A medical assistance in dying (MAID) study exposes how MAID lobby groups may be attempting to influence policy in Canada — through the publication of medical studies. A study on patients who were forced to transfer out of faith-based hospitals to receive medical assistance in dying (MAID) claims this caused "unnecessary suffering" for those who had to be transfered.Among the main contributors to the study is Dr. Ellen Wiebe, a member of Clinician's Advisory Council (CAC) for Dying with Dignity Canada (DWDC), a Canadian MAID lobbying group, and a University of British Columbia (UBC) professor.DWDC says it's a "national human-rights charity" that works to "improve quality of dying, protect end of dying rights, and help people across Canada avoid unwanted suffering.".DWDC's CAC is composed of 30 clinicians "who deliver important insights into the realities of end-of-life care and MAID –both the progress and the challenges."Among their stated mission is, "to serve as media and public spokespersons on issues relating to improving quality of dying, expanding end-of-life choices, and helping Canadians avoid unwanted suffering."Wiebe herself has a long history with MAID, as she is one of the leading clinicians contributing to its administration.Reported in 2023 by Right to Life UK, Wiebe had administered MAID to over 400 patients, and in a video obtained by The New Atlantis, Wiebe told listeners at a conference MAID was "the most rewarding work we’ve ever done.”.Wiebe has a history of her MAID administration cases being in the news — and some are even oddly related to the study she authored...In a case back in 2017, Wiebe visited Barry Hyman at an Orthodox Jewish nursing home, the Louis Brier Nursing Home in Vancouver, to assess his eligibility for MAID.As reported by CBC, Hyman requested MAID and Louis Brier allows residents to undergo assessments; however, they must be transferred to another healthcare facility to receive MAID.Wiebe determined in the spring of 2017 Hyman met the requirements for medically assisted suicide.The family had submitted a formal request to Louis Brier for Hyman receive MAID at the home which was denied..Wiebe said she offered to have Hyman transferred to either the Vancouver General Hospital or her personal clinic, but he wished to die at the nursing home."The family wanted privacy so we just set up a time," Wiebe stated."When my nurse and I arrived, went in to his room and closed the door."Hyman died after Wiebe administered MAID in June of 2017..Louis Brier then issued a complaint against Wiebe to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC accusing her of "sneaking in and killing someone.”As the Vancouver Sun reported, Louis Brier accused Wiebe's behaviour of being “borderline unethical.” “It was hidden,” stated CEO David Keselman. “There’s no documentation.""She came in and I don’t know who you are. You can tell me you’re a physician, you could tell me you’re an astronaut, how do I know?"."Imagine the implications for our staff and our residents and their families.""We have a lot of Holocaust survivors. To have a doctor sneak in and kill someone without telling anyone.""They’re going to feel like they’re at risk when you learn someone was sneaking in and killing someone.”On whether Wiebe was aware of the home's policy, Keselman stated, "She was well aware of our position.” .In 2019, the College dismissed the complaint filed against Wiebe.In another case in October 2024, a BC judge halted Wiebe's attempts to administer MAID to an Alberta woman whose doctors in Alberta had refused to kill her.As reported by the Guardian, the woman's partner filed a notice of civil claim alleging Wiebe had negligently approved MAID for someone who did not legally qualify.The complaint stated if Wiebe were to administer MAID would "constitute a battery of (the patient), wrongful death and, potentially a criminal offence.”The woman applied for MAID citing her akathisia, a movement disorder which is caused by changes in medication doses of psychotropic or antipsychotic medication, which are used to treat bipolar disorder..The woman experienced "distressing side-effects” after reducing her dosage.Among the symptoms she experienced were "an inner sense of terror all day long, the inability to sleep at night, nightmares, the inability to lie down during the day due to a feeling of falling, the inability to sit or remain still, suicidal thoughts."However, her doctors told her her symptoms were treatable and would resolve within a few months.Wiebe met with the woman via Zoom and “at the end of the first meeting, Dr Wiebe approved [the woman] for Maid,” stated the claim. .In the ruling, Simon Coval, a BC Supreme Court justice, stated that the woman had a mental condition and not a physical ailment.MAID laws state patients must have a "grievous and irremediable medical condition”, make a voluntary request, and get informed consent.Therefore, the woman did not meet the legal requirements to qualify for MAID.
