An elderly woman was euthanized within hours of her husband claiming she changed her mind after insisting she wanted to live.
Canada‘s Medical Assistance in Dying laws allow patients to request a painless death if an assessor agrees their terminal condition meets certain requirements.
Patients often wait weeks, but it can happen the same day the application is lodged if judged to be medically urgent by a MAiD provider.
But a report by the Ontario MAiD Death Review Committee raised concerns that safeguards were being eroded that led to questionable deaths.
One case study was that of a woman in her 80s referred to as ‘Mrs B’ who had complications after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
She went into severe decline and opted for palliative care, and was sent home from hospital with palliative support with her husband caring for her.
But as her condition got worse, her elderly husband struggled to care for her even with the help of visits by nurses.
‘Mrs B reportedly expressed her desire for MAiD to her family. In response, and on the same day, her spouse contacted a referral service on her behalf,’ the report read.
Hellbound and Down 