Canadian doctors warn MAID expansion may be outpacing patient reflection
Two University of Toronto psychiatrists argue that Canada’s assisted-dying program has become too permissive and call for mandatory counseling before approval.
Gary Rodin and Madeline Li, psychiatry professors at the University of Toronto, wrote an editorial highlighting concerns about Canada’s rapidly expanding medical assistance in dying (MAID) program. They recount a 70-year-old woman who sought MAID after losing her ability to cook, only to stay alive after counseling revealed her family valued her identity, not her tasks. An 80-year-old Holocaust survivor also delayed his request following similar support before eventually proceeding when his condition worsened.
Since its 2016 launch, the law’s 2021 amendment removed the “reasonably foreseeable death” clause, making Canada one of the most permissive jurisdictions, with MAID cases rising 16-fold and now comprising more than five percent of deaths. The authors criticize the lack of routine psychological care for MAID applicants and propose that such counseling be standard and fully funded. They compare Canada’s approval rate—over 92 percent—to the Netherlands, where doctors more often reject cases they deem insufficiently unbearable.
Why it matters
The piece raises questions about safeguards and mental-health support in Canada’s rapidly growing assisted-dying system.
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