suffering from PTSD have been offered assisted suicide in Canada.
Kelsi Sheren enlisted in the Canadian Army in 2009 when she was aged 19, going on to serve in Afghanistan for six months. She came back suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Having seen terrible sights, including fellow soldiers blown apart by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Sheren was “still shaking”.
“That was my first exposure to watching someone die. And that was my first exposure to having to clean up what was left of someone”, she told the Daily Mail.
After serving her country and turning to therapy, Sheren now advocates against Canada’s “disgusting” assisted suicide law – particularly because she knows of almost a dozen veterans suffering from PTSD like herself who have been offered assisted suicide.
“When you take people who were willing to put their lives on the line for you, for your safety, then you have the audacity to tell them it’s better if you just die... it is one of the most disgusting things.
“It’s unacceptable, and it is one of the most infuriating things to come down from the Canadian administration in the last decade.”
More Canadian horror stories
Last year, SPUC reported on the story of a Canadian ex-soldier, also suffering from PTSD, who was offered assisted suicide by a veteran hotline. He and his family were left feeling “deeply disturbed” and “disgusted” by the encounter.
Canada’s infamous assisted suicide regime has gained much attention following similar cases, which included a woman conditionally approved for assisted suicide because of “abject poverty”.
Jordan Peterson, the world-famous psychologist, recently slammed MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) in Canada. “I don’t trust the people who can’t give you a passport in two weeks to decide whether or not grandma gets to live”, he said at an event in Ottawa.
Meanwhile, an official inquiry into a proposal to legalise assisted suicide in England and Wales is ongoing. Last week, an expert in the field of palliative care slammed the plan as “bonkers… We are against this in healthcare, and certainly in palliative care…
“Where does suicide prevention begin and promoting suicide end?”
The war hasn’t ended for Canada’s soldiers
Dr Daniel Frampton, SPUC’s Editorial Officer, said: “The Canadian Army has a proud and valiant history, including the battles of Vimy Ridge and Juno Beach; its soldiers are among the best in the world, having won for themselves a brilliant martial reputation, including in Afghanistan, where 159 personnel died during the line of duty.
“Having fought against an enemy determined to kill them at every opportunity, Canadian soldiers returned home from Afghanistan to be met by yet another insidious adversary, the creeping culture of state-sanctioned suicide in Canada.
“This new enemy now kills over 10,000 Canadians every year – up to 13,500 in 2022 alone, as reported by SPUC. That death toll is rising by roughly a third every year. Even though the war in Afghanistan has ended, the war for Canada’s soldiers hasn’t ended, as this story shows.
“Kelsi Sheren exhibits a true fighting spirit and soldier’s sense of honour that continues to look out for her fellow soldiers who have been outrageously betrayed by their nation’s assisted suicide law. We can all learn from her example. She shouldn’t have to fight alone.
“In the UK, we are facing a similar battle to prevent the imposition of assisted suicide on similarly vulnerable people, including our veterans among many others, including the elderly and the sick. We must reject this dangerous and unethical practice.”