CALGARY — A woman in her 60s with chronic illnesses related to obesity was euthanized through the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program, despite her having a reversible condition. Referred to as Mrs. A in a 2025 report by the Ontario MAiD Death Review Committee (OMDRC), she suffered from hypertension, dyslipidemia, Type II diabetes, sleep apnea, and depression, which she managed with medication.Over a period of three to four years, Mrs. A experienced a severe functional decline due to her chronic illnesses and chose not to access healthcare during this time.This occurred despite healthcare providers (including primary care and diabetes clinic) attempting to support her care needs..OMDRC members highlight Mrs. A chose to decline any support to help manage her chronic disease symptoms.This led to a decline in Mrs. A's quality of life, as she reported difficulty leaving her home because of functional and physical decline, while feeling disengaged due to her suffering.Reportedly, her suffering contributed to her "no longer having a will to live," which resulted in her decision to quit her medications, understanding that would impact her health.The report emphasizes Mrs. A mainly requested MAiD because of her physical and functional decline, which gradually left her housebound..Mrs. A experienced an unfortunate positive feedback loop.She remained housebound because of her dyspnea, or shortness of breath and chronic pain, making it difficult for her to move, while only worsened her deconditioning from physical activity and thus further impaired her mobility.Her inactivity and isolating lifestyle, in turn, contributed to her "profound psychological and existential suffering."Mrs. A recognized she had long-term care needs, but did not want to move to a facility because she had observed from people close to her with a similar condition and did not want the same for herself..Once Mrs. A was assessed for MAiD, the assessors documented her condition could be improved and even potentially reversed with medical management. Both MAiD assessors offered her extensive care options — however, Mrs. A declined all of them.In light of this, assessors deemed her condition grievous and irremediable — a requirement under the MAiD provisions."Her condition, namely obesity with multiple conditions/comorbidities was determined to be incurable without medical management," stated the report. .They determined Mrs. A's death was considered reasonably foreseeable since she did not want to receive any medical treatment, which, without it, would contribute to her predicted progressive physical decline and frailty. Notably, both assessors did not conclude, or at least document, that Mrs. A had any depressive symptoms nor suicidal ideation that could impair her ability to be euthanized.OMDRC members stress the importance of providing care before MAiD becomes an option, stating this should be a system-level response to cases like Mrs. A, where there was a significant possibility of recovery.Concern was also expressed by members about the incurability of Mrs. A's illness, stating, "when an individual refuses all forms of care, thereby contributing to the incurability of their condition" decision-making becomes "extremely constrained.".Some members stated that MAiD eligibility had to be more than respect for autonomy (Mrs. A's decision to decline medical treatment), pointing out that the practitioners' assessment of Mrs. A did not align with Health Canada's guidance, which states individuals cannot refuse all treatment just to qualify for MAiD.
