Many Canadians back assisted suicide for homelessness and poverty.

Survey Shows Over 25% of Canadians Support Medically Assisted Suicide for Homelessness and Poverty

Introduction

A recent survey by Research Co. revealed that more than 25% of Canadians support medically assisted suicide in cases of homelessness and poverty. The practice has been increasingly deregulated in Canada over the past few years, with recent moves to increase access for minors.

Survey Results

When asked about assisted suicide in the case of homelessness, 11% of respondents strongly agreed, and 17% moderately agreed. Similarly, 11% of respondents strongly agreed that poverty can serve as grounds for assisted suicide, while 16% moderately agreed.

Case Study

The poll comes as multiple accounts of residents who turn to assisted suicide because of their dire financial straits capture worldwide attention. Amir Farsoud, who receives government assistance for his chronic back pain and was informed that the home he shared with two other people was listed for sale, applied for medical assistance in dying to avoid homelessness and received approval from one physician. Strangers fundraised more than $44,000 online when his story made international news, prompting him to change his mind.

Critics of the Procedure

Critics of the procedure argue that governments with socialized medical systems have clear incentives to promote the practice rather than funding treatment for certain patients, thereby overlooking the innate value of human beings and their fundamental right to life.

Mental Illness and Assisted Suicide

Nearly half of the respondents also said that mental illness should render one available to receive assisted suicide. Some 16% said they strongly agree, while 27% said they moderately agree, outweighing the share of respondents who either moderately disagree or strongly disagree. Canada implemented amendments to the nation’s criminal code that would increase the availability of assisted suicide such that a citizen with only a “mental illness” can request euthanasia starting next year, whereas the practice was previously limited to people with serious physical illnesses.

Parental Consent and Assisted Suicide

Another question on the survey asked whether parents should receive criminal penalties for helping their son or daughter secure assisted suicide. Some 51% favored sanctions ranging from a fine but no time in prison to a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, while 24% said they should receive no penalty at all, and 25% said they were not sure.

Conclusion

Canada does not explicitly allow minors to pursue assisted suicide; the nation’s government, however, has asserted that “children’s decision-making about health care issues occurs within a complicated legal framework.” The Netherlands recently announced an expansion in the availability of “life termination” for children between one and twelve years of age. Officials said the new policy only concerns “a small group of terminally ill children” whose “palliative care options are not sufficient to relieve their suffering and who are expected to die in the foreseeable future.”