The Right to Life,and Death: A Health Equity Approach to Canada’s Expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying for Individuals With Mental Disorder(s)

Abstract

Canadian medical assistance in dying (MAID) is positioned to expand to allow voluntary euthanasia for individuals with mental disorders as their sole underlying condition(s) (MAID-MD-SUMC) by 2027. As governments consider this type of legislation, thoughtful critique of proposed eligibility criteria is imperative in order to consider potential consequences that may follow expansion of current policies guiding end-of-life care. As MAID-MD-SUMC enters another phase of revision, we propose two critical consideration: (1) the need to define a comprehensive, empirical basis for the “irremediability” of psychiatric disorders and (2) a more comprehensive consideration of the inextricable links between an individual’s surrounding environment, socioeconomic factors, access to healthcare and outcomes resulting from treatment of mental health disorders.