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# Large Assisted Suicide Rate Increase as 34% Cite Concerns of Being a Burden
- URL: https://goodoil.news/large-assisted-suicide-rate-increase-as-34-cite-concerns-of-being-a-burden/
- Published: 2020-08-12T04:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2020-08-11T05:09:09.000Z
- Author: Guest Post
- Tags: Health, Law, World, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-17 03:00

[**righttolife.org.uk**](https://righttolife.org.uk/news/large-assisted-suicide-rate-increase-as-34-cite-concerns-of-being-a-burden/?ref=goodoil.news)

The number of assisted suicide and euthanasia deaths in Canada rose by more than 25% in 2019 and made up 2% of all deaths in the country last year, according to a report released by the Canadian Government.

Health Canada’s [first annual report on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) found](https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/medical-assistance-dying-annual-report-2019.html?ref=goodoil.news#highlights) 5,631 Canadians chose to have an assisted suicide in 2019\. This is an increase of 26.1% when compared to the 4,467 deaths in 2018, where assisted suicide accounted for 1.57% of the [total number of deaths](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/191126/dq191126c-eng.htm?ref=goodoil.news) in Canada.

More than a third (34%) of those who opted for “medical assistance in dying” cited concerns of being a burden to family or carers. A further 13.7% cited “isolation or loneliness” as their reason for procuring an assisted suicide.

Last year, 92.2% of requests for MAID were approved out of a total of 7,336 applications.

**No conscientious objection**

The report claims: *“it should be noted that there is nothing in the federal MAID legislation that compels a practitioner to provide or assist in providing MAID.”*

However, last year, the Ontario Court of Appeal [ruled](https://drive.google.com/file/d/14wYS2pRV%5F1kCK0twh9cUwDoQ2i9wYXTF/view?ref=goodoil.news) that doctors who oppose euthanasia had to participate in the act by doing an effective referral. In March 2020, the Physicians Alliance Against Euthanasia reported that a growing number of physicians are being [bullied](https://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2020/03/press-release-growing-number-of.html?ref=goodoil.news) into participating into providing euthanasia or assisted suicide.

**Further expansion of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada**

Earlier this year, the Canadian Government tabled a bill seeking to expand the country’s assisted suicide and euthanasia regime to include people without a terminal illness.

The legislation, titled Bill C-7, comes after the Quebec Superior Court [ruled](https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-canada-quebec-euthanasia/canadian-court-rules-parts-of-assisted-suicide-law-violate-patient-rights-idUKKCN1VW2M7?ref=goodoil.news) last year that a safeguard requiring patients to prove their natural death was *“reasonably foreseeable”* was unconstitutional.

[According to Reuters](https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-canada-politics-death/canada-government-seeks-to-broaden-law-on-medically-assisted-death-idUKKCN20I2I1?ref=goodoil.news), the bill will now *“remove the requirement for a person’s natural death to be reasonably foreseeable in order to be eligible for medical assistance in dying,”* opening up assisted suicide and euthanasia to those who aren’t terminally ill.

Disability advocates, including the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, have [said](https://cacl.ca/2019/10/04/advocates-call-for-disability-rights-based-appeal-of-the-quebec-superior-courts-decision-in-truchon-gladu/?ref=goodoil.news) the court’s decision sent the message that *“having a disability is a fate worse than death”*.

**Troubling concerns over assisted suicide in Canada**

Earlier this year, it was [revealed](https://righttolife.org.uk/news/ethical-concerns-raised-over-surge-in-organ-donations-in-canada-after-legalisation-of-assisted-suicide/?ref=goodoil.news) the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada has led to a surge in organ donations and the open solicitation of those considering medically assisted death, raising ethical concerns.

A recent [report](https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/43/41/Add.2?ref=goodoil.news) from a disability rights expert has highlighted very troubling concerns about the impact Canada’s assisted suicide laws are having on people with disabilities.

According to the report, *“The Special Rapporteur is extremely concerned about the implementation of the legislation on medical assistance in dying from a disability perspective. She has learned that there is no protocol in place to demonstrate that persons with disabilities deemed eligible for assistive dying have been provided with viable alternatives.”*

The report goes on to say: *“moreover, she \[the special rapporteur\] has received worrisome information about persons with disabilities in institutions being *pressured* to seek medical assistance in dying and of practitioners not formally reporting cases involving persons with disabilities.”*

During her visit, the Special Rapporteur said people with disabilities told her *“they are being offered the ‘choice’ between a nursing home and medical assistance in dying”*.

More than 13,000 Canadians have been given a medically-assisted suicide or euthanasia since it was legalised in September 2016, according to the data from the justice department.

Ethical concerns were [raised](https://righttolife.org.uk/news/ethical-concerns-raised-over-surge-in-organ-donations-in-canada-after-legalisation-of-assisted-suicide/?ref=goodoil.news) earlier this year when it was revealed the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia in the country had resulted in **a surge of organ donations and the** **open solicitation** of those considering assisted suicide or euthanasia. Additionally, an [alarming study](https://www.cmaj.ca/content/189/3/E101?ref=goodoil.news) found that the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia could save the Canadian health care system up to $138 million per year.

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