Psychiatrist issues ‘suicide contagion’ warning over euthanasia expansion

A psychiatrist has warned of a social contagion of death as Canada considers euthanasia for mental health conditions.

Giving evidence to the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), Dr John Maher explained that social contagion for suicide is a “well-established phenomenon”, and raised concerns that if MAID is expanded for mental health conditions it will legitimise suicide as an option.

In Canada, euthanasia is the sixth leading cause of death. The Government is expected to expand MAID provisions to include those suffering only from mental illness in 2027.

Undermining hope

Maher, who is also the editor of the Journal of Ethics in Mental Health, told the committee how earlier that day he had seen a patient with schizophrenia “very, very cavalierly saying, if he didn’t get a job and a girlfriend, he’s going to request MAID”.

He warned that MAID has already had a profound impact on the mental health sector, despite it still being restricted to those with physical ailments, and that, if made available, patients whose conditions are treatable “will doctor-shop until dead”.

The doctor accused MAID providers of being “happy to assist with suicides while people are on wait lists for effective treatment,” and said that MAID was “undermining our efforts to maintain hope and to provide treatment for recovery. It gives people the message we’ve given up.”

He accused some providers of murder by illegally approving people with mental health conditions for euthanasia: “People are getting MAID for psychiatric reasons under the guise of flimsy medical excuses.”

Killing the vulnerable

Last week, a healthy 56-year-old mother from the UK died by assisted suicide at a Swiss clinic.

Wendy Duffy from the West Midlands tragically lost her son four years ago and had struggled to come to terms with his death. She paid £10,000 for help to kill herself.

Dr Gordon Macdonald of Care Not Killing described the readiness of the clinic to help a British woman in good physical health to kill herself as “absolutely disgraceful”.