Story of an assisted death without request or consent.

Alex Schadenberg

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director,
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The following story was shared on X by Samantha Smith on July 2, 2025.

Canada's euthanasia law does not allow killing without consent, but the story does not suggest that this was a legal act. 

I have been asked if it is a true story? (published below) I can't answer the question but we have published a true story about a similar tragic death. (Link to Aunt Mary's Story)

Medical decisions are regularly made to intentionally deny food and fluids to a person who is not otherwise dying, resulting in death by dehydration. Morally, this is euthanasia (slow euthanasia or euthanasia by dehydration) but legally it is not euthanasia because food and fluids have wrongly been defined as "medical treatment." 

Withdrawing food and fluids from someone who is not otherwise dying is different than withdrawing food and fluids from someone who is dying and nearing death. The first act causes death by dehydration, the second act recognizes that the person's body is unable to benefit from food and fluids and the withdrawal is part of a natural death.

Based on the post by Samantha Smith this man appears to have been dehydrated to death. The medical community might state that they were withdrawing treatment, in fact they killed someone by dehydration who was not otherwise dying.

Terri Schiavo with her mother.

Terri Schiavo was killed by dehydration, even though she was not otherwise dying.

There is a error with the comment that 40% of the Netherlands euthanasia deaths are done without consent. The 2021 government death study found that 517 assisted deaths were done without consent which is not 40% of the assisted deaths but rather 5.2%.

Link to the story by Samantha Smith on X.

A family member of mine is a nurse in Canada.

They performed several assisted dying procedures at the care home they worked at, before refusing to continue.

In one case, the family of a mentally disabled man decided they wanted him to be euthanised.

He didn’t want to die.

But my family member was legally forced to end his life.

They held his hand while he told them “I’m hungry” and “I’m thirsty”.

That poor man didn’t understand what was happening to him as he was pumped full of medication that would end his life, and my family member wept for the soul that was being lost unnecessarily.

He wasn’t terminally ill.

He wasn’t particularly old.

He wasn’t dying.

He didn’t want to die.

But he didn’t have a choice.

Because his life was deemed dispensable by his family, and the Government gave them the power to end his life regardless of his needs or wishes.

And when my family member told their workplace that they couldn’t continue performing these procedures — that their conscience wouldn’t allow it — they were told that it was their “legal duty” as a nurse.

They still refused.

But not everyone will have the moral fibre or bravery of my family member.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this is exactly what the Assisted Dying Bill opens the door to.

It starts with “choice” and “dignity”.

But suicide isn’t only done “when the patient wants it”. And the countries where it is already legalised have shown us the grim reality.

In the Netherlands, 40% of euthanasia deaths occur without patient consent. In Canada, it has been offered to Paralympians who only asked for a mobility aid.

If it can happen there; it will happen here.

People 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 be killed against their will. 

More articles about euthanasia without explicit request (Articles Link)

More articles about euthanasia by dehydration (Articles Link).

Suicide Pushers Celebrate Elderly Suicides in Swiss Death Clinics

This article was published by National Review online on July 14, 2025.

By Wesley J Smith

Geriatric suicides used to be considered a tragedy. But these days, increasingly, they are celebrated — whether Compassion and Choices (formerly, the more honestly named Hemlock Society) teaching elderly people to starve themselves to death (VSED), joint lethal jabs of aged married couples in places like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada, or suicides facilitated at Swiss death clinics.

These clinics are proud of their toll. One Swiss clinic even “prioritizes people who are elderly but not seriously ill,” while others willingly engage in geriatric assisted suicide of depressed elders if they have other conditions. From the odious Exit International’s newsletter:

“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.

Exit has been offering its members assisted suicide since 1982.

Since 2014, people suffering from multiple illnesses without imminent danger to their lives have also been able to take advantage of this service, provided they are fully capable of judgement.

“We don’t help people who are tired of life,” emphasises Jean-Jacques Bise from Exit.

Is it possible to make use of Exit in cases of depression?

Yes, says Bise, but if a mentally ill person is helped to die, “then because of the illness, not because of the depression”.

Suicide prevention? What’s that?

This is what we are becoming: Pro–some suicides. What a cultural tragedy.

More articles about Switzerland assisted suicide (Articles Link).

Corporate Killers. How Bell Donates and Meta Profit From Canada's MAiD Suicide Crisis

Kelsi Sheren

This article was published by Kelsi Sheren on July 14 on her substack.

Dying With Dignity Canada is aggressively marketing suicide on social media, with Bell Donating and Meta profiting. It's corporate-sponsored death disguised as compassion.

By Kelsi Sheren

Did you know since June 2019, Dying With Dignity Canada (DWDC) has poured an outrageous amount of money $617,840 of tax payer and donor dollars into Facebook ads explicitly pushing their dangerous pro-death, pro quit agenda. Meanwhile, suicide prevention efforts that will save you and help get you the real help you deserve received significantly less funding ……only $394,286. Let that sink in, I’ll wait.

This isn't just an issue of ad spend, this is outright horrifying; it's absolutely disgraceful and nauseating at it’s core. DWDC claims to advocate for “compassion and dignity”, but their actions reveal a very disturbing truth, one that we already knew if you’ve read this Substack before. They’re aggressively marketing death. Facebook (Meta) isn't just a passive observer here, they’re actively profiting from these promotions. They take DWDC’s money without a second thought about the devastating consequences or how they are helping to shape an entire culture and generation into wanting death over life.

Ask yourself, why is promoting death now more lucrative and prioritized than saving lives? What twisted message does this send to Canadians struggling with mental health or chronic illness? Instead of hope, we're being fed a steady diet of despair, painting suicide as an easy and acceptable escape. This isn't compassion…. it’s exploitation of the vulnerable.

Now here's the disturbing kicker, because you know there’s always more dark disgusting people willing to promote a pro death organization like DWDC, so of course they don't stand alone. They're backed by Bell Canada, the very same company behind the widely publicized "Bell Let’s Talk" campaign for suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Yes, the same Bell Canada that presents itself as a champion for mental health quietly funnels money into an organization actively promoting medically assisted death.

This shocking contradiction isn’t just hypocritical, it’s a betrayal of every Canadian who believed in their sincerity. Which at this point is almost no one.

I want to be clear as to exactly what is happening and for the readers the link to look this up yourself (fully public information) is available below. DWDC’s promotional spending isn’t just irresponsible; it's dangerous and morally bankrupt, but we already knew that.

Canada is currently facing a moral crisis and has for sometime including a mental health crisis and opioid crisis, unlike anything we've seen before. With the rapid normalization of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), we should all be terrified. Initially intended as a compassionate option for unbearable suffering, it's been warped into an aggressively marketed solution for vulnerable people, pushed relentlessly on social media. I was never for this then, and I’m sure as hell not for this now. The place people go to escape reality and find narratives to support their view point are online are on platforms like Facebook. So of course DWDC would target Canadians through Meta.

This aggressive social media campaign is no accident. DWDC, with deep pockets, connections to liberal MP’s and corporate allies, has turned the act of dying into a mainstream solution. They exploit vulnerable individuals, subtly suggesting their lives hold less value. It's morally indefensible, yet they continue unchecked.

So…. eugenics.

Bell Canada and Meta have blood on their hands, and have for some times. Bell’s dual roles as suicide prevention advocate and DWDC donor, are shockingly contradictory but I don’t hear anyone calling Bell out?? Meta’s willingness to profit from these ads speaks volumes about their ethical stance. Both entities need to be held accountable, publicly and immediately.

The corporate-backed promotion of suicide is one of Canada's darkest issues, representing an existential threat to our national ethics and integrity or what’s left of it. Instead of desperately needed healthcare reform, expanded mental health support, or improved counselling services, access to cutting edge treatment like psychedelics millions are spent nudging vulnerable Canadians toward death. I need people to step up with me here, no more silence, no more passive overly Canadian bs polite acceptance.

Canadians deserve real support and care, not corporate-sponsored coercion masquerading as dignity. I think its about time we expose these alliances publicly and demand immediate action. Every Canadian should be outraged and actively demanding transparency from DWDC, Bell Canada, and Meta.

This isn't just another controversy, it’s a battle for what’s left of the already broken soul of Canada. The aggressive marketing of medically assisted suicide through META has to stop.

Bell Canada and Meta are profiting from death. It's not dignity, never has been. It’s suicide porn and it’s influencing our next generation, convincing them that you cannot heal from treatment resistant illness.

Sorry Bell, DWDC. Unfortunately for you, I am someone who has.

I won’t stop until people see you for who you really are. Purveyors of corporate, state sponsored suicide and killing.

LINKS:

https://m.facebook.com/ads/library/report/?source=onboarding

I am so thankful to be alive. Support Bill C-218

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 own story (whether fact or creative fiction) at: story@epcc.ca

All formats are welcome, including short videos. 

Tamara Jansen (MP) introduced Bill C-218 in the House of Commons to reverse the law permitting euthanasia for mental illness (that is scheduled to begin on March 17, 2027 in Canada). (Article Link). Sign our EPC petition No MAiD for Mental Illness (Link).

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

To Whom it May Concern

By Kathryn D'hondt

It's been 4,620 days since my suicide attempt. Leading up to it, I'd been diagnosed with a cornucopia of mental illnesses (including, at different times, schizo-affective disorder, bipolar disorder type II, agoraphobia, panic disorder, and others). I felt, at the time, that even if my situation could get better in the future, I was too exhausted to continue to live until it did improve. I had been so highly medicated and sleep deprived that I was convinced, beyond all arguments, that I needed to die to end my suffering. My support team, recognizing my severe issues, understood this perspective and knew how common it was. They did not dissuade me from doing so, although, at the time, they never outright encouraged it. However, I had been told by hospital staff that in order to get better care, I would need to come back in an ambulance. It was only a few weeks later that I did exactly that. I cannot imagine what I might have been told in a world where Canada permits euthanasia on the basis of mental health.

At the time of my suicide attempt, I was unable to attend school (I was 16 years old). I was unable to regularly sleep through the night due to night terrors and a psychotic detachment from reality. While awake, I experienced almost hourly panic attacks, which wreaked havoc on my already underweight and exhausted body. I could not have dreamed of ever being capable of working, of living a life without extreme support measures, or considering myself to be a generally happy person.

But.

9 weeks ago, I got married, and my husband and I are expecting our first child. I was able to finish high school, I got my college diploma and have maintained ongoing full-time employment for 4 years. I received the support I truly needed, and no longer require medication to live a fulfilling, beautiful life. I cannot remember the last time I had a panic attack. I look forward to the years ahead of me now, and enjoy the days as they come, even when I might feel tired or discouraged. I am so proud of the 16 year old girl I was, who endured so much hardship to overcome the seemingly endless, and utterly hopeless pit of mental illness I was trapped in. I am so grateful for a medical system that could not suggest that my suicidal desires might have actually been good, true or helpful. I am so thankful to be alive. I do not doubt that had euthanasia been a lawful option, I would have sought it wholeheartedly, and I am moved to grief when I consider that the difference between life and death, for me, could have so easily had a different outcome.

Canadians deserve better mental health care than death. Canadians deserve the dignity of our suffering and burden being shared and earnestly helped. Canadians deserve more than euthanasia.

Netherlands: 517 people died by euthanasia without request in 2021.

Netherlands: 22% of the assisted deaths were not reported in 2021.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director,
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Netherlands has had a problem with euthanasia without request (LAWER) and the under-reporting of euthanasia since the inception of its euthanasia law.

Every five years the Netherlands government has commissioned a study to determine the number of deaths by medical and end-of-life decisions. The study is done by researchers who send questionnaires to physicians to determine how a random person died within a given year.

The questions seek to determine the number of deaths from all causes, including euthanasia, assisted suicide and ending of life without explicit request. The questionnaires allow the physician to respond anonymously, the data effectively uncovers the actual number of assisted deaths within a given year.

The Netherlands 2021 study (one year later than usual) found that there were 9,799 assisted deaths representing 9038 euthanasia deaths, 245 assisted suicide deaths and 517 ending of life without explicit request (LAWER).

LAWER involves the intentional ending of a person without an explicit request. I oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide but I recognize that killing someone without request or consent remains a criminal homicide in nearly every jurisdictions, even when it is tolerated.

The 2021 study indicated that there were 517 LAWER deaths in the Netherlands representing approximately 0.3% of all deaths or 5.2% of all assisted deaths.

It is important to note that 6 of the deaths were newborns, also known as infanticide who would have been killed based on the Groningen protocol. Newborns with disabilities can be injected with lethal drugs in the Netherlands when a parent and doctor agree that the prospects for the child are poor or the child is considered "incompatible with life."

As stated, the Netherlands government commissions a study every five years. The 2015 study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in an article titled: End-of-Life Decisions in the Netherlands over 25 years. The researchers published the 2015 study as a comparison to the previous studies.

The data from the 2015 study indicated that there were 7254 assisted deaths representing 6672 euthanasia deaths, 150 assisted suicide deaths, 431 ending of life without explicit request.

The 517 LAWER deaths in 2021 and the 431 LAWER deaths in 2015 represent a similar percentage of all deaths in the Netherlands meaning that doctors in the Netherlands continue, at a similar rate, to kill people without an explicit request or consent.

Do physicians in other countries, including Canada intentionally kill people without an explicit request or consent. The answer is likely YES, but unlike the Netherlands and Belgium, other countries are not commissioning studies with specific questions to uncover the truth.

The issue of under-reporting of euthanasia in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands 2021 euthanasia report stated that the number of reported euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands was to 7666. The report also indicated that there were 206 reported euthanasia deaths for early stage dementia and 6 reported euthanasia deaths for late stage dementia and 115 reported euthanasia deaths for "severe" mental illness.

The data from the 2021 Netherlands government study found that there were 9,799 assisted deaths but the data from the Netherlands 2021 euthanasia report indicated that there were 7666 assisted deaths. Therefore (9,799 - 7,666) there were 2133 unreported assisted deaths in the Netherlands in 2021 representing approximately 22% of all assisted deaths.

Has under-reporting of euthanasia been a consistent problem in the Netherlands?

The 2015 study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine End-of-Life Decisions in the Netherlands over 25 years indicated that there were 7254 assisted deaths in 2015.

The Netherlands 2015 official euthanasia report stated that there were 5561 reported assisted deaths but the data from the 2015 Netherlands government study indicated that there were 7254 assisted deaths meaning that there were 1693 unreported assisted deaths in 2015 representing about 23% of all assisted deaths in 2015.

When examining the data from previous Netherlands studies, it appears that more than 20% of all assisted deaths are consistently not reported.

Does Canada have a similar problem with under-reporting?

Canada legalized euthanasia (MAiD) in 2016. The Canadian government has not commissioned a death study to determine if abuse of the law occurs. The Québec euthanasia data indicates that there is under-reporting of euthanasia.

Amy Hasbrouck, the past president of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition and the leader of Toujours-Vivant (Not Dead Yet) analyzed the Quebec 2021-22 euthanasia report and found a discrepancy of 289 euthanasia deaths. Hasbrouck reported:

The Commission reported 3,663 euthanasia deaths declared by doctors during the fiscal year (p. 13), while the number of euthanasia deaths reported by facilities (3,629) and the Collège des Médecins du Québec (323) totalled 3,952 (p. 25 at note 25); a discrepancy of 289 deaths.

Hasbrouck found in the 2021 - 22 Québec annual euthanasia report a 7% likely under-reporting rate. Under-reporting of euthanasia may be occurring in the rest of Canada, but it is impossible to determine what is actually happening unless the Canadian government commissions a similar study to the Netherlands 5 year studies.

American assisted suicide laws.

There is evidence that under-reporting of assisted suicide is likely occurring in the US states that have legalized assisted suicide. 

For instance, the 2024 Oregon assisted suicide report indicated that there were 376 reported assisted suicide deaths in 2024. (There were likely close to 400 reported assisted suicide deaths since every year a percentage of the assisted suicide reports are received late).

The 2024 Oregon assisted suicide report indicated that the ingestion status is unknown in 178 cases. When the ingestion status is unknown, it means that the 178 people were approved for assisted suicide and received the lethal drugs but the Oregon Health Authority OHA does not know if they died by assisted suicide. Since no oversight exists and no research has not been done to confirm how these people died therefore it is impossible to say with certainty that unreported assisted suicide deaths are happening, but it is likely.

My conclusions.

The Netherlands 2021 study indicates that euthanasia without explicit consent and unreported euthanasia deaths continue.

In August 2013 I published the book: Exposing Vulnerable People to Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide which examined the data from the Netherlands and Belgian euthanasia studies. The purpose of the book was to warn the world that the legalizing euthanasia did not eliminate medical homicide, that in fact normalizing euthanasia appeared to increase the number of medical homicides.

Exposing Vulnerable People concluded that - when an assisted death was done "outside of the parameters of the law" that the death was rarely reported. It is likely that, if the researchers closely examined the 517 life-ending without request assisted deaths in 2021 they would likely find that most of these deaths were not reported.

Exposing Vulnerable People also concluded that the majority of LAWER deaths were done in a hospital to an incompetent person who was unable to consent. 

Without a data breakdown of the 2021 study data I cannot assume a similar conclusion but earlier data clearly indicated this reality.

I found it interesting that unlike the previous Netherlands government death studies (every 5 years), there was no analysis of the data which is why I am writing this article in 2025.

The 2021 Netherlands study proves that euthanasia deaths without explicit request or consent continues to happen and that more than 20% of the Netherlands euthanasia deaths continue to be not reported.

The data from the study should also ask the question, is there a similar phenomenon of killing patients without explicit request or consent happening in Canada or other countries and it should ask how many unreported euthanasia deaths happen in Canada and other countries? A study needs to be commissioned by neutral researchers to determine the answers to these questions.

Legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide does not eliminate the phenomenon of medical homicide and the normalization of euthanasia seems to justify these acts.

Support Bill C-218. No MAiD for Mental Illness.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director,
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

On June 25 I reported that on June 20, 2025, Tamara Jansen (MP - Cloverdale - Langley City) introduced private members Bill C-218 in the House of Commons to prevent euthanasia (MAiD) for mental illness by excluding mental illness from being defined as a "grievous and irremediable medical condition" for the purposes of MAiD. Bill C-218 will prevent MAID for mental illness alone.

Sign the petition in support of Bill C-218 (Link).

When the Canadian government expanded the euthanasia law in March 2021 by passing Bill C-7, one of the expansions in the law permitted euthanasia for a mental illness alone. At that time the government approved euthanasia for mental illness alone with a two-year moratorium to give time to prepare.

After two delays, last year the government further delayed the implementation of euthanasia for mental illness alone until March 17, 2027

On July 9, A media conference was held by MP's Tamara Jansen and Andrew Lawton in support of Bill C-218. The MP's were joined by Graydon Nicholas (former Judge, Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick and First Nations Advocate) and Alicia Duncan, whose mother died by euthanasia (MAiD) after experiencing a brain injury from a car accident.

Jen Hodgson reported for the Western Standard on July 10 that:

Conservative MPs Tamara Jansen (Cloverdale-Langley City, BC) and Andrew Lawton (Elgin-St. Thomas-London South, ON) have reintroduced Bill C-218, which would amend the Criminal Code to prevent mental illness from qualifying as the sole criterion for medical assistance in dying (MAiD).

Andrew Lawton MP

Hodgson reported what Andrew Lawton said at the press conference:

Lawton, speaking at a press conference Wednesday, said he is a suicide survivor, having attempted to kill himself in 2010 after a battle with his mental health. He said if MAiD had been an option back then, he might have been tempted to accept it.

“C-18 will save lives,” said Lawton.

“Fifteen years ago, I very nearly succeeded in ending my life to suicide,” he said, explaining this was the culmination of a years-long battle with mental illness.

Article: Suicide is a symptom of mental illness - not a cure for it (Link).

Hodgson further reported what Lawton said:

“People who went through what I went through 15 years ago believe that their life would get better,” said Lawton.

“I never would have believed (then) that I would be standing here today as a member of Parliament, as a husband, as someone that has a life I am so happy with.”

“And that’s only because I had the care and support I needed to go through what I did and come out the other side.”

“The message that I share with anyone struggling with mental illness is that I got better.”

“There is hope.”

“The people struggling have a right to recovery.”

“I am not convinced that I would be here today if MAiD were available 15 years ago for people with mental illness.”

For Bill C-218 to be successful, we will need stories from Canadians who have lived with, (or currently live with) mental health concerns and who may have died by euthanasia (MAiD) if it had been available at that time. Contact us with your story at: info@epcc.ca

Hodgson interviewed Lawton on July 10. Hodgson reported:

“I think we need to put a human face on this. This isn't just an abstract thing. This is something that affects very real people and very real stories that are not just my own, but shared by millions of Canadians and their families,” Lawton told the Western Standard Thursday.

Lawton said the bill has been slotted in for debate and a second reading in the fall parliamentary session, and they are estimating that it will take place in November or December.

He added he is hoping for a cross-party appeal, which means MPs can vote with their convictions rather than based on party lines.

“So I'm hoping we can build off of that and get some more support from Liberal members of parliament so that we can just pass this. This is too important to be a partisan issue,” said Lawton.

Sign the petition in support of Bill C-218 (Link).

Alicia Duncan

Alicia Duncan told the story of how her mother died by MAiD in 2021. Malin Jordon reporting for the Cloverdale-Langley Reporter wrote:

Alicia Duncan said her mother Donna was suffering from mental health issues in Abbotsford in 2021.

She had been in a car accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

She called the laws surrounding MAID “poorly legislated” and said her mother struggled for 20 months to get help that would have made difference in her life.

Duncan found out two days ahead of time that her mother was scheduled to go in for medical-assisted suicide.

“My sister and I—knowing that she had no terminal diagnosis, no diagnosis other than depression—(knew) something was very wrong,” Duncan said. “We believed that we could stop this because surely the law would protect someone like my mom in a mental health crisis.”

Alicia Duncan said that:

 “I am terrified of what will happen in March 2027 if we allow this to expand for people that do have a mental health condition.”

Canada has currently approved that euthanasia for mental illness will begin in March 2027. 

 

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservative party tweeted support for Bill C-218 by stating:

MP Tamara Jansen’s The Right to Recover Act will save countless lives. It says that mental illness is not sufficient grounds for Medical Assistance in Dying. Thanks to MP @AndrewLawton for courageously sharing his story. 

Our loved ones suffering with their mental health deserve support, not assisted death from the government. Recovery is possible. We will not give up on them.

Bill C-218 will require support from many Liberal MP's in order to pass. Lawton is absolutely correct to say that real stories are needed.

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. The data is upsetting but it should not surprise people considering that society has been telling the elderly that they are better off dead.

It is important to note that the Swiss suicide rates for people under the age of 65 have gone down over the past 25 years while the suicide rate for people from 65 to 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 acceptance of assisted suicide. Swissinfo reported on the question of whether suicide is linked to assisted suicide:

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 examined the differences between men and women. The article states:

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.

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.

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

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). 

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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.

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.

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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).