Christine Nagel / Photo credit: Amanda Achtman
CV NEWS FEED // A leading voice against Canada’s Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) program recently argued the offering of euthanasia has become pervasive to patients who are in need of medical support and that “[t]o be offered euthanasia, in a sense, already kills the person.”
Amanda Achtman, a Canadian Catholic journalist, speaker, and activist, said this during a July 25 interview with Andrew Kooman for his Substack.
Achtman received a master’s degree in John Paul II Philosophical Studies in Poland, and currently works with Canadian Physicians for Life. According to its website, CPL offers conferences, mentoring programs, resources on bioethical topics, a crisis line and legal support for physicians facing ethical questions, among other services.
In the interview, Achtman explained that patients are being offered euthanasia as an option by physicians “unsolicited, often repeatedly.”
The suggestion of euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide during a patient’s time of need and support imposes crushing implications on the patient, she argued.
“The counselling of suicide at the time of a person’s vulnerability is devastating,” she said. “Often, the notion is raised subtly, disguised by dissembling acronyms and euphemisms; but patients usually know what is being suggested.”
“To be offered euthanasia, in a sense, already kills the person,” Achtman continued. “It deflates a person’s sense of worth and shatters their confidence that the people to whom they have entrusted themselves will actually fight for them.”
A way to combat these devastating feelings, Achtman suggested, is for the patient’s friends and family to go with them to appointments, and to visit often.
“This sends the message to everyone involved in that person’s care that they are cherished, and so helps to guard against any dismissing or discounting of them,” Achtman said. She also said it might be possible to discourage a suggestion of MAiD by the patient preemptively expressing that he or she is not interested in it.
Achtman also stated that while Canada’s medical system has good aspects to it, “there are also major failings.”
“Probably every Canadian knows someone who would not be alive and flourishing if not for the excellent healthcare they received in our country,” she said. “Yet, it is truly scandalous how many Canadians presently lack access to a family doctor and how often the exorbitantly long wait times lead to dangerously delayed diagnoses and interventions.”
On July 28, Achtman posted to her X account that she asked Meta AI whether it is easier to access MAiD or a family doctor in Canada.
In Meta AI’s response, it stated that “MAID has a more centralized and streamlined process, with clear eligibility criteria and a specific framework for assessment and provision.”
“In contrast,” Meta AI’s response continued, “finding a family doctor can be more challenging due to factors like: – Doctor shortages, particularly in rural areas – High patient demand – Complexities in healthcare system administration”.
In her interview with Kooman, Achtman also pointed out that some patients have worn bracelets stating their opposition to MAiD.
“I think that what this represents is that persons who are already experiencing the vulnerability of being a patient now feel an added vulnerability due to the availability and prevalence of euthanasia in Canada,” Achtman said:
This goes to show that the reality of euthanasia being legal within a society cannot be a matter of concern only for those who opt for it; it actually affects and concerns everyone.
Achtman’s full interview with Kooman can be read here.
