Ban MAID for Non-Terminal Patients

AI summary

The petition, submitted by Canadian citizens and residents, asks the Government of Canada to prohibit medical assistance in dying (MAID) for people whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable, specifically those with a prognosis of more than six months. Petitioners argue that allowing MAID in such cases—particularly for people with disabilities or chronic illness—is not a genuine choice when services are lacking, devalues disabled lives, could reduce incentives to improve care, and reflects ableism; they add that many disability advocates oppose this form of MAID access. The petition does not include a government response.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons Whereas: Choosing medical assistance in dying (MAID) due to lack of available services or treatments is not a real choice; Allowing medical assistance in dying for those with disabilities or chronic illness who are not dying devalues their lives, tacitly endorsing the notion that life with disability is optional, and by extension, dispensable; Offering medical assistance in dying as a "solution" for disability or chronic illness reduces incentives to improve treatment and care for people with these conditions; Canadians do not want an ableist healthcare system where the lives of those with disabilities are seen as not worth living; Many disability advocates in Canada have expressed opposition to allowing MAID for people with disabilities. Therefore we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: Protect all Canadians whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable by prohibiting medical assistance in dying for those whose prognosis for natural death is more than six months.

Government response

No government response is available yet.