Elder suicide in Switzerland has quadrupled in 25 years.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Swissinfo reported on July 10, 2025 that the elder suicide rate has quadrupled over the past 25 years. It is important to note that the suicide rates for people under the age of 65 have dropped over the past 25 years while suicide rate for people over the age of 65 but under 84 has increased significantly and the suicide rate for people over the age of 85 has quadrupled.

Swissinfo reported:

Senior citizens were 42 times more likely to take their own lives in 2023 than people in other age groups, according to Swiss public broadcaster, RTS.

And the numbers are increasing: in the past 25 years, the proportion of over 85-year-olds in Switzerland who decide to take their life has quadrupled. Among 65- to 84-year-olds, this proportion has doubled.

In contrast, the suicide rate among the younger population has fallen by around 30% in the past two decades.

The increased suicide rate, in Switzerland, appears to be related to the increase in suicide deaths. Swissinfo examined the question as to whether suicide is linked to assisted suicide and reported:

There is controversy among experts as to whether assisted suicides and unassisted suicides can be linked at all.

According to Pierre Vandel, head physician at Lausanne University Hospital, “it is possible to opt for assisted suicide without having suicidal thoughts”. However, he explains that some of his colleagues make no distinction in this respect.

Euthanasia organisations take a different view. “Conscious suicides are different from others,” says Jean-Jacques Bise, Co-President of Exit in French-speaking Switzerland.

The figures from RTS suggest that the two types of suicide could be linked. In very old people, the statistical curves of the two types of suicide cross at the beginning of the 2010s, an indication that from then on there was a shift from unaccompanied to accompanied suicides.

The article also examined the differences between men and women. The article stated:

The figures also show that there are stark differences between men and women. Until the early 2010s, women took their own lives much less frequently than men.

Since then, the number of assisted suicides has also risen sharply among women, and women almost exclusively end their lives in this way of their own accord. In contrast, there is still a comparatively high proportion of unassisted suicides among men.

“Men express their feelings less than women,” explains psychiatrist Pierre Vandel. That is why it is more difficult for them to recognise suicidal thoughts and help them in time. This explains the tendency of men to take their own lives more often without support.

There have been several studies that have examined the connection between suicide, euthanasia and assisted suicide. Most studies appear to suggest that the suicide rate increases when assisted suicide and euthanasia are normalized.

In America, a similar phenomenon has occurred. Like Switzerland the highest suicide rate in America is among the elderly. Similar to Switzerland, the suicide rate among the elderly was much lower in the past. There is significant proof that the suicide rate in Oregon is directly connected to the acceptance of assisted suicide.

More articles on this topic:

• Suicide deaths increasing in America. Elderly Americans now have the highest suicide rate (Link).
• US suicide rates are now highest among the elderly (Link).
• Suicide contagion (Link).
• Legalizing assisted dying can actually increase suicides (Link). 
• Suicide rates in jurisdictions that have legalized assisted suicide are not decreasing (Link).
  

Two stories: Support Bill C-218. Oppose MAiD for mental illness.

The following true stories were sent to our EPC "Story Contest" by supporters who wish to share their personal experience in support of Bill C-218, a bill that would prevent euthanasia of people living with mental illness (as sole underlying medical condition)

Please visit our "contributor info" page (Link). "recent stories" (Link). and "story index" (Link). We would be thrilled to receive your story (whether fact or creative fiction) at: story@epcc.ca

All formats are welcome, including short videos.

On June 20, 2025 Tamara Jansen (MP) introduced Bill C-218 in the House of Commons to reverse the law which permits euthanasia for mental illness that is scheduled to begin on March 17, 2027 in Canada. (Article Link). 

--------------------

Supporting Bill C-218 - Opposing Euthanasia for mental illness.

By Patti

I battled severe suicidal bipolar depression and PTSD for most of my life.

I grew up in a severely abusive household. My first suicide attempt was at age 4. I deliberately rode my tricycle down a flight of cement stairs and fractured my skull.

Throughout the following decades, I tried many times to kill myself using various means. I also tried to drink myself to death. I was given many medications to treat my illness, but all I would do is overdose on them while drunk and end up in the hospital. I drank to escape the feelings of sadness, worthlessness and self hate. Finally I went to rehab for the alcohol, and had a mental breakdown while I was there. I was sent to a hospital where I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

After three rounds of electroshock therapy (ECT) I was still suicidal. I obsessed about dying and couldn't stop thinking about it and planning ways to kill myself that would work.

Several years ago I finally discovered by accident that a small dose of cannabis each day got rid of my depression. I'm still on low dose prescription medication to prevent bipolar mood swings.

I'm happy with my life now and I'm glad I didn't succeed in killing myself. I guarantee that if MAID had been available while I was obsessing about suicide, I'd have signed up for it. Now I am violently opposed to MAID, which is why I read articles on your website and share them on social media.

I hope this story will help to get Bill C-218 passed.

 

My Story (Mental Illness)

By Eric

In 2003, I was diagnosed as having schizophrenia.

The following year, I was having thoughts of suicide.

I am glad that there was no MAID for mental illness at that time for I might very well have chosen MAID.

I now live a contented life and have been helped tremendously by the teachings of Buddhism, which have greatly, if not completely, eliminated the symptoms of what I was diagnosed as having.

MAID for mental illness would, in my estimation, cause many unnecessary deaths and kill a lot of people who would otherwise have overcome their suicidal tendencies given enough time.

MAID for mental illness is, in my opinion, a grievous and very serious mistake which should NEVER become public policy in Canada.

Genocide or Healthcare?

This article was published by Kelsi Sheren on July 7 on her substack.

Kelsi Sheren

“We were just doing our job”…..right, the Nazi’s said the same thing.

By Kelsi Sheren

AGAIN Canada’s true colours are showing and the medical system, government and every Dr that approved this poor soul to die have blood on their hands. There’s something deeply wrong with Canada and it’s medical system. I have been SCREAMING about people who fall through the cracks like this and we need to talk about it.

Right now.

Normand Meunier & Sylvie Brosseau

Meet Normand Meunier: 66 years old, quadriplegic, and fighting desperately just to get basic care at Quebec's Saint-Jérôme Hospital. Did he die peacefully or comfortably? Hell no. He died from pure, evil, cold neglect.

Normand’s final weeks were straight-up horrifying. His widow, Sylvie Brosseau, described bedsores so brutal “they exposed muscle and bone”, leaving him in relentless agony. Imagine lying there, day after day, suffering beyond comprehension, and all you needed was a specialized mattress, but of course it’s nowhere to be found because all of our money is in Carney’s pockets Israel, Ukraine and ANYWHERE BUT Canada. It’s a damn mattress! Canada, not rocket science. Your tax dollars, my tax dollars, all flowing into a healthcare system and other government’s. Canada has apparently forgotten how to care, keep people alive and all because of organizations like DWDC, MAID Canada and CAMAP are telling Dr they should just kill instead.

But wait, Canada, our great toxic compassionate nation, did have one immediate solution ready: DEATH.

"I don't want to be a burden," Normand said before choosing euthanasia. This line should shake you to your core. Our government has moved from failing to care, straight to actively encouraging death as the easy way out. Compassion? No. This is cold, strategic cruelty wrapped neatly in false kindness.

When MAiD was introduced, it was sold to Canadians as a humane option for those with terminal illnesses facing unbearable pain. Although some of us saw right through the BS and the real plan was obvious. Kill instead of care. What we've ended up with is nothing short of a bureaucratic killing machine and one that is insanely effectively. Almost like they’ve installed a “easy button” for the government. Cough, cough… sound’s like eugenics to me. Because if it walks like death, talk’s like death and kill’s like death. It’s eugenics.

Too disabled, elderly, chronically ill, or mentally struggling? Congratulations, you’re now inconvenient and expensive, so here’s your government-approved ticket out.

Canada's healthcare system has become disturbingly comfortable with death as policy. Steven Laperrière from RAPLIQ isn’t sugarcoating anything when he says, “MAiD is becoming an alternative to decent care, and the numbers will explode.” In simple terms, Canada finds it cheaper and easier to offer euthanasia than to actually care for people properly.

Think about it. “Nobody will convince me that within a few hours the proper mattress could not have been found,” Laperrière insists. Normand Meunier would likely be alive right now if our healthcare system wasn't so screwed up with red tape and government negligence.

But hey, why bother fixing a broken system when you can just offer to kill the people it fails?

Sadly, Normand isn't alone, and not even remotely close. Jean Truchon, another Quebec resident, pushed for expanded euthanasia laws. But guess what? He didn't actually want to die; he wanted better care. In 2016, he even admitted it clearly he wouldn't have chosen death if decent home care was available. Did the government pay attention? Nope. They praised him after his death, conveniently ignoring their responsibility to provide basic support.

Wake up, Canada! When are you going to take your head out of the sand and see, this isn’t oversight. It's deliberate. It's dark. Our government is failing citizens by design, fast-tracking death instead of ensuring dignity and care.

Countries around the world, especially the UK, need to see Canada as a stark, urgent warning. The second a government starts promoting death as a convenient solution, true care becomes expendable. Canada’s healthcare, once praised worldwide, has become a disgraceful system that reduces human lives to budget lines and liabilities.

We’re at a crucial tipping point. Canadians need to demand better, immediately. The government’s primary job isn’t to kill off those deemed inconvenient it’s to provide compassionate, effective, and dignified care to every single person.

We have to pay attention as to why no Canadian media picked this story up, it’s spoken about all over the UK but not the state funded media. Is it because this show’s Canadians and the rest of the world who our government really is? Stone cold murderers and anyone who is voting for this is complicit and in my opinion should be called out as one and charged.

This is no longer just about right and wrong, this is dark and light. There is a spiritual war happening here. MAiD, the Dr’s who do it and CAMAP are dark, evil and will be remembered as Canada’s modern day eugenicist.

“We were just doing our job”…..right, the Nazi’s said the same thing.

If we don’t speak up, and hold them accountable now, and demand this stop immediately, only one horrifying question remains.

Who’s next?

Previous articles by Kelsi Sheren (Link).

I didn't steal the book that I flushed in the toilet.

Meghan Schrader

By Meghan Schrader
Meghan is an instructor at E4 - University of Texas (Austin) and an EPC-USA board member.

Purchase the book: Unravelling MAiD in Canada from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (Link).

Some people who read my post about throwing Stefanie Green’s book in a toilet on the EPC blog want to know where I got the book. Some have mused that perhaps I stole a copy. I didn’t; I need to keep my job.

Other than setting that straight, though, I’m not going to say where I got the book. There are various ways to acquire a book without the author getting a royalty. For instance, maybe you could convince someone who bought the book to give you their copy as a present, or maybe you could buy a used copy.

But I think maybe the people who asked that question want me to say that I stole the book and then complain about how how evil I am for stealing it, and then of course for me to be prosecuted for petty theft.

I don’t want to encourage petty theft, especially for marginalized people who might be vulnerable to being treated harshly by the criminal justice system. Nevertheless, I feel that sanctimonious indication toward someone who might have stolen Stefanie Green’s book reflects the right to die movement, and our culture’s, misplaced priorities.

The book costs $28 at Barnes and Noble. Are you a “MAiD” supporter who is mad that maybe I stole a $28 book from Barnes and Noble? Are the lives of people with disabilities worth less than $28 to you?

Maybe direct your righteous indignation towards saving the lives of disabled people who could have been saved with the proper support instead of saving a stupid book.

Where I got the book is not very important. What’s important is that the book was lonely and it needed to go back to the toilet to be with its family.

I did the right thing.

Previous articles by Meghan about Stephanie Green's book:

• I threw Stephanie Green's book in a toilet (Link).
• Are my blog posts tantrums (Link).
  

Meghan Schrader: Are My Blog Posts Tantrums?

Meghan Schrader

By: Meghan Schrader
Meghan is an instructor at E4 - University of Texas (Austin) and an EPC-USA board member. 

Previous blog articles by Meghan Schrader (Link).

Recently an X user wrote in response to my toilet blog post: “Meghan Schrader's tantrums won't affect any Canadians who wish to access MAID but tell her thanks anyway.” I imagine that this is the reaction that most right to die leaders will have to that post if they read it: “Dude, throw my book in a toilet if that makes you happy. I’m still going to do what I do.” I’m sure there are many readers out there who think that my blog posts and X comments are “tantrums.”

Well, in a way, they are. Although civil disobedience has a longstanding role in disability justice advocacy, me throwing someone’s internationally acclaimed collection of snuff stories in a toilet is probably as effective as a “tantrum;” it is unlikely to change the situation on its own. I was asked to write blogs for the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition so I do, even though I don’t think that the people in charge of the publishing companies that have republished Green’s dreck in multiple languages are going to see my blog post about the toilet and conclude, “Oh my gosh, Meghan’s right, Canada’s “MAiD” program is disgusting! And to think we spent all that time promoting Green’s Ted Talk!”

But I enjoy using hyperbole. I love John Oliver and Stephen Colbert’s use of sarcasm and observational comedy to lampoon cultural trends. I wish people like that would do segments about how the “MAiD” movement helps take the world’s abuse of people with disabilities to its lowest common denominator and some of my statements are meant to be a blog post or social media version of that. Unlike me and most other assisted suicide opponents, Colbert and Oliver have billions of followers, but are their skits going to make all of the injustice in the world go away? No, but perhaps their comedy still has a role in contributing to public discourse about oppression. I have, at times, spoken harshly in the wrong context and have needed to apologize, but that is rare. The intended objects of my most intense statements aren’t wounded souls whose terminally ill parent shot themselves, they are the shameless ableists who want to kill disabled children and set up up doctors panels to decide whether people with severe mental illnesses like I’ve experienced should be killed without their consent.

Although I realize that my own impact is limited, I can’t help but want to push back against the proponents’ entitled expectation that opponents will respond to all of their goals with the utmost respect and nuance. I am capable of nuanced debate, but since a lot of my advocacy happens in short blog posts and X threads, I’ve generally decided to model a lack of tolerance for persons who bully vulnerable people into assisted suicide.

I think all activists have to use the tools we have with humility. Much smarter disability justice scholars and lawyers who have published award-winning books and done Ted Talks have worked to change the adherents’ minds, yet they have not been able to convert them all. I believe in God, and I’m sure that He is working to interrupt the right to die movement’s activities. If His intervention has not made all of the proponents’ activities go away, why would I think that my blog posts and Twitter threads can do that?

But I don’t think throwing up one’s hands and letting the right to die movement go unanswered because one does not have a lot of power is the right response either. A lot of disabled people who aren’t privileged enough to publish their thoughts in a peer-reviewed journal or lead parliamentary hearings have used the lifeline of #DisabilityTwitter to help oppose assisted suicide. (I still find X to be an accessible platform and valuable opportunity for community, but since Elon Musk ridiculously elimated Twitter’s nascent Accessibility Experience Team in 2022, a lot of these individuals have moved to BlueSky.) Regardless of what platform is being used, I think using social media to bring awareness to Canada’s “MAiD” program helped prevent the expansion of “MAiD” to people with mental illnesses that was planned for 2023. My “useless” X presence gave me the privilege of helping my friend “Amy,” and that was definitely worthwhile. ADAPT’s 2014 protest outside a conference of the World Federation of Right To Die Societies did not cause that organization to collapse, but I still think it was valuable for ADAPT to show up and communicate that not everyone is willing to fawn over a movement that treats disabled people like pigs and car accident statistics. Singer and songwriter John Pike produced a scathing, satirical music video about Canada’s “MAiD” program called “Public Service Announcement From the Canadian Government” and I think that video is one of the coolest things around.

History is full of things that no longer exist because enough ordinary individuals refused to put up with them. Historically, the disability justice movement has played a critical role in slowing and stopping the assisted suicide movement’s efforts; that’s why one bioethicist who used to support assisted suicide apologized in 2004. It’s why “MAiD” did not sweep across the globe after Oregon’s law was passed in 1994 or during the uptick in right to die sensationalism in 2015. It’s why so many Labour politicians in the UK voted against its assisted suicide bill and why the New York assisted suicide bill was opposed by 27 Democrats.

Privileged “MAiD” activists who have admitted that they are willing to murder marginalized people seem to have the smug expectation that everyone will eventually join their death cult. Some of the content of my advocacy is my attempt to help make unequivocal, continuing opposition to their agenda visible in whatever small way that I can.

The hundreds of disability justice advocates who aren’t me aren’t giving up. That’s why the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of People with Disabilities opposes “MAiD.” That’s why most disability justice organizations in the world have fought assisted suicide. Righteous indignation over disabled people’s wrongful deaths is why disability justice pioneers with more talent than me are filing lawsuits and publishing their own anti assisted suicide work.

That movement to prevent disabled people’s wrongful deaths is worth being part of. And hopefully someday that opposition will reinstitute disabled people’s equal access to suicide prevention, which is key to advancing our human rights in general. So I will go ahead and keep having my “tantrums.”

Previous blog articles by Meghan Schrader (Link). 

Zoom Event: Seeking Medicine's Moral Centre

Tom Koch

Don't miss our next EPC Zoom Event:

Join us on Wednesday July 16 at 10 am (Pacific Time) / 1 pm (Eastern Time) for an excellent discussion on how ethics have changed and how it led to our current euthanasia and assisted suicide laws.

Register in advance (Registration Link)

Join Professor Tom Koch and Alex Schadenberg as they discuss (MAiD) euthanasia in Canada as it relates to his new book: Seeking Medicine's Moral Centre, Ethics, Bioethics and Assisted Dying.

Tom has been a long time critic of the ethical assumptions related to euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Tom is a defender of the Hippocratic ethic of medical care. His new book marks the history of change in medical ethics over the past 30 years. It is important to understand how we got to where we are before we can effectively reverse the trend.

Tom an expert who I have respected for many years. His writing are based on indepth research and reality rather than ideology. He is always open to respectful discussion.

Tom is an intellectual who is capable of speaking with everyone. Tom is known for his research and his consistent ethical position.

Register in advance (Registration Link)

Register for the next Compassionate Community Care - Visitor Training Program - July 9 and 10.

Kathy Matusiak Costa

Register for the free online visitor training program and becoming involved with visiting people in your community who are elderly and/or living alone.

 

Register online (Registration Link).

 

Caring for people. Gain the confidence to journey with those who are lonely, socially isolated, sick, or dying, to renew their hope and purpose in living until they die.

 

Alex Schadenberg

FREE Online Training – Live on Zoom! 

The Training Workshop is composed of two sessions, each session is two hours held on: 

Wednesday July 9 (7 pm - 9 pm) (EST)

Thursday July 10 (7 pm - 9 pm) (EST)

With Kathy Matusiak Costa, Executive Director of Compassionate Community Care, and Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. 

Register online now: (Registration Link)

 

Compassionate Community Care: 

383 Horton St. E, London, ON N6B 1L6
Office tel. 519-439-6445 

info@beingwith.org • www.beingwith.org

CCC Helpline: 1-855-675-8749

 

Charitable registration # 824667869RR0001

Assisted suicide puts a price on my head.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Kate Ferguson reported for The Sun News that Lord Kevin Shinkwin, a member of the House of Lords, considers the UK assisted suicide bill, that narrowly passed in the UK House of Commons, said that if the assisted suicide bill was legalized in the past that he would not be alive today. Ferguson wrote:

Lord Kevin Shinkwin said the Terminally Ill Adults Bill “puts a price on my head” and he would have felt pressure to agree to having a lethal injection over fear of being a burden.

The Tory's warning comes as campaigners vow to fight the assisted dying bill in the Lords after MPs narrowly backed it by just 23 votes on Friday.

Lord Shinkwin, 54, is a disability rights campaigner who has a severe form of brittle bone disease.

Ferguson further reported Lord Shinkwin as stating:

He said: “I am a disabled person. I cost the NHS, over the course of my lifetime, probably several million pounds to keep me alive.

“This Bill would put a price on my head — on the head of so many disabled people.”

When asked if he would be alive today if assisted suicide was already legal, Shinkwin responded:

“I think you have hit the nail on the head.

"Absolutely. I was in intensive care a few months ago, and had a doctor come over to me when I was extremely vulnerable and said, ‘Have you considered assisted dying?’, I would have felt under real pressure to do that.”

Ferguson reported that Shinkwin hopes to amend the assisted suicide bill while other peers are working to prevent the bill from passing.

I Threw Stephanie Green’s Book in a Toilet.

Meghan Schrader

By Meghan Schrader
Meghan is an instructor at E4 - University of Texas (Austin) and an EPC-USA board member.

In the documentary Crip Camp, there’s a 1970s video of Judy Heumann noting how oppressed disabled people are despite the new tool of Section 504, and remarking, “I’m tired of being grateful for accessible toilets.” I agree with Judy Heumann. Therefore I acquired a copy of “Dr” Stephanie Green’s book about how much she loves her job as a serial killer in a way that would not get her a royalty and flushed it down a toilet. Or rather I threw it in; it wouldn’t go down all the way.

I did this partly for the book’s sake; the book was homesick. When I looked at the book, I could hear it crying out to me, begging me to return it to its proper home in the toilet.

I didn’t really hear the book talking to me, but I stand by my decision. Generally I think well-reasoned academic arguments about the right to die movement’s historical roots in the eugenics movement and its role in exacerbating systemic ableism are the best way to undermine the euthanasia movement’s agenda. However, I wonder if every once in a while, these nice, polite discussions about killing disabled people should be punctuated with unequivocal expressions of disgust.

I threw Stephanie Green’s book in a toilet because her work conditions disabled people to aspire to be lumps of rotting flesh. Stephanie Green’s book belongs in a toilet because people like her have published a children’s book detailing disabled people’s deaths by “MAiD” that disabled children will read, causing those children to believe that they too should embrace this glorious opportunity to rot in the ground.

I threw Stephanie Green’s book in a toilet because organ transplant orgs are calling people with pending “MAiD” applications to ask for their entrails. I myself am an organ donor, but if a Canada-like system ever comes to the United States, I will cut up my ID with the little red heart on it and flush the pieces down my toilet, because I will not participate in an organ transplant system that incentivizes disabled people to die by suicide.

I threw Stephanie Green’s book in a toilet because in an equitable society, disabled people’s equal right to exist would not be up for debate. Yet the right to die movement is conditioning generations of disabled people to see themselves as nothing but organ farms. This plan for disabled people’s fourth class citizenship is so evil that it belongs in a toilet.

I threw Stephanie Green’s book in a toilet because I want to tell other people with disabilities that they deserve a good life. I want to encourage disabled readers to find the self respect to stand up for themselves and demand something better than having their lives flushed down a toilet.

What's in the plan to legalise assisted suicide in France?

The following article was published by the European Institute of Bioethics on June 30, 2025.

France National Assembly

The plan to authorise assisted suicide and euthanasia in France, which has been supported for some time by a number of political and media figures in France, has been the subject of numerous initiatives in recent years, despite some political upheavals.

Since the majority opinion in favour of authorising euthanasia issued by the French National Consultative Ethics Committee in September 2022 (in contradiction with previous opinions that had been largely unfavourable), the political timetable on this issue has accelerated. This was followed by a citizens' convention on end-of-life issues in December 2022, and the examination of a government bill in May 2024, halted by the dissolution of the National Assembly a few weeks later. The draft bill that has been before the public since 12 May is based on the text adopted at first reading by the Social Affairs Committee.

Towards a right to "use a lethal substance

Article 1 of the bill establishes a ‘right to assistance in dying’, i.e. authorising a person who so requests to ‘have recourse to a lethal substance [...] in order to administer it or have it administered by a doctor or nurse’. Under the heading of ‘aid in dying’, this means that the person requesting it can commit suicide after being given the means to do so, or be euthanised by a carer if he or she is no longer capable of administering the lethal substance.

Subjective conditions for access

In addition to the conditions of majority and French nationality (or residence in France), the text provides, as does Belgian law, for a condition linked to medical condition and a condition linked to the state of suffering:

• The person must be ‘suffering from a serious and incurable disease, whatever its cause, which is life-threatening, in an advanced or terminal phase’;
• They must also be ‘suffering physically or psychologically as a result of this condition, which is either refractory to treatment or unbearable according to the person when he or she has chosen not to receive or to stop receiving treatment’.

Patients must also be considered as ‘capable of expressing their wishes in a free and informed manner’.

Following the example of Belgian law, the text therefore does not stipulate that the patient's death must be expected in the near future in order for his or her life to be terminated. Some people, such as the French National Authority for Health, have stressed the vague and non-objective nature of the notion of ‘advanced or terminal phase’, as well as that of ‘life-threatening prognosis’.

Non-binding opinion of other healthcare professionals

The doctor asked by the patient to end his or her life must obtain the opinion of another doctor (who is not obliged to consult the patient), as well as the opinion of another medical auxiliary or care assistant (if necessary from a distance), without these opinions being binding.

A minimum period of a few days between the request and death by lethal injection

If, within the two-week period, the doctor decides in favour of the patient's request, the patient may be euthanised or die by assisted suicide after a period of reflection of at least two days. In practice, this means that the time between the patient's initial request and death by lethal injection can be reduced to a handful of days. This will depend on how quickly the doctor makes his or her decision and how soon the person chooses to have their life ended.

Carers involved in all cases

Insofar as it is envisaged that the person will in principle administer the lethal substance themselves, the programmed death provided for in the text under discussion corresponds to assisted suicide. Only in the event that the person is unable to self-administer the lethal cocktail would euthanasia be carried out by the doctor or nurse.

However, even if they do not administer the lethal substance to the person, the doctor or nurse ‘responsible for accompanying’ the person is required to ‘supervise the administration of the lethal substance by the person’, in addition to having obtained the lethal substance and, where applicable, having taken responsibility for authorising the person's assisted suicide beforehand.

Assisted suicide is a "natural death

The bill also stipulates that the death certificate will state that the person is ‘deemed to have died a natural death’. This echoes an equivalent provision in Belgian law. Justified as a means of guaranteeing access to certain life insurance cover, this legal fiction nonetheless seriously misleads the public about the very reality of the act of death - unnatural death - involved in euthanasia or assisted suicide.

Limited conscience clause

While the text gives doctors, nurses and healthcare assistants the right to refuse to take part in this procedure, pharmacists are excluded from the protection provided by this specific conscience clause, even though they are required to be involved in preparing and dispensing the lethal substance. Furthermore, the freedom of health establishments and retirement homes not to provide for euthanasia or assisted suicide within their walls is explicitly excluded: the staff of these institutions will not be able to oppose the carrying out of programmed death within their walls.

Monitoring compliance with the law after the patient's death

The text establishes a control commission, tasked in particular with assessing compliance with the conditions of the law once the patient has died, on the sole basis of information declared by the carers concerned.

Offence of obstruction for attempting to prevent assisted suicide

The only criminal provisions introduced by the bill concern preventing (or attempting to prevent) others from practising assisted suicide or euthanasia, or from obtaining information on the subject, ‘by any means, including electronically or online, in particular by disseminating or transmitting allegations or information likely to intentionally mislead, with a view to dissuading, as to the characteristics or medical consequences of assisted dying’.

The text grants associations campaigning in favour of euthanasia and assisted suicide (‘whose statutory purpose includes the defence of the rights of persons to have access to aid in dying’) the right to bring a civil action to prosecute on this basis.

More articles on France:

• France's National Assembly votes to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide (Link). 
• Dutch ethicist urges France to reject euthanasia (Link).
  

Lesson in Disability Justice One: Disability Justice Is a Whole Cloth Effort

Meghan Schrader

By Meghan Schrader

Meghan is an instructor at E4 - University of Texas (Austin) and an EPC-USA board member.

People everywhere have been influenced by ableist belief systems, including some opponents of assisted suicide. There are also a lot of attacks on disability rights in the United States right now. (I just spent time weeping over them and the degradation many disabled people could experience as a result.) Hence, I was thinking that I should offer some disability justice “lessons” for readers who do care about people with disabilities, but may not be fully apprised of what disability justice looks like in general. This post will be lesson number one; I hope to provide a general overview of the principle that the equal right to be alive is foundational to disability justice, but disability justice does not stop there.

It’s important that assisted suicide opponents not embrace regressive ideas, language and attitudes. For instance, at Thanksgiving in 2024 I had a very strange conversation with a family member about accommodations for people with disabilities. This family member has been very good to me. But, during a family event I mentioned the story of the time I considered transferring from one college to another. The director of disability services at the college I was thinking of transferring to told me that the school would not accommodate my learning or psychiatric disabilities, so I didn’t transfer. The family member said, “Well, at least they let you know up front that they couldn’t do it. A school is a business. How can they make money if they have to spend $300,000 accommodating one person’s learning disability?” I changed the topic rather than argue with them. I am very surprised that this family member, who has observed my struggles to fit into the world and has stood by me during my fits of psychotic depression, including making generous personal sacrifices for my well-being, would think this way. They know I use the Americans with Disabilities Act to advocate for myself, so they understand that not making reasonable accommodations for disabled people is illegal, right? Why do they think that accommodating my disabilities would cost $300,000? If every college had that attitude, how would I have become educated? Why don’t they understand that the attitude they just articulated is the root cause of disabled people like me being mentally ill, unemployed, uneducated, impoverished, isolated and maybe even dead? This person is really into people working instead of being on welfare. They understand that I am able to work because my employer uses resources to accommodate me, right? I love my loved one anyway, but that attitude is not one that assisted suicide opponents should embrace.

It is important that assisted suicide opponents set high goals for the full participation of people with disabilities in society. Do not excuse inaccessibility because disabled people ostensibly do not “need” the inaccessible thing.

For instance, the Department of Energy has submitted a proposal to weaken Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act’s requirement that newly constructed buildings be accessible to people with physical disabilities. (The department of energy says that such regulations are “unduly burdensome” for various stakeholders and that it would like to give them more “flexibility” about whether new construction has to incorporate disabled people’s needs.) Anti assisted suicide disability rights groups like the Disability Rights Legal and Defense Fund, and the National Council on Independent Living have said that this change endangers disabled people’s right to use any new government buildings or building features. Yet, some assisted suicide opponents seem ready to dismiss these types of concerns. For instance, another, able-bodied assisted suicide opponent who is generally very good to the disabled told me that they think the proposed rule change will still allow disabled people to access all of the things that we need. They told me that of course they support disabled people accessing buildings and building features that facilitate access to government programs and human rights, but perhaps disability rights didn’t mean that disabled people needed to access everything. (At least I think that’s what they meant.) For instance, the mentor said, if a building that allows wheelchair users to access essential services like medical care adds a solarium, does the solarium really need to be accessible to wheelchair users who would like to use it for sunshine and fresh air?

Why yes, it does. It is possible to build an accessible solarium, so it needs to be built that way, even if building it that way is a “burden” to the builder. That’s kind of the point of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Generally if able-bodied people have access to something good, then disabled people are supposed to have access to that good thing. That’s part of first class citizenship. And, of course, the new regulations wouldn’t just apply to “extreme” examples like solariums, they would apply to government funded buildings in general, which would put basic services at risk.

Moreover, people who are concerned with fighting assisted suicide should view the solarium argument in the context of the assisted suicide issue. What if assisted suicide does get legalized for disabled people and some “MAiD”- vulnerable person thinks to themselves, “Gee, I would feel so much better if I could just go into that solarium for some sunshine and fresh air, but I can’t. I’m a second class citizen; I want to die”? That kind of speculation might sound “silly” to some proponents, but that’s the reality that disabled people experience on an everyday basis.

I have also seen publications who have published very good pieces opposing assisted suicide turn around and use the r word repeatedly, as a joke. Or using words like “midget” to describe Little People. My dudes, you simply cannot do that. Using the r word is a huge no no. So is using the word “midget.” Most people in the disabled community consider both words to be slurs.

Before anyone pounces on the idea that assisted suicide proponents are generally more “enlightened” about non assisted suicide disability issues, allow me to try and humble such people a bit. Assisted suicide supporters also have a history of ignoring disabled people and not understanding disability justice. Right to die leaders have collaborated with Peter Singer, who has argued that raping disabled people is ok and compared disabled people to pigs and orangutans. Right to die leader and “disability rights advocate” Christopher Riddle has compared disabled people who will die in accidents related to assisted suicide to car accident statistics. People of all political stripes cut funding for the disabled, support inaccessible buildings and deprioritize disability justice in their non assisted suicide advocacy efforts. Ableism is everywhere.

But, perhaps it is possible to combine advocacy for justice with grace. No matter where someone stands on the assisted suicide issue, ableism isn’t always entirely the fault of people doing the ableist things. Most people don’t grow up learning about disability history and justice. A lot of people inadvertently allow ableist conditions to exist because they haven’t had the opportunity to understand that these conditions are ableist. But people need to understand that disability justice is like a tapestry, with laws related to things like Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act forming the “threads” of the tapestry. If someone pulls out one thread, then the whole tapestry starts to fray.

So, if you are someone doing the good work of helping the disabled community fight assisted suicide but maybe do not “hang out in” mainstream disability justice circles and you have not had the opportunity to study trends in disability justice and history, try to set aside some time to educate yourselves. Beware of any argument that disabled people should not have access to something nice because making it accessible is a “burden.” This is, after all, the logic motivating the assisted suicide proponents who think the early deaths of “burdensome” disabled people are good.

It is not realistic to expect assisted suicide opponents to agree with one another on every nuance of every issue, but any effort seeking to revert disability rights laws back to what they were in the 1960s is a bad thing. If a disability rights organization that fights alongside you to oppose “MAiD” says that a policy is bad, don’t write their expert advice off. It’s important that anti assisted suicide activists of all political stripes support the disability justice movement’s goals regarding things like accessible buildings, employment, deinstitutionalization, education and community living. Doing that is one of the most important ways that one can connect one’s advocacy for disabled people’s lives with the broader fight for disability justice. 

Previous articles by Meghan Schrader (Articles Link)

Acolytes of the Angel of Death

The following true story was sent to our EPC "Story Contest"

Please visit our "contributor info" (Link) "recent stories" (Link) and "story index" (Link). We would be thrilled to receive your story at: story@epcc.ca

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By Marie-Blanche Mitchell

(Names have been changed to protect the identity of the family.)

I had hardly known the woman, but Dolores, my frail 95-year-old neighbour, had left an indelible scar of sadness and outrage on my soul.

It was just before Christmas of 2014, that I found an invitation taped to my hallway door, to join Dolores and a few neighbours for Christmas tea at her place.

The afternoon was festive and loaded with surprises. Two of Dolores’ daughters, Thana, and Morana had carried out her wishes to have a party with her neighbours. The daughters had spared no effort or expense to prepare a beautifully decorated apartment, a wonderful spread of tasty holiday treats, and wine as well, to spice up the otherwise ordinary coffee and tea in porcelain cups. Dolores had even sent everyone home with a ‘goodie bag.’

I discovered eventually that my elderly neighbour resided in a nursing home, and her daughters would regularly take her back to her old abode to enjoy a few days at a time as they looked after her needs.

Despite the nonagenarian’s frail health (she barely tipped the scales at a hundred pounds), she maintained a sharp and witty mind as she engaged her guests in conversation. However, my sense of propriety was put off at some of Dolores’ off-colour jokes. Obviously, modesty didn’t automatically stroll hand-in-hand with aging. The lady seemed very fulfilled and happy with life. I was impressed by the care lavished on her by her daughters.

As the next two years passed, I would meet Dolores and her daughters in the hallway of the condo building, and they would exchange pleasantries. Dolores seemed happy and content. Occasionally, Thana would come by my place and ask for a cup of sugar or some cream that they had forgotten to bring for Dolores’ few days at home.

One warm spring day, I was relaxing on my patio, enjoying the shade and the birdsong from nearby trees. Thana pulled up with Dolores in a black SUV. I waved and ambled over. Once Dolores was wheeled inside the apartment, I helped Thana bring in various supplies and a suitcase for Dolores’ stay.

In my estimation, Thana was about my age— late fifties and close to retirement. Perspiration beaded her face; large wet circles appeared under her arms on her oversized T-shirt. She wiped her forehead with a bandana she had pulled out from her jeans pocket. I followed Thana out to her vehicle to help with a few more things.

Anyone could see that it was no easy job for Thana to regularly assist her mother in spending a few days at home. I wanted to encourage her. “Your mother is very blessed to have daughters like you and Morana.”

Thana’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Really? I hadn’t really thought of that. Sweet as she is, Mother is quite demanding at her age. Unfortunately, the job falls to me most of the time, as my siblings are usually too busy.”

I detected a note of bitterness.

Thana mopped the rest of her face and pocketed the bandana. “This time, Morana is away on a European holiday, and the rest have their legitimate excuses for not helping me. Frankly, I’m getting tired. This is becoming too stressful.

Thana managed another weak smile. “Thank you for watering my mom’s plants on the patio. They would be dead in no time without your help.”

I nodded. “Oh, I’m a real gardener-at-heart who misses that now that I’m in a condo. I am happy to keep those plants alive!”

The next time I saw Dolores was on Canada Day. Thana wheeled her chair down the hall to her suite. The woman was frowning and seemed preoccupied. As she passed me, she whispered, “Hang on a minute. I’d like to ask you something.”

As soon as Dolores was in her apartment, Thana returned. She cleared her throat. “I have a favour to ask of you. If you don’t feel comfortable with what I’m asking you, please say no.”

I shifted my position to a more comfortable one. My curiosity was piqued. “Sure. What do you have in mind?”

Thana’s tone became quieter as her eyes glanced back and forth. Despite my hearing aids, it was a challenge to make out what she was saying.

“My Mom’s health is really going downhill. She’s in a lot of pain, and she’s suffering.”

Eppie thought about Dolores’ cheerfulness today and in the last few encounters. If she was suffering, she was hiding it well.

“She’s lived a good life, and she’s tired.”

I was gripped with apprehension. I then had an exceptionally good idea of what Thana was going to ask.

“My Mom would like to leave this earth on her own terms. But before she can do this, she needs two people who are not her family, to sign a statement attesting to the fact that she is of sound mind.”

I felt sick and thought: If Dolores really is of sound mind, why isn’t she asking me herself, instead of her daughter? This is not your will, Lord! Jesus, please give me your wisdom to say the right thing.

I looked Thana in the eye.

“Thank you for considering me a trustworthy person for this request. However, I need to let you know that you are talking to a pro-lifer.”

Thana’s hardened gaze belied her cheerful tone. “Oh, okay. No problem. I just thought I would ask.”

In the months that followed, I prayed constantly for Dolores and her family. What could I say or do? An urgent request was put on my church’s prayer chain. I prayed for my elderly neighbour and the family who wanted to send her off into eternity. To what? With or without her permission? I sent urgent petitions to the Lord about Dolores, Thana, and the siblings each time I passed her door.

In the early fall, I was tending to my vehicle outside my ground floor condo, when Thana drove up with Dolores, who was wheeled inside a little too quickly, in my estimation. I offered to bring items from the vehicle to Dolores’ sliding door. Thana hesitated, then gave me some things. As I approached the sliding door, I noticed that it was slightly open, and that Dolores was seated right beside it! My heart jumped. Here was a God-given, ten-second window to speak to Dolores! At the corner of my eye, I spied a furious Thana, barrelling toward me in a panic.

“You are so blessed by God to have a family who loves you and cares for you,” I sputtered loudly enough for both women to hear. I deposited the items inside the door and turned to Thana, forcing a smile. “Have a good day.”

Thana remained silent and brooding as her chest heaved from her exertion.

There were three more days until New Year’s Eve, and I had caught some kind of bug. Feeling miserable, I lay on the couch all day, listening to classical music and reading a novel. I heard some voices outside and peered out the window. A group of people I did not know were making their way into Dolores’ suite. She and her family gathering for New Year’s perhaps?

A short while later, I heard a knock on my hallway door. I answered it. Thana had a saucer in her hand. “Hi!” She waved it in my direction. “Mother would like some eggnog, and I was wondering if you had any nutmeg.”

I nodded. “I’m under the weather, and wouldn’t want to endanger you or your mom with my germs, so if you hang on to the saucer, I’ll get the nutmeg and sprinkle some on, while I keep my distance, okay?”

Thana seemed much more chipper than the last time I saw her and was all smiles. Her eyes, however, conveyed a cloaked wariness. “Sure! Thank you so much.”

I sprinkled as much nutmeg as I could. Thana stopped me politely. “That will be fine, thank you! Happy New Year!

And then she was gone.

It was a few days after New Year’s that I went to the lobby down the hall from my door. I opened my mail slot. Nothing except for junk mail— all my bills were paid online. As I passed the bulletin board, a small notice caught my eye. I leaned in closer. Horrified, I realized that it was Dolores’ obituary. According to the obit, her neighbour had peacefully passed away at home surrounded by her family. —That she had chosen to leave this earth with dignity, grace, and serenity.

As if in a stupor. I photographed the obituary with my smartphone. My mind did some chronological backtracking, as the memory of the people outside Dolores’ apartment flashed before my eyes.

Most likely, Dolores did not die in God’s timing on December 29th. Could it have been during the wee hours of the morning? —And on the evening of the 28th, had I unknowingly contributed to Dolores’ last eggnog on earth?

I felt used. I threw myself into my Heavenly Father’s arms and wept.

The End