MAiD in Canada: Assisted Dying and Vulnerable Populations
Saturday, October 14, 2023
7:30 AM – 8:45 AM ET
Location: Bristol (Third Floor)
Medical aid in dying (MAiD) has recently come under criticism for the handling of its implementation in Canada (Lazin and Chandler 2022). Reports in popular news media have identified Canadians with disabilities or who are from lower socioeconomic status who have possibly been pressured into ending their lives via MAiD (Raikin 2023). This paper evaluates ethical claims based on the recent Canadian experience. I argue that these patient cases do not form a coherent ethical argument against the practice of MAiD. I identify a few errors made in crafting the ethical argument against MAiD based on such cases, including overreliance on anecdotal data and the availability heuristic. Furthermore, I will argue that it is inappropriate to saddle MAiD with issues related to underlying injustices: unjust societal conditions are a problem in every jurisdiction, including those that allow MAiD, and assisted dying is not a panacea for or exacerbator of social ills. Finally, I consider a revised version of an objection to MAiD based on Canadian data, which I call the “even one life” objection. If even a small number of patients are coerced into ending their lives via MAiD, then the practice is unjustified, the argument goes. I discuss possible replies to this objection and briefly draw a connection between these issues and related worries concerning provider-initiated discussions of end-of-life options with patients.