My story: No to MAiD for Mental Illness.

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By Peter Oliver

My Condition

Peter Oliver

I'm a 61-year-old man and I have experienced depression for more than forty years. It is chronic, meaning that it is a long-term condition and there is no reason to believe it will ever be relieved. It is also constant, meaning that there is never an occasion when I do not feel some level of depression. It is sometimes debilitating, meaning that profound feelings of tiredness, hopelessness, pessimism, despair and self-critical thinking become so overwhelming that, on some occasions, I must withdraw to a darkened room for several hours and sit quietly until these harmful feelings lighten up.

Interventions

Over the last 40 plus years, I have had the support of 4 psychologists and 1 psychiatrist who have provided quite literally 100s of hours of professional support. Medications, exercise, meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, supportive community, proper diet, reading, hobbies, journaling and prayer are all part of the regime of interventions that play a role in addressing my condition. Despite the disciplined and sustained attention to these interventions my depression remains constant, chronic and sometimes debilitating.

My Life

My wife and I have been happily married for 30 years, and we have three adult children. All of our children have completed university educations, and they are beginning to establish stable living situations. Two of them experience significant levels of mental distress.

My professional formation includes studies in psychiatric nursing, a philosophy degree, and a Masters degree in pastoral theology. I have worked in a variety of labor positions (farm, factory, construction) have acted as a care aid to a man dying from MS, have been a camp councillor for children who have disabilities, been a teacher's assistant in support of severely disabled children, acted as a pastoral assistant in a Roman Catholic parish, provided chaplaincy services in both provincial and federal corrections, and currently, I am the Executive Director of the Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan.

Approximately 8 years ago I was diagnosed with colon cancer. This was successfully treated by a partial colectomy. My wife wittily says, he used to have a colon now he has a semicolon (ha, ha).

While still in the hospital and in a particularly vulnerable state, arising from being twenty-five days without food, I was informed that my employment was terminated. Recovery from the surgery and finding a new avenue for employment took a full year.

I include this because it seems important to recognize that mental health challenges are further complicated by other life events.

Family of Origin

My father, a farmer, who worked hard and did his best to love his family, was deeply, chronically and constantly depressed as well. He did not have any of the assistance that I have been privileged to receive. It was a mood disorder which found expression in ruminative behaviour (in hours of swearing throughout the night), rejection of bathing, angry outbursts, and paralyzed communication. These were some of the primary ingredients of my childhood.

He died at 73 (unlike his other 5 siblings who live into their 80s and 90s) and I would submit that depression was a significant contributor to his earlier death.

My mother, born during the second world war, and a person of remarkable grit, struggled mightily with the challenges of my father’s mental health but successfully navigated them, raising six children who have become contributing members of our country in farming, healthcare, the service industry, and pastoral care.

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)

The Government of Canada website on assisted suicide, euphemistically referred to as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) states: 

"Important: On February 29, 2024, legislation to extend the temporary exclusion of eligibility to receive MAID in circumstances where a person's sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness received royal assent and immediately came into effect. The eligibility date for persons suffering solely from a mental illness is now March 17, 2027.”

As of March 17, 2027, I will qualify to be assessed for assisted suicide. The primary issue would be, do I find the depression I experience intolerable? It is fair to say, I could make an excellent case for a positive assessment.

So, allow me be blunt about the implication of these changes.

A positive assessment would mean, the Government of Canada believes that a legitimate response to my condition is to have a medical professional inject a poisonous substance into my arm causing my death.

Sign our EPC petition: No MAiD for Mental Illness (Link).

I Am Offended

With many other people from the mental health and disability community, I AM OFFENDED!  

The Government of Canada, which is charged with the responsibility of fostering the fullness of life for its citizens, is prepared to activate legislation that says, "We agree with you. You would be better off dead!" 

After years of disciplined and constructive action in relation to my condition, am I now to live in a country that invests millions of dollars employing the services of medical professionals who will end the lives of people "whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness"? Am I now to live in a country that clearly states in word and action, “some depressed people are better off dead”?

Expectations

What I expect from the government of Canada is a resounding message and actions that say, "We stand on guard for you." We strive to build a nation of courageous people who can meet affliction, ordeal, and privation with fortitude. Where no individual is thought of as “better off dead”. 

As the saying goes, you can't serve two masters. One you will honour and one you will despise. You cannot build a great nation that simultaneously expects its medical professionals to provide healing, hope, and encouragement while also supporting legislation that provides a mandate for doctors and nurses to kill depressed patients. The result is inevitable, our citizen’s respect for people with mental health concerns will erode and our nation will begin to glorify assisted suicide.

As a person whose family has struggled with mental health, whose children strive to meet mental health concerns, and who daily meets the challenges of a mental health condition, this is not what we need and not what we want!

*Sharing a story about your struggle with mental illness is difficult but it is necessary for supporting Bill C-218 that will prevent MAiD for Mental Illness alone.

Sign our EPC petition: No MAiD for Mental Illness (Link).