Canadian government documents confirm Liberals are pushing to include 'mature minors' in Medical Assistance in Dying eligibility.
(LifeSiteNews) - A "fact checker" claimed that euthanasia will not expand to minors in Canada, but documents reveal that is exactly what Liberals are attempting.
In a June 12 article, the Australian Associated Press (AAP) alleged that Canada is not considering expanding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) to children despite government documents proving Liberals are pushing for the expansion.
"There are no plans to expand assisted dying legislation to include children," APP claimed at the beginning of their article.
Recently, many have voiced concerns over a MAiD expansion for children after a pamphlet, produced by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), was circulated online. The booklet detailed the Liberal government's recent moves to expand MAiD to "mature" minors.
As pointed out by APP, the pamphlet has been wrongly attributed to the Liberal government. However, while it was not government issued, the leaflet was based on a Parliamentary recommendation to expand MAiD.
In February 2023, a report titled “Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada: Choices for Canadians” was tabled in the House of Commons and included a list of 23 recommendations about what Canada should do next concerning MAiD laws.
One of the most concerning parts of the report is recommendation 16, which reads:
That the Government of Canada amend the eligibility criteria for MAID set out in the Criminal Code to include minors deemed to have the requisite decision-making capacity upon assessment.
The report also included six other recommendations relating to expanding euthanasia to children, or as the report refers them to as “mature minors.”
Other recommendations relating to children read as follows:
Recommendation 14 – That the Government of Canada undertake consultations with minors on the topic of MAID, including minors with terminal illnesses, minors with disabilities, minors in the child welfare system and Indigenous minors, within five years of the tabling of this report.
Recommendation 15 – That the Government of Canada provide funding through Health Canada and other relevant departments for research into the views and experiences of minors with respect to MAID, including minors with terminal illnesses, minors with disabilities, minors in the child welfare system and Indigenous minors, to be completed within five years of the tabling of this report.
Recommendation 17 – That the Government of Canada restrict MAID for mature minors to those whose natural death is reasonably foreseeable.
Recommendation 18 – That the Government of Canada work with provinces, territories and First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and organizations to establish standards for assessing the capacity of mature minors seeking MAID.
Recommendation 19 – That the Government of Canada establish a requirement that, where appropriate, the parents or guardians of a mature minor be consulted in the course of the assessment process for MAID, but that the will of a minor who is found to have the requisite decision-making capacity ultimately take priority.
Recommendation 20 – That the Government of Canada appoint an independent expert panel to evaluate the Criminal Code provisions relating to MAID for mature minors within five years of the day on which those provisions receive Royal Assent, and that the panel report their findings to Parliament.
In APP's "fact-check," it did not even attempt to discredit the report, instead admitting, "The committee recommended permitting MAiD for mature minors who are assessed as having the requisite decision-making capacity, regardless of age."
It's unclear how APP came to the conclusion that "there are no plans to expand assisted dying legislation to include children" while simultaneously stating that the government is considering expanding MAiD to "mature minors."
In fact, APP further admitted that the recommendation would ensure that "the final decision should honour the will of a mature minor," regardless of what parents believed was best for their child.
Canada’s increasingly permissive laws have allowed euthanasia to rise 32 percent since 2020, with more than 10,000 people dying in 2021 alone.
