Exploring the impact of medical assistance in dying on people with disabilities in Canada: a media analysis

Abstract

Canada legalized medical assistance in dying (MAiD) in 2016 through amendments to the criminal code allowing for medical practitioners to assist someone with their death if they met a number of criteria including that they have a grievous and irremediable medical condition and their natural death had to be reasonably foreseeable. In 2021, Bill C-7, an Act to amend the criminal code (medical assistance in dying) came into force thereby removing the foreseeable death requirement. With the expansion of MAID, concerns are growing among disability advocates that MAID directly targets people with disabilities and reflects a message that their lives have less value. Media coverage on MAID has grown in recent years, but the extent of MAID utilization is not fully understood and the non-medical reasons why people with disabilities would utilize MAID remain unclear. This report highlights the results of a comprehensive media analysis on coverage of MAiD and individual stories of people considering, requesting, and accessing it. It concludes with recommendations to raise awareness and strengthen safeguards on the utilization of MAiD in Canada.