Euthanasia Prevention Coalition gains intervenor standing in Calgary court case.

The 27-year-old autistic woman, who is otherwise healthy, was scheduled to die by euthanasia on February 1, 2024.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director,
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) was been granted intervenor standing in the court case concerning the Calgary father who is trying to prevent the euthanasia death of his 27-year-old autistic daughter, who is otherwise healthy. EPC submitted our application to intervene, with legal arguments, on May 17 and we were approved as an intervenor on May 30. The publication ban requires that the father be referred to as WV and the daughter as MV.

This case is very important to me since I have an autistic son.

EPC needs donations toward the cost of the legal intervention (Donation Link).

The daughter was originally scheduled to die by euthanasia (MAiD) on February 1, but her father obtained a temporary injunction, on January 30, 2024, preventing her death.

CBC News reported on March 12, 2024 on the Calgary court case concerning a father who petitioned the court to prevent the euthanasia death of his 27-year-old autistic daughter. that the father argued that his daughter did not have a medical condition that qualifies under the law for death by lethal poison (MAiD) and yet the daughter had already been approved for death.

CBC News reporter, Meghan Grant reported on March 25, 2024 that Justice Feasby ruled that the 27-year-old daughter can die by euthanasia despite her father's concerns. Feasby withdrew the temporary injunction that prevented the woman from dying by euthanasia but Feasby maintained a 30 day stay of the injunction, which gave the father time to appeal the decision.

Justice Feasby ordered an assessment of the role of Alberta Health Services with relation to the approval of euthanasia for the autistic daughter.

On April 2, 2024, Kevin Martin reported for the Calgary Herald that the father of the 27-year-old autistic woman appealed the decision to the Alberta Court of Appeal.

On April 8, Justice Anne Kirker ordered a stay on the injunction to prevent the death of the 27-year-old autistic woman until after the appeal is decided. The date of the appeal is not known but will likely be heard in October.

The court granted EPC a 20 page written argument and a 20 minute oral argument. The EPC intervention focuses on several issues but it primarily deals with the process that led to the approval of the 27-year-old autistic woman, who is otherwise healthy.

EPC needs donations toward the cost of the legal intervention (Donation Link).

Articles on this topic:

• Great news: Judge prevents euthanasia death of Calgary autistic woman (Link).
• Father of a 27-year-old autistic woman appeals court ruling in euthanasia decision (Link).