The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition responds with help.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition regularly receives calls and emails from people who are considering euthanasia or know someone who is considering or died by euthanasia. We are here to help.

This weekend we received two phone calls and an email.

The first was from a supporter who said that her brother is seeking death by (MAiD) euthanasia. A few years ago her brother had a stroke. Her brother is not sick or dying, but he is not happy with his life. He was not talking about "MAiD" until a "support" worker spoke to him about MAiD. I offered advice, support and direction and possibly a way forward to prevent her brother from dying by euthanasia. The problem is that the supporter lives in the Maritimes and her brother lives in BC. We have offered to cover the cost for her to visit her brother. There may be more information about this story in the future.

The second call was from a man who was seeking death by euthanasia. I told him who we are and that we clearly don't provide or refer for MAiD. He wanted to talk about his situation. He explained that he had cancer and he feared a bad death. He didn't actually want to die and he spoke about the treatment that he is scheduled to receive. We discussed options around pain and symptom management and I explained why euthanasia is a bad idea. At the end of the conversation he thanked me for talking to him and I encouraged him to seek care, not death. I told him he could call back at anytime. I hope that I disuaded him from pursuing euthanasia.

The third was an email from a woman who stated that her father, who lives in Quebec, was scheduled to die by euthanasia. She explained that her father has dementia but he was still able to communicate with her. She said that her father is a practising Catholic but her sister, who is the power of attorney for healthcare, has blocked her from talking to her father and has refused to discuss his care options. I offered advice about how to prevent the death, knowing that her sister has the legal right to make decisions. The woman wrote that she didn't know how it was possible for them to have approved killing her father and she stated:

I don't understand why it's not illegal. It is murder.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is here to help.