Block MAID for infants
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to block any expansion of MAID to permit euthanasia of infants. The government responds that MAID requires recipients be at least 18, so infants are ineligible.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would prevent any legal expansion of MAID to include infants, directly protecting newborns from being eligible for assisted death.
- It maintains the current age threshold and legal clarity for MAID eligibility, offering a clear safeguard against extending treatment to minors.
- It responds to public concern and affirms legal and ethical opposition to infanticide by blocking policy changes that could allow it.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- The petition may be redundant because current MAID law already requires recipients be at least 18, making the change unnecessary.
- A blanket ban could prevent careful, case‑by‑case medical and ethical review of rare, complex neonatal situations that might need tailored policy.
- It may close off discussion of targeted safeguards or alternatives that balance protection of infants with relief for families facing catastrophic neonatal conditions.
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 Government of Canada We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas: Louis Roy of the Quebec College of Physicians recommended expanding euthanasia to "babies from birth to one year of age who come into the world with severe deformities and very serious syndromes"; This proposal for the legalized killing of infants is deeply disturbing to many Canadians; and Infanticide is always wrong. We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call on the Government of Canada to block any attempt to allow the killing of children.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY PATRICIA LATTANZIO Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) regime permits persons who meet all the eligibility criteria in section 241.2 of the Criminal Code to receive MAID. In order to be eligible, a person must be at least 18 years old, make a voluntary request for MAID and consent to receiving it, and, as such, eligibility for MAID cannot be extended to infants under the existing framework.