The expansion of MAID rights, the statement of claim argues, increases the risk that people with disabilities will be offered death as a solution to their suffering.Photo by Getty Images

Assisted suicide lawsuit uses Charter challenge to go after Charter right to MAID

Are the Charter rights of disabled people best protected by eliminating their access to assisted suicide or by allowing them to seek MAID if their suffering is intolerable?

by · National Post

A new lawsuit argues that the expansion of access to assisted suicide for disabled people in Canada actually violates the Charter rights of Canadians with disabilities.

The legal battle will likely answer a key question: Are the Charter rights of disabled people best protected by eliminating their access to assisted suicide or by allowing disabled people to seek MAID if their suffering is intolerable?

Disability rights groups launching Charter challenge of MAID lawTORONTO — A coalition of disability rights organizations has launched a Charter challenge against a part of Canada’s law on medical assistance in dying, calling it an “abandonment” of people with disabilities.Rianna Lim, 26 Sep 2024Why are 15 times more Canadians than Californians choosing assisted death?As a Calgary father’s legal battle to block his autistic daughter’s assisted death ignites debate over whether Canada’s euthanasia regime is expanding beyond what Canadians may be comfortable with, a new study suggests MAID deaths in Canada could continue to expand for another decade, until one in 10 deaths involve a doctor-administered lethal injection.Sharon Kirkey, 10 Apr 2024