Originally published at National Catholic Register
Hughes told media that the country’s federal and provincial governments ‘must put in place, actively review, and enforce appropriate safeguards to ensure that people are making this decision freely.’
The activist group that led the push to legalize medical aid in dying (MAID) in Canada is now warning that additional government safeguards are needed to combat reports of abuse of the program.
Liz Hughes, executive director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), told the National Post that the organization has become “aware of concerning reports of people being offered MAID in circumstances that may not legally qualify as well as people accessing MAID as a result of intolerable social circumstances.”
The BCCLA was a key figure in Canada’s legalization of euthanasia, having filed the suit Carter v. Canada that led to the Supreme Court of Canada’s striking down the government ban on the procedure.
In the roughly nine years since euthanasia became legal in Canada in 2016, the practice has become increasingly popular. The latest government figures, released this month, showed another double-digit year-over-year increase in the procedure, with 15,343 Canadian citizens euthanized by medical officials in 2023, accounting for 1 in 20 deaths there.
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