Canada is becoming the poster child for how quickly the legalization of euthanasia can go off the rails

BY STEVEN KASZAB

The Canadian Federal Government has green-lighted one of the worlds most liberal euthanasia regimes. There has been a series of controversial state sanctioned deaths that have attracted worldwide attention and criticism directed towards the Canadian health system on how it actively is killing its disabled patients.

Disability means that a physical, developmental or mental condition is limiting a person’s movements, senses or activities, making one’s life uniquely different from commonly approved life styles and activities. The disabled person is disadvantaged or handicapped in participating in typical daily activities.

This week a patient in London, Ontario recorded a medical ethicist raising the subject of euthanasia with a disabled patient, Roger Foley, who was reminded that he was costing the health system north of $1,500.00 a day. Foley had not previously thought about euthanasia, or shown a desire for medically assisted death.

Tim Stainton, Director of UBC’s Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship, said the assisted suicide/death is the biggest existential threat to disabled people since the Nazi program in Germany in the 1930’s. Canada’s legalization of the procedure now includes Canadians with mental health illness. Since 2016 (Legalization of Euthanasia) there has been a dramatic upswing of euthanasia in Canada. From 2020 to 2022 there has been an17% increase in approved euthanasia protocols. A woman called Denise, (31 years of age) pursued euthanasia as a result of what she called “abject poverty”, preventing her from securing appropriate accommodation for a variety of health conditions she presently suffers from.

Is MAID, the approved euthanasia protocol in Canada becoming a means to remove chronic patients from the health system? Is this system “eugenics,” because the system cannot afford or want to properly support chronically ill patients? The healthcare system crisis is worsening, denying millions of Canadians basic care, and presenting them excessive wait times. Canada is becoming the poster child for how quickly the legalization of euthanasia can go off the rails. Last year the United Nations warned that Canada’s liberalization of euthanasia posed a dire threat to Canada’s elderly and impoverished populations.

4,000 – 10,000 animals are euthanized in animal shelters each day in America. In fact, over 25% of all animals in shelters in Canada and America are euthanized, 57% of these weaned kittens. Million’s of animals are euthanized each year in America.

Throughout the world various animals suffer from abuse, death because they are unwanted.

Abortions of the unborn (human) in Canada and the USA numbered in the hundreds of thousands between the periods of 2000-2022.

Whether abortion, euthanasia of animals or human beings, we can find a similar mentality of “better off dead than in distress.” Death does not cost the state money, while the alternative does. We all despise the horror of: pain, illness, displacement and we attempt to understand what best solutions are out there.

A native elder once told a story about his inner struggles.

“Inside of me are two dogs: one is mean and evil and the other is good. They are fighting all the time. When asked which dog will win the elder simply said…the one I feed the most”  G.B.Shaw

If you respect life, work towards a time, place and environment where life is respected, treated well and nourished, your well-being will prosper.

We are surrounded by death, attempts to save some, and actively killing others. Death need not win the struggle within us, at least not until it is our time. Life and love can be the partnership we are looking for these days. Yes indeed!