'I feel positive about the whole thing': Growing number of Maritimers opting for medical assistance in dying
Five years after it was introduced in Canada, it seems more Canadians are seeking a doctor's assistance in ending their own lives.
The national number broke through 10,000 last year, with a growing number of Maritimers adding their names to the list.
Sheila Sperry is semi-retired after years of advocacy work with the group Dying with Dignity, but is still more than happy to talk-about the cause.
It was one she picked-up after losing her husband to ALS a little more than ten years ago -- a difficult decline and death that changed the direction of her life.
Now, five years after MAID was introduced in this country, she's feeling good about where it's gone.
"I feel very positive about the whole thing," Sperry told CTV News from her home in Dartmouth.
Controversial when it was introduced, the former Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth described doctor assisted death as one of the most difficult moral issues of our time.
"Euthanasia, as we often refer to it as 'mercy killing.' Of course, when you put in the word 'mercy' it sounds like you're doing a good thing," the Most Rev. Anthony Mancini told CTV News in March of 2016.
"Thou shalt not kill" cannot be more evidently put," he said.
Five years later, moral reservations about the issue seem to be falling by the wayside, with a growing number of people opting for a doctor's assistance in ending their lives - a number that topped more than 10,000 last year.
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.
“That's such a little percentage of the population though," said Sperry.
Although some parts of the country have already matched or surpassed rates in parts of Europe, where the practice has been in place for over two decades, Sperry says more work needs to be done, especially for advance requests.
"And this is really, really important for people who have any kind of dementias, those types of things," she said. "So, personally, that's the thing I really, really want."
Sperry and other advocates are also waiting for word on on expanding MAID to include so-called 'mature minors' and those with underlying mental illness.
Ongoing work for someone semi-retired, but still passionate about a cause that continues to steer the direction of her life.
Correction
This article is a corrected version. The previous version attributed the Health Canada report to Satistics Canada.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sits out 3rd straight game to open the playoffs
Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander sat out his third straight game to open the playoffs Wednesday night because of an undisclosed injury.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.