That's proof they're crazy.
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Canada has delayed a plan to offer assisted suicide to people suffering solely from mental illness, health officials announced.
The controversial policy, which critics feared would lead to people killing themselves out of desperation, currently allows anyone in Canada with an incurable medical condition to apply to die, even if the disease is not terminal.
The country's law around medically assisted dying is one of the most liberal in the world. In 2022 alone, about 13,000 Canadians were euthanized as part of the program.
However, health officials said Monday that there are not enough doctors, especially psychiatrists, in the country to evaluate mentally ill people who wish to die.
The officials did not offer any timeline for the latest extension. Prior to this delay, the expansion was scheduled to come into effect on March 17.
Dying with Dignity Canada, a group that advocates for the right of medically assisted death, said that it was 'disheartened' by the postponement.
Medically assisted dying (MAiD) was first introduced in 2015 after Canada's Supreme Court ruled that requiring people to cope with intolerable suffering violated their rights to liberty and security.
Passed in June 2016, only people with terminal illnesses whose natural death was reasonably foreseeable — known as Track One patients — were eligible to apply for MAiD.
But in March 2021 the legislation was updated to create Track Two patients. These are defined as people who suffer 'intolerable' and 'irreversible' disease or disability who may not be near natural death.
In 2022, data showed 13,241 people chose MAiD to die, a 31 percent increase from 2021. This accounted for one in 20 total Canadian deaths.
The controversial policy, which some worry will see people kill themselves out of desperation, was further updated in December 2022 so people looking to MAiD to end their lives solely due to mental illness would, before the delay, be eligible in March 2024.
As of now, to qualify for MAiD, people must meet all criteria: be eligible for health services funded by the government; be at least 18 years old and deemed mentally competent; have an irremediable medical condition — one that is irreversible, in advanced stages and causes unbearable physical or mental suffering — make a voluntary request to die; and give informed consent to receive medical assistance to end your life. 
|
