Canada to extend assisted dying exclusion for people whose sole condition is mental illness
Summary
Canada’s government will keep a rule that stops people with only mental illness from using medical assistance in dying (Maid). This ban was set to end soon, but the government decided to continue it while reviewing related laws.Key Facts
- People with only mental illness have been banned from using Maid to end their lives in Canada.
- The current ban was supposed to end in March but will now continue indefinitely.
- The Justice Minister, Sean Fraser, said the new law is the right approach despite some disagreement.
- Canada first allowed assisted dying for terminally ill patients after a 2015 court ruling.
- In 2021, the law expanded to include people with serious physical conditions causing severe suffering.
- Temporary exclusions for those with only mental illness were added in 2021 and renewed in 2023 and 2024.
- About 95.6% of Maid cases involve people whose natural death is foreseeable.
- The government plans to introduce rules to allow advanced requests for Maid, meaning some people could ask for assistance before losing the ability to consent.
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