Manitoba woman died by euthanasia (MAiD) based on inadequate home-care.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Sathya Dhara Kovac

Sathya Dhara Kovac, 44, who was living with ALS, died by euthanasia (MAiD) this week in Winnipeg because she lacked adequate home-care services.

A CBC news report by Bryce Howe on October 4, 2022 stated:

But according to Kovac's own obituary, statements she made to the Winnipeg Free Press and things she shared with friends, she had grown exhausted at her failed efforts to get more help with basic needs at home, and that is what drove her to access a medically assisted death.

Howe interviewed several of Kovac's friends. Shayla Brantnall told Howe that:

"It's hard because mentally she was there.... She accepted the changes in her body, but without enough support, how could anyone keep going?" said Brantnall, who supported Kovac three days a week over the past year and a half. 

"You're constantly stressed, you're constantly struggling, like, 'How am I going to get to the bathroom? How am I going to eat food?' That's not really a great quality of life either."

Another friend, Janine LeGal, told Howe that Kovacs didn't want to give up her home and live in an institution. LaGal stated:

"Her death was imminent in the sense that she had ALS, so she would have died from that at some point, but ... she could have been around for several more years, living a good life," said LeGal. 

"It's really painful for me to think about the fact that she is gone because our society doesn't focus on giving people what they need."

Howe reported that the province and the ALS society told her that she would be provided around the clock care at Riverview Health Centre but Kovac preferred to remain at her home and she knew others with ALS who died shortly after moving to Riverview Health Centre.

LaGal said that:

Kovac felt humiliated by the process of asking for, and failing to obtain, adequate home care services.

"She cared about neighbours and people and community and she wanted others to care too, and sometimes that didn't happen. So, she was very hurt by that."

Recently a Quebec man requested euthanasia (MAiD) because of changes to his home-care service (Link to article).

Links to more stories of the euthanasia experience in Canada:

• Veterans affairs worker advocates euthanasia for PTSD (Link).
• Alberta man requests euthanasia based on poverty (Link).
• Shopping for doctor death in Canada (Link).
• Gwen is seeking euthanasia because she can't access medical treatment (Link).
• Euthanasia for disability and poverty (Link).
• Euthanasia for Long Covid and poverty (Link).
• Canada's MAiD law is the most permissive in the world. (Link).