'Captain of their own ship': debate over MAID deepens as numbers climb
Despite a growing number of people who are opting for a doctor's help in ending their own lives, the practice remains controversial, and very much up for debate.
The latest statistics on MAID show a rapidly rising curve, including hundreds of Maritimers.
"Obviously, issues like this do tend to be polarizing," Dr. Gord Gubitz, Nova Scotia's MAID Access and Resource Team Medical Lead told CTV News on Tuesday.
"There are all sorts of factions in the country both 'for' and 'against' medically-assisted dying,"
"The truth of the matter for us is that it's the Canadian law, and so we have to be available to allow people who are applying for a medically-assisted death to be assessed, and if they're found eligible to have a medically-assisted death, this is then something they could choose to do or not to do," said Gubitz.
In the end, he says, MAID is an option for those who feel they have none left.
"I think, to use a Maritime analogy, they would like to be the captain of their own ship," said Gubitz. "They want to be in charge, and that whole sense of having personal autonomy for decisions about your health and your health care is really strong in these people."
With eligibility for MAID expanding next year, critics insist the country is on a slippery-slope.
"At this point, it includes people who have a disability. They might be perfectly healthy and capable in every other way except for their disability, but they can request euthanasia, they can be killed," said David Cooke, National Campaign Manager for the Campaign Life Coalition.
"And next year, in March, people with depression, anxiety disorders, different mental illnesses, they can be killed. This is turning our suicide prevention initiatives on their head," he said in an interview from Edmundston.
"The increase is very disturbing as more and more Canadians are being murdered by euthanasia," said Cooke.
"That's an idiotic argument and it shouldn't be given time of day, to be honest," said Eric MacDonald, a retired Anglican Minister who spoke to CTV News in February of 2018.
At the time, he shared the story of his late wife, Elizabeth, who was around 40 when they left Canada for Switzerland so she could seek a doctor's help in ending her life -- and her long battle with Multiple Sclerosis.
Now, some four-and-a-half years later, his belief in the necessity of the program has only deepened.
"We should stop paying attention to religious arguments, which continue to misrepresent the whole practice of assisted dying," he told CTV News Wednesday.
"There are people who are concerned that (the expanded eligibility) opens up the door for medically-assisted dying for people with mental health problems or disabilities who can't access resources they need, but that's something that, as a society, we will have to work with and find solutions for," said Dr. Gubitz.
According to an extensive report from Health Canada, some 792 Nova Scotians have used the service, 655 New Brunswickers and 111 Prince Edward Islanders, for a total of 1,558 over the five years.
As a percentage of the total deaths in Canada, the latest number is a little more than 3 per cent, but it, too, has been rising.
While Gubitz stopped short of suggesting MAID is short-staffed, he did acknowledge the team could always use some help.
"The vast majority of people who are doing this are doing it along with the other jobs they do. I work as a full-time neurologist, and I end up seeing patients on my lunch hours and evenings and weekends, and the provisions happen in the same way. And pretty much everyone else in the province who is seeing patients is doing the same thing," he said.
"The pandemic, and the changes in the health-care system, and the stressors that are going on right now, really are challenging for health-care professionals. And when we ask some people, they're interested, but often, there's not enough gas left in the tank."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.