An Ontario man with severe back pain, under threat of homelessness, was going to resort to Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying Program (MAiD) — and his story reveals how MAiD has become an option for those who cannot afford to live. Reported by City News, back in 2022 Amir Farsoud survived on Ontario disability payments, which totaled $1,200 a month.Farsoud's disability came from his back problem, which had been going on for decades, causing him extreme pain and suffering, which also made him an ideal candidate for MAiD."It’s six and a half out of 10 on a good day. But on a bad day, the pain is a nine. And that’s with medication," Farsoud had told CBC News. ."The pain has gotten so bad that it’s almost bone on nerve. I’ve got osteoarthritis up and down my spine and two of my discs no longer exist. It’s extremely painful."His pain could only be managed through medication, but not cured.It was in 2022 that Farsoud's landlord decided to sell his property in St. Catharines, Ont, leaving Farsoud in need of a new home.However, Farsoud could not afford rent with the $1,200 a month in income he got through disability — without a place to stay, he knew he couldn't survive on the streets in his debilitated condition. So he went to his doctor to apply for euthanasia instead..Farsoud qualified for MAiD under the requirement of "experience[ing] unbearable physical or mental suffering" from either an "illness, disease, disability, or state of decline that cannot be relieved under conditions that you consider acceptable."Farsoud had his doctor sign off on his MAiD request, needing one other medical practitioner to approve his death.What's more, Farsoud said the doctor who approved him for MAiD was aware that he was asking to be euthanized not for medical reasons, but because of his socio-economic position.This is what he told Liz Carr, a British disability activist, in an interview for a BBC documentary on euthanasia called Better off dead?.The doctor still approved him for MAiD, aware of Farsoud's circumstances. After Farsoud's story went viral in 2022 within days, a crowdfunding campaign on GoFundMe raised more than $60,000 — and instead of receiving MAiD, he was able to live without the threat of homelessness.Reflecting on the fact he had almost died, Farsoud stated he felt guilty for "winning the lottery" when many Ontarians living with a disability on the same income are living below the poverty line."The people that are using it [MAiD] are the people that society has deemed throwaways," stated Farsoud. .When Farsoud was asked whether he was afraid to die, when he was still set to kill himself, he responded: "Who isn't? Ya.""I don't wish to be dead — even with the pain, even with the meds, I still wanna be here."Farsoud had never wanted to die — at the time, he just felt he had no choice. It seemed the system had failed him, and only generous strangers had helped him — but many in a similar position face the same struggles without the help he received..Like Farsoud had pointed out, those on disability, unable to work, with an income similar to Farsoud's, are below the poverty line and might be inclined to choose MAiD — especially if the money it takes to live is not attainable for them.And doctors like Farsoud's, who are aware of the patients' socioeconomic situations, might see no problem with apoving them for it.What doesn't help and contributes to the "failed system," is the wait time for affordable housing.In Toronto, there is a 10- to 15-year waiting list for affordable housing, while in Ottawa affordable housing can have a wait of five years or more. When Carr interviewed Farsoud, he mentioned he was on a wait list for affordable housing, which would take 10 years, adding to his hopelessness and wish to be euthanized before receiving the crowdfunding money..Without affordable housing, what are the options for people?Homelessness is one — which Farsoud recounts from his own experience:"At which point I decided — OK, I'm not going to be homeless. I'd been homeless before.""Six, seven months of the year, having subzero temperatures 24 hours a day, seven days a week," he said."There's people that try to keep warm with makeshift fires and then end up burning to death. There's people that freeze to death. No matter, what I knew that homelessness was off the table.".Carr, who was born with a rare genetic disability, arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which affects her joints and muscles and left her wheelchair-bound, had this to say on the legalization of euthanasia."No amount of safeguards will prevent us from mistakes and abuse and coercion, that's my belief," she stated to the BBC back in 2024."On an everyday basis, disabled people are dealing with a lower expectation and people actually saying to their faces, 'Gosh, surely it's better to be dead than be you?'"She added this is why she talked to people like Farsoud, stating, "That happens. It's shocking. So I wanted that to be the starting point and then let's unravel why that is and how that leads to my fear of legalising assisted suicide.".In another BBC interview, she commented on the state of euthanasia in Canada, saying, "People are applying to use it under the guise of a medical reason but they're using it for socioeconomic reasons, they're using it for poverty, and homelessness.""Euthanasia in Canada is becoming a solution to the problems of a failed social care and medical care system."
