INSANITY: Canada’s assisted suicide program may extend to INFANTS
Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program has expanded rapidly since its introduction in 2016.
The number of cases has tripled over six years, with Health Canada reporting more than 16,000 deaths under the program in 2024 alone, making it a notable contributor to national mortality. The law initially limited MAiD to adults with terminal illnesses where natural death was reasonably foreseeable.
In 2021, the eligibility was expanded to non-terminal patients experiencing intolerable suffering with no prospect of improvement. Further changes, including potential access for those with sole mental illness, have been delayed until March 2027.
Discussions among Canadian physicians now include the possibility of extending MAiD to infants. The Quebec College of Physicians has proposed allowing the procedure for newborns under one year old with severe deformities or syndromes where survival chances are virtually nil and suffering is intractable despite palliative care. This was raised during 2022 parliamentary hearings and resurfaced in recent debates.
Many have described MAiD as a “radically expanding program” that accounts for a significant share of mortality. On The Auron MacIntyre Show, host Auron MacIntyre distinguished the issue from abortion, noting that a born infant who has lived outside the womb raises distinct questions of agency and consent, stating it amounts to the government facilitating the killing of a child because parents do not want to care for them.
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The proposal has not been enacted into federal law, and current MAiD eligibility remains restricted to adults 18 and older. Separate parliamentary recommendations have addressed “mature minors” (typically starting at age 12) deemed capable of consent, but no legislation has passed on that front either.
Critics, including religious leaders and pro-life groups, argue the trajectory risks further erosion of safeguards for the vulnerable. Canadian Catholic bishops and some MPs have pushed bills to restrict expansions, particularly for mental illness as the sole condition. The federal government has stated that no decisions have been finalized on additional changes.