Gerald Heinrichs is a lawyer in Regina, Saskatchewan.It’s hard to pick the most twisted story about MAID, Canada’s euthanasia program.Maybe it's the man who got counselling in a Tim Hortons parking lot and then drove to a funeral home for his MAID death. Or maybe it's the distraught families who claim their loved one was wrongly approved for MAID. Or perhaps it's the military veterans who were given MAID counselling.Perhaps it's the man who got approved for MAID because of poverty, but then changed his mind after GoFundMe donors gave him the help he needed. Or maybe it's the cancer patient who was given MAID information but then went to the US to get medical treatment instead.Perhaps it's the Nova Scotia baked-potato supper informing seniors about "making the choice" for MAID. Or maybe it's the Quebec retailer's video celebrating MAID, entitled "All is Beauty.”Putting them all together, though, some might argue that Canadians are walking through a dystopian movie.In 2024, over 16,000 Canadians were euthanized by lethal injection — commonly 200 mg of rocuronium. And for carrying this out, Health Canada reports that our country has 2,266 "unique MAID practitioners.”But how did we get to this place that was incomprehensible not so long ago?After the horror of World War II, the celebration of life became a strong theme in Western culture. Hollywood presented "It's a Beautiful Life,” and Louis Armstrong sang "What a Wonderful World.”.Albert Schweitzer won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on "reverence for life.” And Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning was studied in classrooms around the world. Frankl wrote about finding purpose and hope through even the most extreme suffering.There existed a certain harmony between secular and religious thinking — a sort of thanksgiving for all things living. And most people agreed that causing or assisting a human death was a serious crime.The twentieth century also saw the evolution of palliative care. Dame Cicely Saunders founded the modern hospice movement. She wrote, "Suffering is only intolerable when nobody cares." And she also wrote, "We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die."A serious division became obvious, though, in the 1990s. Jack Kevorkian was labelled "Dr. Death,” and he went to jail in Michigan for his assisted suicide deeds. The Calgary Herald reported, "Dr. Death points the way to devaluation of human life."But the Kevorkian affair put assisted suicide on the world stage like never before. One US newspaper reported, "Kevorkian's bizarre ideas gain frightening support."To the present day, though, leaders from almost every religious persuasion oppose euthanasia. Vatican statements mirror those of other denominations, calling it a “failure of love,” “false compassion,” and a betrayal of the “inalienable dignity of the human person.” Or as Homer wrote in the Odyssey, "Say not a word in death's favour.”.But in 2015, the Supreme Court rewrote Canada's cultural and core values. The court struck down the criminal ban on assisted suicide. With wisdom beyond Moses, Plato, and Milton, the judges declared that a good and just society must provide "physician-assisted death.” And they ordered this thing to happen in Canada. The judges turned up their noses and swept aside the library of thoughts to the contrary, stating, in their first paragraph, that such ideas are “cruel."Since 2015, Canada's Liberal government has dutifully led Canadians down this new world path. Guidelines were established and infrastructure built.Murder or "culpable homicide" was redefined in Canada's Criminal Code. Now, murder no longer exists for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists who prescribe, administer, or counsel MAID — Canada's regulated euthanasia. While some Canadians applaud this change, one editorial declared, "The only difference between a serial killer and a Canadian MAID practitioner is a license."But Canada's MAID drama is far from complete. One group says that MAID should be used as a source for organ donations. Another group calculates savings from MAID as healthcare costs decline. A planned expansion of MAID to include people suffering from mental illness was suspended. And in Europe, disabled children have been euthanized.Meanwhile, palliative care centres and suicide prevention groups look on as many of the people they want to help disappear into the MAID machine. One columnist says that Canada has become the home of a suicide cult.When the Supreme Court gave its decision in 2015, the CEO of Dying with Dignity stated, "This is a fantastic victory." But after 11 years of dark events, many Canadians would disagree with that statement. A Pandora's box has been opened, and Canadians have only seen the beginning of what's inside.Gerald Heinrichs is a lawyer in Regina, Saskatchewan.
