Activists who pushed for MAiD now concede the program is being 'abused'

The BC activist group that pushed for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in 2015 is now citing concerns with the state euthanasia program its members helped found.

The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) has conceded MAiD has gone too far, and are calling for increased safeguards — while the Trudeau Liberals are looking to expand eligibility even further in 2027.

The BCCLA in 2015 filed Carter v. Canada, a challenge to the former Criminal Code law that made it illegal to be a party to someone’s death.

The Government of Canada before Christmas released the 2023 MAiD statistics, with state suicide deaths totalling 15,343 last year — up 15.8% from 2022. MAiD accounted for approximately one in 20 deaths in Canada in 2023.

The BCCLA is “aware of concerning reports of people being offered MAiD in circumstances that may not legally qualify, as well as people accessing MAiD as a result of intolerable social circumstances,” wrote executive director Liz Hughes in a statement, per the National Post.

“Governments must put in place, actively review, and enforce appropriate safeguards to ensure that people are making this decision freely,” wrote Hughes.

Hughes, who has been in her executive role since June 2023, said the BCCLA “will continue to hold the government accountable.”

“The BCCLA stands by our work to make the right to choose MAiD a reality in Canada,” she wrote, touting the state suicide program as a success because it gives Canadians “choice, agency and bodily autonomy.”

However, said Hugues, it’s “unacceptable” for people to abuse the program and seek state euthanasia because they find themselves in difficult social circumstances.

The government must include “adequate social supports so that people are able to lead dignified lives,” she wrote.

According to Health Canada, which estimated in 2028 MAiD deaths wouldn’t account for more than 2.05% of total deaths in Canada, 47.1% of non-terminally ill patients who underwent MAiD reported they suffered from “isolation or loneliness.”