The “Merciful” Killer: Canada’s Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Problem
by Joseph Gensens January 22, 2024 the-merciful-killer-canadas-euthanasia
I recently heard a story of a lady who was in the hospital seeking treatment for depression. A medical assistant listed several treatment options and asked, “Would you be interested in MAid to treat your problem?”
The lady assumed the assistant was referring to getting an actual maid to help her deal with her illness. She replied that she couldn’t afford one. The medical assistant explained that she was offering the woman Medical Assistance in Dying, Canada’s assisted suicide program.
This story illustrates a chilling new chapter of the Cultural Revolution afflicting the West. Canada first legalized euthanasia on June 17, 2016. On March 17, 2021, the Liberal government further broadened the scope of assisted killing with Bill C-7, making Canada one of the most permissive euthanasia regimes in the world. 1
The bill removed the restriction, which only allowed assisted dying if “natural death be reasonably foreseeable.”2 Thus, there is no limit to those who might procure death. A case of depression, stress, or anxiety might efficiently serve as a pretext for assisted suicide.
This is already becoming common in the Canadian health establishment. One case in point is that of a veteran seeking help for mental issues in 2022 that almost ended in death. A Veteran Affairs Canada Agency employee told the man to check out medical assistance in dying as an option.3
A Grim Toll
Since the legalization of assisted killing in Canada, 44,958 deaths have been registered. In 2022 alone, Health Canada reported that 13,241 people had died from assisted killing. That number accounts for over 4% of all Canadian deaths that year.4 This death rate is likely to increase as time goes on.
“Mercy” Killing is Cruel
The promotional lie behind this “mercy” killing is that it will end a person’s suffering. This logic devalues human life. The medical profession ends up treating people worse than dogs that are put out of their misery. Not only is this inhuman, it is immoral. The difference between putting an animal down and a person is that an animal does not have a soul.
So, despite its name, mercy self-killing is cruel not only because it devalues human life but because it is the moral wrong of suicide. Church teaching is very clear on this point.
In section 2277, the Catechism of the Catholic Church rejects assisted killing in the strongest terms:
“Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.
Thus, an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.”5
Healthcare Has Become Deathcare
Sadly, Canada’s healthcare system has gone from working to sustain and cherish life to finding the quickest and cheapest way to kill someone.
This is a result of today’s Godless culture. Once God and His moral laws are removed from the picture, chaos will naturally enter. God, His Church, and His laws must be brought back and put at the center of society. Only then will there be true peace.
Footnotes
- https://www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2021/03/new-medical-assistance-in-dying-legislation-becomes-law.html
- https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trudeau-moves-to-make-canada-most-permissive-euthanasia-regime-in-the-world
- https://tnc.news/2022/08/16/veterans-affairs-doctor-suicide/
- https://tnc.news/2023/10/26/assisted-suicide-in-canada-2022-1/
- https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55011/euthanasia-catechism-of-the-catholic-church