MV, 27, who was to receive a clinician-administered lethal injection in February, had her case temporarily blocked by her father who says she is physically health. Her case has now gone to a court of appeal.
Two doctors must approve a patient’s application to die in Canada. After one of two doctors rejected MV’s case, a third doctor approved her case to break the deadlock.
Following her father’s objection, MV has reportedly begun to starve herself to death, a move believed by some people to have been encouraged by pro-euthanasia advocates using MV “for their own political and social purposes”.
“MV is a victim of the death-lobby”, says Alex Schadenberg from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. “I am convinced that MV, who is otherwise healthy, was only approved for euthanasia because she is autistic. This is clearly a form of disability discrimination.”
It is not clear what “grievous and irremediable… [and] intolerable” condition MV has that makes her eligible for euthanasia. Her only known conditions are autism and ADHD, which do not qualify an individual for Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) scheme.
There were 13,241 such deaths in 2022, accounting for 4.1% of all deaths in Canada, surging by 31.2% in just twelve months.
“Families Should Not Be Put In This Position”
Daniel Frampton, SPUC’s Editorial Officer, said: “Assisted suicide inevitably leads to tragic cases like this in which parents and other family members desperately try to save the life of a loved one who deserves love and care, not a premature death.
“When euthanasia and assisted suicide are made an ‘option’ for vulnerable people, the idea that they might be better off dead is granted and, worse still, encouraged, even in cases of autism – a slippery slope that is real and potentially fatal.
“As society and doctors increasingly give up on people like MV, families are often left alone to fight against a system bent on killing a daughter, a father, a son, a grandmother. Families should not be put in this position.
“Like Liz Carr, whose terrifying documentary recently exposed the dangers of Canada’s assisted suicide law, we must inform the British public about the effect of such legislation on vulnerable people. We cannot allow this to happen in the UK.”
Better Off Dead?
Liz Carr’s documentary terrifying documentary aired on BBC One last month. Carr said: “These laws, I believe, will put lives like mine – marginalised lives – at risk, and those risks will be fatal… This is terrifying.”
Carr met a palliative care expert who told her that “coercion does happen… vulnerable being pressured into having assisted deaths… That’s the greatest harm, the most catastrophic risk, I would say, of changing the law.”
The actress also spoke to a disabled Canadian man who, when homeless, found he had no choice but to choose assisted suicide, especially when the waiting period was 90 days compared to ten years for social housing. Only a fundraising campaign saved his life.
