Medical Assistance in Dying Accounts for One in Twenty Canadian Fatalities

New government data indicates that medically-assisted dying, also referred to as voluntary euthanasia, constituted 4.7% of all fatalities in Canada during 2023. Canada’s fifth yearly report since the legalization of euthanasia in 2016 revealed that approximately 15,300 individuals received assisted dying services last year, following the approval of their requests. The average age for these individuals was over 77 years. A significant majority, approximately 96%, had their deaths classified as “reasonably foreseeable” because of serious health issues like cancer. For the remaining small percentage of cases, patients, though not necessarily terminally ill, pursued an assisted death because of a protracted and complex illness that had considerably diminished their quality of life. Canada is one of several nations that have implemented assisted dying legislation over the last ten years. Other examples are Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Austria. Within Canada, adults who provide consent are able to seek medical assistance in dying from a healthcare professional if they are afflicted with a severe and incurable medical condition. Certain safeguards are established, such as the stipulation that two separate healthcare providers must verify a patient’s eligibility prior to the approval of their application. In 2023, over 320,000 individuals passed away in Canada, with 15,300 of these fatalities – roughly one out of every 20 – being medically assisted. Data published by Health Canada on Wednesday indicates that the proportion of assisted dying cases in Canada rose by almost 16% in 2023. This represents a considerable decrease compared to the 31% average annual increase observed in prior years. The report advised that identifying the reasons for this slowdown in the rate is currently premature. The report, for the first time, examined racial and ethnic demographics of individuals who underwent euthanasia. Approximately 96% of those who received the procedure identified as white, a group that constitutes about 70% of the Canadian population. The reason for this discrepancy remains unknown. East Asians represented the second most frequently reported ethnic group, making up 1.8% of recipients, while comprising roughly 5.7% of the Canadian populace. Quebec maintained the highest rate of assisted dying utilization, contributing almost 37% of all euthanasia fatalities, even though the province comprises only 22% of Canada’s total population. Earlier this year, the government of Quebec initiated an investigation to understand the reasons behind its elevated euthanasia rate. Despite an increase in assisted deaths in Canada, the nation’s figures are still lower than those in the Netherlands, where euthanasia represented approximately 5% of all deaths in the previous year. Late last month, Members of Parliament in the UK approved a comparable piece of legislation that would grant terminally ill adults in England and Wales the option of an assisted death; however, it is subject to several months of additional review before potentially being enacted. During the parliamentary discussions in Britain concerning this legislation, Canada was referenced by some as a warning due to its perceived insufficient protective measures. Initially, Canada, similar to the UK, only permitted assisted dying for individuals whose death was considered “reasonably foreseeable.” Nevertheless, in 2021, Canada broadened eligibility to include individuals without a terminal diagnosis who wished to end their lives due to a chronic, debilitating illness. Plans to further extend access to individuals with mental illnesses earlier this year were postponed for a second time, following apprehensions from Canadian provinces, responsible for healthcare provision, regarding the system’s capacity to manage such an expansion. Health Canada, on Wednesday, defended the practice, stating that the criminal code establishes “strict eligibility” requirements. Conversely, Cardus, a Christian think tank, described the most recent statistics as “alarming” and indicated that Canada operates one of the world’s most rapidly expanding euthanasia programs. A report published in October by Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, has since brought to light contentious instances where individuals received assisted dying even when they were not close to their natural end of life. An illustrative case involved a woman in her 50s, who had a history of depression and suicidal ideation, and suffered from extreme chemical sensitivity. Her application for euthanasia was approved subsequent to her inability to obtain suitable housing that would accommodate her medical requirements. In recent months, another incident gained media attention involving a cancer patient from Nova Scotia who reported being questioned twice about her awareness of assisted dying as an option while undergoing mastectomy procedures. She informed the National Post that the inquiry “came up in completely inappropriate places.” Reports from Canadian news organizations have also highlighted instances where individuals with disabilities have contemplated assisted dying because of inadequate housing or insufficient disability benefits. Clarification 12 December: The introductory section of this article has been revised to provide greater clarity regarding the voluntary euthanasia nature of these statistics and to more distinctly and prominently detail the context of the data for the two categories of individuals who successfully pursued medically assisted dying. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the material found on external websites. Information on our external linking policy is available.