They said assisted suicide was for terminal cases. Now they're putting pressure on disabled people.

Alex Schadenberg was interviewed by Guiliano Guzzo for the Italian La Verità newspaper. The article was published on January 5, 2026. (google translated).

Alex Schadenberg

By Guiliano Guzzo

You can examine data, scientific studies, and reports—indeed, it's essential—to understand the phenomenon as a whole. But if you want to dig deeper, there's no better way to truly understand the scourge of assisted dying in Canada than, of course, to talk to a Canadian. Ideally, someone who also follows and monitors the issue regularly. For this very reason, La Verità contacted Alex Schadenberg, 57, an activist born in Woodstock, Ontario, and an expert on these issues as Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

Schadenberg, how do you describe the reality of assisted death in Canada?

"Euthanasia was legalized in Canada in 2016 with the promise of being strictly controlled and limited to terminally ill and suffering people. From the beginning, however, the law was poorly defined and began to expand immediately; This meant that assisted dying was given to people with a terminal condition but who were not likely to die anytime soon. The law was then expanded in 2021 to include people who are not terminally ill, but rather suffering from an undefined "serious and irreparable medical condition." The 2021 extension also included euthanasia for mental illness only, the implementation of which has now been postponed to March 2027.

What does all this mean in practice?

"There are euthanasia deaths of people with disabilities experiencing homelessness, poverty, or difficulty accessing medical care. Some Canadian doctors now specialize in euthanasia, which means they are involved in many deaths and tend to administer death more widely."

What are the next frontiers?

"The next frontiers of Canadian euthanasia law, as I mentioned earlier, are the implementation of euthanasia only for mental illnesses—scheduled for March 2027—the extension of the law to advance euthanasia requests, meaning doctors will be able to terminate an incapacitated person who had previously requested death while still capable of discernment, and to children defined as "mature minors."

What consequences is the spread of assisted dying in the country having for the sick and disabled?

"The point is that since March 2021, people with disabilities have the right to euthanasia based on a "grevious and irreparable medical condition," not defined by law. There are now many stories of people with disabilities being urged to request euthanasia, including Roger Foley and Heather Hancock, to name just two. Because many people with disabilities live in poverty or have difficulty finding affordable housing, they often already feel devalued. Add to this Canada's health crisis—with people with disabilities having great difficulty receiving the care they need—and it becomes clear how legalized euthanasia is threatening their lives.

Are people in Canada aware of the bitter fruits of the euthanasia mentality?

We note that some groups recognize the changes that have occurred in Canada since the legalization of euthanasia. For example, there is a group of veterans who publicly reacted when, instead of the treatment they needed, they were offered assisted death. Not only that, there are people with disabilities who are afraid of going to the hospital. During a hearing before the Canadian Parliament's Finance Committee, Krista Carr, CEO of Inclusion Canada, a national federation of people with disabilities, stated:

"People with disabilities today are very afraid, in many circumstances, to present themselves to the healthcare system with recurring problems, because assisted dying is often proposed to them as a solution to what is considered intolerable suffering, caused by issues such as poverty and the situations in which people with disabilities find themselves disproportionately compared to other Canadians."

What role do the media play in all of this?

"The majority of mainstream media outlets fully support euthanasia, despite the many articles questioning its implementation. It is very difficult for our views to be reflected in mainstream media in Canada."

In Italy, Parliament is debating the introduction of a law on assisted suicide following several rulings by the Constitutional Court. 

What would you say to Italian parliamentarians?

"My message to Italy is not to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide. Almost all jurisdictions that have legalized assisted death, even if they did so with "good intentions," have subsequently expanded their laws. Laws are expanded by practice, meaning that a doctor performs the act in a controversial case and, when nothing happens, others follow suit. They also act as if they were forced to expand the law on the basis of discrimination. Once legalized, it is argued that the "restrictions" are actually discriminatory because they deny equal access to the law.

Even when examining American assisted suicide laws, we see this phenomenon.