Outcry Grows over Canada’s 100,000 and Counting ‘Assistance in Dying’ Killings

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Dan Hart wrote an article that was published in the Washington Stand on September 29, 2026 about Canada's euthanasia law. Hart begins his article by commenting on Brigitte Stegemann (83) who was a grand mother and a Christian who recently died by euthanasia. Hart states:

In July, the family of 83-year-old Brigitte Stegemann, an assisted living resident in Belleville, Ontario, chronicled their anguish after the beloved grandmother was put to death by a doctor under highly controversial circumstances. Stegemann suffered from cognitive impairment, was hard of hearing, and was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer, although she had been responding well to treatment.

Stegemann originally said NO to (MAiD) euthanasia based on her Christian beliefs and was later approved for euthanasia. Stegemann answered the questions wrong, when she was questioned to determine her ability to consent, and yet the doctor decided that she was competent anyway.

Hart explains that Canada surpassed 100,000 total euthanasia deaths since legalization in April 2026 and the number of deaths continue to grow. Hart then reports me as stating in our interview:

Experts like Alex Schadenberg, who serves as executive director at the Canada-based Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, say that the reason the number of deaths has continued to escalate is because the criteria for being approved for an assisted death has continually expanded, as has the endorsement of the medical establishment.

“[T]he program’s gone crazy in Canada because the original law required that the person would have a terminal condition, and also that there had to be a waiting period, etc. — that was removed in 2021,” he explained during “Washington Watch” Monday. “… [N]ow you don’t have to be terminally ill. There’s often no waiting period. … The other thing is they’re selling it. … [E]very major hospital in Canada now has a MAiD team where they sell it. They’re the ones who sign you up. They’re also the ones who sell it. So they make sure people know that, ‘Oh, by the way, you have this medical condition, you probably qualify for MAiD.’ … And you see the numbers of deaths just going through the roof.”

Brigitte Stegemann and her granddaughter

I responded to further questions about Brigitte Stegemann:

In addition, Schadenberg highlighted how the safeguards that MAiD supposedly has against ethical abuses are in name only, which the case of Brigitte Stegemann put in stark relief.

“[Stegemann] was not capable of consenting,” he pointed out. “Nonetheless, she is dead. Now you have to understand how the law is written. The law says that the doctor must prove that the person is capable of consenting. … [Stegemann] got the questions wrong, but the doctor still declared that she was capable of consenting. But the law says the doctor only has to be of the opinion that the person fit the criteria of the law. So the law completely covers these people to kill you. … [When] you have such a wide open law, you’re going to get these type[s] of cases.”

Hart then asked me about people being coerced into euthanasia. I responded:

Schadenberg went on to emphasize how MAiD is being used to take advantage of a vulnerable population of elderly and others with severe health problems who can be easily coerced.

“Just this last weekend, we had another similar type case [where the] person who had cancer was saying no to euthanasia, they don’t want it. They’re saying it’s against their religious beliefs, but they’re being asked over and over and over again. … It affects you emotionally, it affects you psychologically. … So thankfully, this person once again has changed their mind and is being properly treated. But you know how this goes. These people are being almost pressured. It’s almost like coercion. The problem with this word ‘coercion’ is, what does it actually mean to be coerced? And I think in a lot of these cases, euthanasia is about coercion.”

Hart then asked me about the prospect of euthanasia for mental illness in Canada:

Schadenberg further lamented how lawmakers in Canada are currently debating whether to implement an additional expansion of MAiD for those with mental illnesses.

“[T]he law has passed already, and they have held it off until March of 2027. So right now, the legislators in Ottawa are debating a bill as to whether they’re going to reverse that or not,” he detailed. “So as of March of 2027, Canada is going to allow euthanasia for people with mental illness as a sole criteria. … This is insane what we’re doing. We’re talking about euthanasia for children. … [I]n the Netherlands [and] Belgium, they have that, and they’re talking about that in Canada. … When you allow killing, it’s very hard to say you can kill this person, but not that person, and that’s where we’re at. We need a massive reversal in our country.”

The problem with legalizing (medical homicide) euthanasia and/or assisted suicide is that these laws give medical professionals, literally, the right in law to kill you. Once you are dead you cannot change your mind or complain about the process.

Killing is never compassionate. 

Leslyn Lewis (MP): Compassion means caring for people.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Dr Leslyn Lewis (MP)

Dr Leslyn Lewis, the Member of Parliament from Haldimand-Norfolk, responded to the comments by Pope Leo, while he was in Lourdes France, concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide. Dr Lewis stated on X:

Every human life has dignity, especially in moments of vulnerability.

Compassion means caring for people, supporting recovery, relieving suffering, and ensuring that no one feels abandoned when they are at their most vulnerable.

When people see death as the answer to social conditions such as poverty, homelessness or isolation, we should ask whether we have failed to provide the care and support they need to live with dignity.

As the Pope warns, we must not allow legalized death to become a substitute for compassion.

Thank you Dr Lewis for making this statement within Canada's difficult political reality. You always stand up for what you believe.

Another botched execution in Tennessee. What about botched assisted deaths?

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

On Wednesday, September 30, Tennessee had it's second consecutive botched lethal injection execution, this time it was Christa Pike.

The concerns related to botched execution deaths also apply to botched euthanasia and/or assisted suicide deaths.

Concerning Christa Pike, a report from WBIR news stated:

Pike's attorneys say she was given two doses of the lethal injection drug but she remained alive, though her condition is still unknown.

They filed an emergency motion at 8:26 p.m. CDT on Wednesday alleging the prolonged execution was causing Pike unnecessary physical and mental suffering and violated her constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

"Tonight the State of Tennessee once again failed to carry out a lawful execution," Pike's attorneys said. "We take no pleasure in being right, but the concerns raised by Ms. Pike proved to be true: difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital, no emergency medical care available when things inevitably go wrong, all under a protocol that remains veiled in secrecy. Christa is being treated at a nearby hospital. We have not been informed as to her condition."

WBIR reported that the Tennessee Department of Correction issued the following statement at on September 30th at 7 pm:

"The Tennessee Department of Correction followed every step of the State’s lawful, established execution protocol approved by the Attorney General’s Office. The lethal injection chemical in the protocol has consistently been effective, and the protocol does not allow for additional procedures beyond what was carried out this evening. Christa Pike has been transported to an off-site medical facility."

On September 29 I wrote about a group of medical professionals who sent a letter to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee stating that heathcare professionals should never assist with executions. The medical professionals were responding to the botched lethal injection execution of Tony Carruthers on May 21, 2026 in Tennessee.

The letter by the medical professionals concerning the botched execution of Tony Carruthers stated:

The horrifyingly botched attempt to execute Tony Carruthers on May 21 confirmed that TDOC is not presently able to conduct an execution that complies with the law, its own protocol, or basic human decency.

The concerns around capital punishment are not limited to lethal injection. The New York Times published a news article  by Rick Rojas and Abbie Van Sickle reporting in June 2026 that the US Supreme Court appears to have decided that capital punishment by Nitrogen gas is inhumane. The article stated:

The Supreme Court’s decision was unsigned and included no reasoning, which is typical in such emergency rulings. Dissent came from three of the court’s conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch.The Supreme Court decision blocked the nitrogen gas execution of Jeffery Lee (49) who will remain on death row in Alabama.

If the use of nitrogen gas, for capital punishment, is inhumane, then botched capital punishment by lethal injection is also inhumane.

The concerns associated with lethal injection executions are the same concerns associated with lethal poison assisted suicide deaths.

In Oregon, where assisted suicide has been legal for more than 25 years, the longest time from ingestion to death in the 2025 assisted suicide report was 123 hours (more than 5 days). 

Deaths that take 123 hours are not peaceful or dignified deaths. 

But 123 hours to die by lethal poison is not an outlier. In 2023 the longest time of death was 137 hours (almost 6 days).

There may be many more assisted suicide deaths that took several days to be completed but the Oregon assisted suicide data only indicates the longest time of death. 

Clearly assisted suicide deaths can be inhumane.

The issues concerning assisted suicide also extend to euthanasia, which involves similar lethal injection drugs.

The story about the euthanasia (MAiD) death of Brigitte Stegemann (83) who lived near Belleville Ontario presented similar concerns. The Daily Mail reported:

Once back inside the home, the nurse started the IV, Kranendonk alleges. ...

The nurse struggled to insert the IV into Stegemann's right arm, and ended up piercing her repeatedly with the needle before attempting her left arm.

Kranendonk remembers in graphic detail the copious amount of blood, which made the whole procedure feel strangely unprofessional.

'She's asking us to hand her things, to flush out the needle. So we're now a part of this. She's asking us to grab things for her, and to hold things for her.

'This nurse is not wearing gloves. There's blood all over her hands, there's blood all over the place,' she says, horrified by the memory.

The problem begins with the concept that it is acceptable to kill people.

If death by capital punishment can be cruel and unusual punishment then killing people by lethal poison for assisted suicide or euthanasia is also cruel, inhumane and dehumanizing.

Life Worth Living. Winner at the Niagara International Film Festival.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

I was talking with Frank Panico, who filmed and edited the Life Worth Living film, about the film festivals that we entered the Life Worth Living film. While going through the list we noticed that Life Worth Living was considered in several film festivals, it was screened in a few festivals and it won at the Niagara International Film Festival in June 2026.

This was a significant achievement and I wish we had known this earlier.

The Life Worth Living film was also a finalist at the Remember the Future World Film Festival in Cannes France.

You should screen the Life Worth Living film in your community. You can help change hearts and minds by screening the award winning Life Worth Living film. 

Purchase or rent the Life Worth Living film from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition at: https://lifeworthlivingfilm.com

Watch the Life Worth Living film trailer:

Reviews we received of the film:

I just watched Life Worth Living and I have to say I'm so incredibly impressed. I can't contain my enthusiasm for this film. It's one of the best film projects on the subject of medical killing ever. I'd expect awards to be forthcoming for best documentary film. Lester.

Another review:

I have purchased the film "Life Worth Living" a couple of weeks ago and have watched it. I feel that it's a film that everyone should watch because it shows what is happening in the system of "health" care in Canada and it opens our eyes to the reality of how far our government and the medical system has gone in the direction of killing people instead of healing people.

I would like to ask permission to show this film for our parish community. Eva

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition granted Eva permission to have the film shown in her community. Please arrange screenings of the film.

 

Life Worth Living features:

• Alicia Duncan, whose mother died by euthanasia with conditions based on mental health, 
• Kelsi Sheren, a Canadian military veteran who came back from combat with PTSD and other disabilities. Kelsi is a social media influencer and a life coach.
• Roger Foley, a Canadian man living with a significant disability who has been pressured by hospital staff to request euthanasia.
• Dr David D'Souza, an Ontario chronic pain specialist.
• Dr Catherine Ferrier, a Quebec Gerontologist and a leader of Physicians' Alliance against Euthanasia, 
• Dr Will Johnston, a Vancouver family physician and leader of Euthanasia Resistance BC
• Kathy Matusiak Costa, Executive Director of Compassionate Community Care,
• Alex Schadenberg, (myself), author, keynote speaker, International leader opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition needs your help.

1. Purchase the Life Worth Living Film (Life Worth Living film Link)
2. Arrange to have Life Worth Living shown in your community. Contact us at: info@epcc.ca
3. You may want a speaker at the event to lead a discussion. Contact us at: info@epcc.ca

One family's experience with mental health. Support Bill C-218

The point I wish to make is that even patients who have failed to improve with every other treatment must not be written off as being without hope!

We received this letter from Sharon Hunt in Saskatchewan.

Our family hopes that the story of my nephew Sean might help to strengthen the case against expanding MAID eligibility for the mentally ill. 

Sean suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder, in addition to several physical conditions which were not life threatening. The list of unbelievably terrible encounters with emergency services at the hospital, the psychiatric unit and psychiatrists is long. Years of failed treatment, adverse effects of medicines, episodes of psychosis, days of weeping and dealing with tremors were all made worse by poverty and anxiety over housing. His mom was his main caregiver, and because of inadequacy of our social safety net, she did this at sacrifice to her own well-being and to her financial security in retirement. (Their hope was for the federal plan for Disability without Poverty, which had stalled for years in Ottawa.) 

Eventually his mom was able to raise money (using a go fund me page on social media) for Sean to receive treatment at a special Ketamine clinic. That’s when a miracle began to unfold! Ketamine can be dangerous and has been known to kill persons who were self medicating. But in the controlled environment of the clinic, with anesthesiologist and counsellor present, Sean began to respond at the very first treatment! The problem was that Ketamine is not covered under the provincial drug plan and is prohibitively expensive for most people. The point I wish to make is that even patients who have failed to improve with every other treatment must not be written off as being without hope! Relegating them to death by MAID would be a very serious mistake!

In the end, we were still watching Sean’s progress toward a better life when he died very unexpectedly at age 39 from an undiagnosed heart condition.

Because of his mom’s advocacy, the Saskatchewan Mental Health Association established “Sean’s Fund”, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of persons with intellectual disabilities due to mental illness. It’s a lesson in hopeful action that must not be lost on our parliamentarians as they go to vote on Bill C-218.

Sincerely, Sharon Hunt

Bill C-218 will go to a vote on October 7. Call your Member of Parliament.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Bill C-218, the bill to prevent euthanasia for mental illness as a sole criteria was debated on December 5, 2025 and September 23, 2026 and will go to a vote on October 7.

The easiest way to support Bill C-218 is to call your Member of Parliament before October 7 and tell your MP to support Bill C-218. The phone number is part of the MP contact information. (Member of Parliament List).

In March 2021, the Canada's parliament expanded the euthanasia law by passing Bill C-7. One of the expansions in the law  permitted euthanasia for a mental illness alone. but, at that time, the government declared a two-year moratorium to provide time to prepare for the change.

The government delayed the implementation of euthanasia for mental illness, as a sole criteria, three times with implementation now approved for March 17, 2027.

Tamara Jansen (MP - Cloverdale - Langley City) introduced private members Bill C-218 to prevent euthanasia (MAiD) for mental illness as the sole criteria. 

Bill C-218 excludes mental illness from being defined as a "grievous and irremediable medical condition" for the purposes of MAiD. Bill C-218, if passed will prevent MAID for mental illness as a sole criteria.

The vote on Bill C-218 is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

There are several ways that you can help Bill C-218 be passed:

1. Sign the petition in support of Bill C-218 (Link).
2. It is easiest to call your Member of Parliament. The phone number is part of the MP contact information. (Member of Parliament List).
3. Contact your Member of Parliament (MP) by email and share your support for Bill C-218. Contact your Member of Parliament at: (Member of Parliament List).
4. Refer to the information in the Bill C-218 handout for Members of Parliament (Link).
5. Send your personal stories about living with mental illness to info@epcc.ca.
6. Share your story about living with mental illness, as Andrew Lawton (MP) did: I got better. Support Bill C-218 prevent MAiD for Mental Illness (Link). 

Remember. The majority of Canadians do not support MAiD for mental illness. 

Mario Canseco, the President of Research Co, was published by Business Intelligence for BC with polling indicating that the majority of Canadians do not support (MAiD) euthanasia for mental illness. Conseco reported that:

At this point, only an adult with a grievous and irremediable medical condition can seek medical assistance in dying in Canada. An expansion that would cover mental illness is expected to come into place in March 2027. Just over two in five Canadians (42 per cent, down one point) believe mental illness is a good reason for a person to request medical assistance in dying.

To pass, Bill C-218 needs Member of Parliament from all political parties to support it. Keys to speaking to your Member of Parliament:

• Only comment on MAiD for mental illness alone. Bill C-218 only deals with that issue. There are many concerns, but mixing issues weakens your position.
• Contact your Member of Parliament, even if you know his/her position on MAiD.
• Ask others, including groups that you belong to, to contact the Member of Parliament.

More information on Bill C-218.

• Bill C-218 introduced to prevent MAiD for Mental Illness (Link). 
• Support Bill C-218. No to MAiD for Mental Illness (Link). 
• Supporting Bill C-218 - I am so thankful to be alive (Link). 
• I got better. Support Bill C-218 prevent MAiD for Mental Illness (Link). 
• My story: No to MAiD for Mental Illness (Link). 
• Patti's story. Support Bill C-218. (Link).
• The majority of Canadians do not support MAiD (euthanasia) for mental illness (Link).

Kristin Logan left Canada for cancer treatment, after being given a MAiD pamphlet

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Kristin Logan

Denette Wilford reported for the Toronto Sun on September 22 that Kristen Logan, left Canada to obtain cancer treatment in the US after waiting nine months for a diagnosis and then being given a pamphlet for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) also known as euthanasia.

Wilford's report states:

A woman moved to the United States after doctors in Canada gave her a death sentence — and even advised her on how to carry it out.

Wilford explains what Logan said while being interviewed by Laura Ingraham on Fox news:

Logan revealed that she was waiting for an appointment with a specialist before literature about medical assistance in dying (MAID) was sent her way.

“I hadn’t even seen an oncologist yet before I got that pamphlet,” she told host Laura Ingraham.

“It took nine months to even get to a place where I was diagnosed,” Logan recounted, explaining that she was told in an emergency room that she had Stage 4 metastatic cancer, which spreads from where it first started to distant parts of the body through the blood or lymphatic system.

In Logan’s case, she had first been diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

“As I’m waiting for even the first call from the oncology team, I get this pamphlet in the mail basically telling me that I can go and kill myself,” she recounted to Ingraham.

“It was very disturbing. At that point you realize what a dystopian situation it is because nobody’s going to tell you how long you’re going to be waiting for treatment,” she continued, noting that doctors told her she was actually “fast-tracked,” which Logan found “ridiculous.”

Logan's situation has improved:

Logan, who has American citizenship, left Canada for good last year, but she first tried to return to the U.S. three years ago when, at the time, she was “dying.”

Her prognosis now is “looking pretty decent,” Logan revealed.

“I’m in a much better position for having [left Canada],” she continued, noting the “outstanding” medical care she has received in the U.S. since.

“And I’m still here when they told me three years ago that I wouldn’t make it two years.”

Wilfred continues the report with the story of Brigitte Stegemann (83) who recently died by (MAiD) euthanasia in the Belleville Ontario area even though her ability to consent to be killed was questionable.

Letter to Members of Parliament - Support Bill C-218

Bill C-218 will go to a vote on October 7. Instructions to Help prevent euthanasia for mental illness (Link to article).

Dear (Name of Member of Parliament): 

My name is Debbie Fisher and I write this letter to you to ask for your support for Bill C-218. I am confident you are aware of those who suffer with mental illness and I am very concerned that mental illness could lead someone to request medical aid in dying. I do not understand how a mentally ill person could be capable of making that choice. We need to help people with mental illness, not offer assistance to die. Have we as a nation become that tolerant of legalized killing? 

My beautiful mother became depressed in 2019 due the quality of her life as a senior person. She feared she was a burden to her family due to her deteriorating health. 

During a stay in the hospital after she took too much of her medication, I was approached by a doctor who informed me that my mother wished to die. I was very upset because I knew what the implications were to this revelation. Fortunately, my Mom had signed a legal document, when she was of sound mind, to prevent her from being assisted with suicide or euthanasia. I told the doctor that my mother, who was a woman of faith, may have wanted to die but she didn’t want to be killed. By the grace of God she recovered and on her 94th birthday she went bowling with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She passed 3 months later of natural causes.

My mother was offered help through support and a reason to live – not killing. How many mentally compromised people will die if the law is changed to allow MAID for the mentally ill? How can it even be legal for a mentally ill person to make that kind of request?

I am begging you to vote yes to Bill C-218 on October 7th and put the brakes on this idea that the mentally ill should have access to assistance in dying and euthanasia.

Respectfully, 
Debbie Fisher

Issues with lethal injection execution are similar to euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The NPR reported on September 28, 2026, in response to the botched lethal injection execution of Tony Carruthers on May 21, 2026 in Tennessee that a group of medical professionals sent a letter to Tennessee Governor Bill Lee stating that heathcare professionals should never assist with executions.

The letter by the medical professionals concerning the botched execution of Tony Carruthers stated:

The horrifyingly botched attempt to execute Tony Carruthers on May 21 confirmed that TDOC is not presently able to conduct an execution that complies with the law, its own protocol, or basic human decency.

Austin Sarat reported for The Daily Mail on May 26, 2026 that:

On 21 May, Tony Carruthers had an experience that few others have had. He was taken to the execution chamber, where the state of Tennessee began the process of putting him to death, but it failed to finish what it started.

Carruthers was not killed and he lived to tell about it. He became the ninth person to survive a failed execution in the last 80 years.

Botched executions are by now quite common in the United States. But on most of those occasions, the people whose executions go awry end up dead.

Catherine Sweeney reported for NPR that Dr Robert Quinn, one of the doctors who sent the letter to Governor Lee, stated that doctors should never participate in an execution.

He says that for one thing, the Hippocratic oath says, do no harm, and ethical codes, like the one put out by the American Medical Association, explicitly bar doctors from participating in the death penalty. The letter calls on Governor Bill Lee to place a moratorium on the death penalty and overhaul the state's execution method. They don't think executions should resemble medicine or involve doctors, nurses, pharmacists, or anyone else in healthcare. Dr. John Greer also signed the letter.

The death penalty and euthanasia (MAiD) both contravene the Hippocratic oath which requires the doctor to do no harm. 

Catherine Sweeney continued her NPR report:

Under Tennessee's protocol, other health workers, like nurses or paramedics, place IVs into the prisoner's arms. If they can't find a vein, a doctor must step in to insert a plastic tube, or central line, in a deeper vein. Regarding Carruthers' failed execution in May, the doctor said what he experienced was torturous. The IV team tried to access veins in his arms and failed. They tried his hands and his feet. Then the doctor tried a central line in Carruthers' chest and shoulder. His attorney, Maria DeLiberato, said blood was oozing from his puncture wounds.

...Finally, the governor's office called the prison. The governor was ordering them to stop. He gave Carruthers a one-year reprieve. The physician in Carruthers' execution,

The story about the euthanasia (MAiD) death of Brigitte Stegemann (83) who lived near Belleville Ontario presented a similar concern. The Daily Mail reported:

Once back inside the home, the nurse started the IV, Kranendonk alleges. According to Kranendonk, the doctor hadn't even arrived, and her grandmother was not asked if she gave consent for the procedure to begin.

The nurse struggled to insert the IV into Stegemann's right arm, and ended up piercing her repeatedly with the needle before attempting her left arm.

Kranendonk remembers in graphic detail the copious amount of blood, which made the whole procedure feel strangely unprofessional.

'She's asking us to hand her things, to flush out the needle. So we're now a part of this. She's asking us to grab things for her, and to hold things for her.

'This nurse is not wearing gloves. There's blood all over her hands, there's blood all over the place,' she says, horrified by the memory.

The letter to Tennessee Governor Lee also refered to the Post Traumatic stress that people have experienced after participating in a lethal injection death. The letter stated:

As medical professionals, we are also acutely aware of the risk of lasting trauma to all participants in the execution process. Many former correctional professionals have spoken out about the emotional toll of proximity to and participation in executions, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicidality. This risk is greatly exacerbated when executions go visibly awry, as in Mr. Carruthers’s case.

Whether or support or oppose capital punishment, the issues associated with lethal injection executions are the same issues that are associated with lethal injection euthanasia (MAiD).

The New York Times published a news article on June 11, 2026 by Rick Rojas and Abbie Van Sickle reporting that the Supreme Court appears to consider capital punishment by Nitrogen gas to be inhumane:

The Supreme Court’s decision was unsigned and included no reasoning, which is typical in such emergency rulings. Dissent came from three of the court’s conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Neil M. Gorsuch.

The Supreme Court decision blocked the nitrogen gas execution of Jeffery Lee (49) who will remain on death row in Alabama.

On September 24, 2024, euthanasia activist, Dr Philip Nitschke, assisted the suicide of an American woman (64) who died by nitrogen gas asphyxiation in the Sarco pod.

If capital punishment by nitrogen gas is inhumane then assisting a suicide by nitrogen gas is also inhumane.

The difference between capital punishment and euthanasia (MAiD) is that capital punishment does not require a person to request to be killed whereas euthanasia, also known as medical homicide, usually requires a person to request to be killed.

The method of killing for lethal injection executions, is the same method of killing for euthanasia.

Pope Leo - Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death

"we must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion."

Pope Leo speaking in Lourdes

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

I rarely comment on Catholic news but the recent comment from Pope Leo, who was visiting Lourdes France, condemns euthanasia and assisted suicide. (English Translation).

Pope Leo first speaks about the dignity of human life. He then states:

I know that for some of you, because of particular illnesses and, at times, terrible pain, your horizon may appear dark, uncertain and without hope. But no human law should ever make you lose the certainty of your dignity. On the contrary, it is precisely in the name of this inalienable dignity of the human person that we must reject the temptation to cause death under the guise of false compassion. It is impossible to regard causing death as something normal. What is legal is not necessarily moral.

Pope Leo then urges healthcare professionals to care and not kill:

Here in Lourdes, the city of the sick and of hope, I appeal to the entire healthcare community to remember the profound meaning of your vocation, which is to care for a suffering person, not to eliminate that person. Yes, dear friends, be passionate servants of life. ...Medicine must never become the servant of programmed death!”

Pope Leo then comments on the vocation of accompanying and caring for the sick.

In this regard, I urge you resolutely to develop structures for palliative care and research. At the same time, I urge you to accompany the sick with the tenderness that we see here in Lourdes, where doctors, nurses, stretcher-bearers, chaplains, pastoral teams serving the sick, and so many others live out their vocation in the service of the dignity of the human person, so that the world may have life. In caring for bodies, you also bind up wounded souls. To you, dear members of the hospitality groups, and to the healthcare workers who devote yourselves to serving your brothers and sisters, I express my deepest gratitude.

Marie-Garance Noel with Pope Leo

He completes his talk by stating that the sick are not a burden.

Dear brothers and sisters who are sick, I want to tell you that you are not a burden. You are the beating heart of our humanity and a precious treasure for the Church. I carry in my prayers the trials you are going through. My thoughts are also with all those who cannot be here and who, from their homes or hospital rooms, are united with us in this gathering. I entrust all of you to the maternal love of the Mother of the Lord, asking her to obtain for you the consolations of her Son Jesus. May God bless and protect you.

Thank you Pope Leo. Killing is never caring.

Anglican Church hosts (MAiD) information Hot Potato evening.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

When an Anglican Church in Nova Scotia offers a Free Hot Potato evening, they are not only refering to the food but also to the topic.

St Timothy Anglican Church Hall in Hatchet Lake Nova Scotia is hosting an evening: To learn about MAiD in early October.

We are not talking about learning the inns & outs about hiring a maid, no, we are talking about learning the inns & outs of being legally killed.

The promo says:

Staff from the MAiD program will deliver a presentation on the criteria, process, and the things people should consider.

Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions from the staff who manage and administer the program.

Administer refers to the method of killing. 

By the way - The evening includes a hot baked potato with all the toppings and a beverage.

Isn't this being hosted at St Timothy's Anglican Parish Hall? 

There appears to be a separation with reality.

"MAiD" is Medical Assistance in Dying which is a nice way of saying - medical homicide, which is killing.

A hot baked potato with all of the toppings and a beverage does not change the reality that "MAiD" means killing people.

True compassion kills the pain and symptoms and never kills the person.

More than 70 victim statements in the Kenneth Law suicide poison case.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Some of Kenneth Law's victims

Kenneth Law, a Canadian chef who sold suicide poison online to as many as 1200 people world-wide, plead guilty to 14 charges of aiding and abetting suicide in a New Market court on May 29, 2026. The deaths 14 suicide deaths involved people who were aged 16 - 36 and there were at least 79 deaths in the United Kingdom.

 

More Kenneth Law victims.

Thomas Daigle reported for CBC News last May that Law was connected to at least 147 poisoning deaths world-wide.

On September 23, 24; families of the victims of Kenneth Law gave victims statements in the New Market court, before sentencing will conclude.

Joseph Brean reported for the National Post that: 

No matter what prison sentence is ultimately imposed on the suicide poison merchant Kenneth Law, Wednesday’s proceedings before Justice Michelle Fuerst had the deflated air of inadequate compromise.

Kenneth Law

Law was originally charged with 14 counts of second degree murder. Law challenged the charges arguing that he did not murder anyone and he wasn't present at the death of any of his victims.

Based on a plea agreement the Crown Prosecutor dropped the 14 counts of murder for an agreement where Law pleaded guilty to aiding the suicide of his victims, a charge that may result in a 14 year sentence.

Brean reported on the number of deaths associated with Law's suicide poison:

His Ontario victims formally number 14, with details of 79 more shared by Britain to inform this sentencing hearing. But that does not include his American market, so the real number is likely higher, almost certainly more than 100.

He sent 431 packages to the U.S., 330 to the U.K., and 157 within Canada, all during the pandemic in 2021 until his arrest in 2023 sparked a panicked international search for packages already mailed. In addition to poison, he also sold more expensive kits for asphyxiation by gas.

Brean reported the testimony from the victims of Kenneth Law.

Cindy MacMinn said in an angry voice through tears.

“My son is dead, he is gone, I am empty, hollow,”

“If it hadn’t been for your offence, perhaps Clayton (Choquette, 32) may still be here … Your actions caused me to have no desire to live any longer, because Clayton is not there to share with. It is pointless. He was everything to me.”

Sarjit Kaur Rana, the mother of Amrit Rana, (21) said:

“There are things you do not realize you are memorizing while your child is still alive,” like the sound of his “gallop” down the stairs to ask if the chicken and rice is ready,

“Now it’s one of the most precious memories of my life.”

Stephen Mitchell, Sr., father of Stephen Mitchell, Jr., who died by suicide aged 21 said:

“He was ill and he needed help and I tried my best to give him that help,”

“Mr. Law robbed my son of the chance to be healed.”

Greg Bryson, the father of Tyler Bryson, (34), who was a professional commercial pilot, said:

“Mr. Law broke all of our hearts,”

“knowingly took actions to steal something so precious in all of our lives.”

Kim Prosser, mother of Ashtyn Prosser-Blake, (19) said:

“I have no words for how cold the blood ran in my veins, the ice that dropped me to my knees and destroyed the world I lived in until that moment, to hear the words ‘He did it this time,’”

He had just called her to say good night, and she thought he sounded tired. “I didn’t know he was making his last call goodbye,” she said. It lasted 38 minutes and 18 seconds.

She confessed that she has since made an attempt on her own life, not planned, after an unexpected emotional loss and the burden of the court process.

“I am still here and Ashtyn is not,” she said.

Leonardo Bedoya Forero, father of Jeshennia Bedoya-Lopez, (18), who gave a statement with his wife Maria Lopez, read out by a prosecutor due to language barriers.

“We are two people trying to survive the same loss while watching each other suffer,”

“It terrifies me to think what would happen if we both collapse at the same time.”

“We are two people clinging to each other because neither of us knows how to stand up on our own,” he said. “The future we had imagined as a family disappeared.”

He spoke of powerlessness, how could not protect his daughter, and now fears he cannot protect his wife.

“I saw my daughter, pale, bruised and cold,” “That image became part of me.”

“The place she went for understanding led her to greater danger,” he said, to a man who “paves a path to death … How was I supposed to protect my daughter from something I didn’t even know I was supposed to protect her from?”

Norson Harris, father of Ashley Harris, (26), who graduated in computer science and systems design, said:

“There was a before, and then there is an after when we have gained membership in a club that nobody wants to be part of,”

“I still write to Ashley, message her, in the hopes there’s a small corner of the universe where she has written a system that is able to receive them,” he said. He said he leads a smaller life now and has become an introvert, and is not working at a similar level as in the past.

“We all feel we should have been able to prevent Ashley’s death, or to intervene in a way that would have changed the course of events”

Brean reported Norson to further say:

Before she died, Ashley had just got into a new therapy program. But Law “sold her a chemical that Ashley ultimately used to end her own life.”

it is a “small consolation” that Law has admitted his responsibility, and he said he hopes Law recognizes the answer he should have given his customers is “that they were loved, they were not alone, and that help is available.”

Brean reported that on Thursday morning (September 24)

Law sauntered slowly toward the central prisoner’s box in a black bomber jacket, khakis and brown leather shoes, making no eye contact with anyone. He sat impassively through all the proceedings as the Crown made its start on 74 victim impact statements, some read by their authors, others by prosecutors.

Philip Nitschke

Sanchez Manning reported for the Times on October 16, 2025 that long-time euthanasia / suicide activist, Philip Nitschke, told a seminar in London England that he had introduced the poison to the Canadian chef Kenneth Law.

Nitschke said that he introduced the poison to Law when he attended Nitschke’s assisted suicide seminar in Toronto.

 

More recently, Nitschke is promoting a collar that suffocates people to death.

The same themes contained within Kenneth Law's victims statements are shared by people who have lost friends and relatives to death by medical homicide / assisted suicide. People justify those deaths based on the health condition of the person who died, nonetheless, I have heard many people respond in the same way.

Was there something I could have done to prevent this death?

Could we have found another way to help?

You can't bring them back. 

The person has died, it was wrong, and I miss them.