According to Citizen Frank, the Canadian Parliament's Special Joint Committee on MAiD recommended offering the program "without parental consent" in mid-February 2023. It considered two tracks – one for whom there is "reasonably foreseeable" death, and the other for those for whom "mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition."
To bypass the need to ask parents' consent before killing children, the term "mature minor" was adopted. One study defined as a "legal construct referring to persons under the age of 18" who are sufficiently mature to "understand information relevant to a treatment decision" and to "appreciate the reasonably foreseeable consequences of a decision or lack of decision."
The authors of the aforementioned study said the designation can either be "formally conferred through a legal process" or "informally granted by a healthcare practitioner," with the specific process and definitions depending on the province or territory. They added that the designation of "mature minor" can "vary from one time to another and from one decision to another – meaning it is context and content dependent." (Related: Canada expands euthanasia "mercy" killing to ensnare society's most vulnerable, including children.)
However, this proposal was met with opposition from different entities. Brad Salzberg, founder of the Cultural Action Party of Canada (CAP), was among them.
He zoomed in on Dying with Dignity (DWD), a MAiD advocacy group that reportedly receives funding from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. According to the group's website, it reportedly defends human rights by advocating for euthanasia that respects "the Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms."
The CAP founder also referenced a story by the National Post that cited DWD as "the most active player in the passage of Bill C-7, which beginning on March 17 will legalize assisted suicide for Canadians suffering solely from a mental illness." The story also noted that DWD's future goals include "pushing the federal government to drop the age requirement for MAID from 18 to at least 12 years of age."
"Defending human rights by advocating for death," remarked Salzberg. "A wonderful oxymoron it is."
Critics speak out against offering EUTHANASIA to kids
After noting that children would be joining the thousands of adults who end their lives each year by state-sanctioned euthanasia in Canada, the Daily Mail quoted multiple critics of euthanasia to 12-year-old children in the Land of Maple.
Amy Hasbrouck, founder and director of the anti-MAiD group Toujours Vivant-Not Dead Yet, a project of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities: "I think it's horrible. Any teenager with a disability, who’s constantly told their life is useless and pitiful, will be depressed, and of course, they're going to want to die."
Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition said: "Canada had been on a dangerous 'slippery slope' to widespread assisted suicide since the law was introduced in 2016. We said we were going to have safeguards and guardrails, but the next government can simply open it up further by making a decision — and that's exactly what's happening."
Head over to Euthanasia.news for more stories about Canada's MAiD program.
Watch Odessa Orlewicz discuss Canada's plans to expand MAiD to include children on "Shots Fired with Deanna Lorraine" below.
This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Dutch government backing euthanasia for terminally ill children.
Euthanasia- and infanticide-promoting philosopher wins $1 million dollar Berggruen prize.
Canada attempting to expand EUTHANASIA program to allow assisted suicide of the mentally ill.
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