health
Elderly Canadian Offered Euthanasia Before Doctor Even Asked What Was Wrong With Her
An 84-year-old woman said that when a doctor approached her at Vancouver General Hospital last year, ‘the very first words of out her mouth’ were an offer of assisted suicide.
TL;DR
- An 84-year-old woman was offered MAID by a doctor at Vancouver General Hospital immediately upon arrival for pain treatment.
- The offer of MAID was made before the woman had been diagnosed or had requested information about euthanasia.
- The woman expressed shock and stated she wanted to find out why she was in pain, not to die.
- The incident is framed as an example of ageism in Canada's healthcare system and the expansion of euthanasia.
- Concerns are raised that medical facilities may have become dangerous for the vulnerable due to these issues.
- A Conservative MP, Garnett Genuis, has introduced Bill C-260 to make it illegal to proactively offer euthanasia.
- An anecdote is shared about a mother who was talked out of refusing dialysis by her doctor, leading to another year of life, which the writer suggests would have resulted in euthanasia under current Canadian law.