What is Bill C7?
Bill C7: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying) is an amendment “to permit MAID for individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable. The Bill would continue to prohibit MAID for individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness.” (click the link to see more information on the Government of Canada website)
In other words, this bill would expand Medical Assistance in Dying eligibility to include physically disabled people, to be able to apply at any time in their lives. The current eligibility states that the person applying must be near death.
Disability groups and advocates across Canada are united in their position against this bill. Here is a list of resources on learning more about the bill, why it harms disabled people specifically, and what you can do about it. (Additional thanks to Gabrielle Peters for sharing resources)
Groups
- Why Us? by Project Value
- Dignity Denied (Check out their updates here)
- Disability Justice Network of Ontario
- Bill C7 Resources
- Lives Worthy of Living
Statements
- Statement by the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner
- Statement by Physicians Together with Vulnerable Canadians
- Statement on Bill C7 – An Act to Amend MAID by Gabrielle Peters
- Several Statements compiled by Dignity Denied
- MAiD for Mental Illness: Myths and Facts by Dr. John Maher
Articles
- Bill C7, Assisted Dying and “Lives Not Worth Living” by Jonas-Sébastien Beaudry
- Medically assisted dying legislation needs a rethink by Trudo Lemmens and Leah Krakowitz-Broker
- Opinion: Proposed changes to MAID are pure madness by Ramona Coelho, Leonie Herx, Timothy Lau & John F. Scott
- Assisted dying legislation puts equality for people with disabilities at risk by Catherine Frazee
- Dying for the right to live by Gabrielle Peters
- Why disability advocates are worried about changes to Canada’s medical assistance in dying bill by Rebecca Zandbergen
- Taking MAiD way too far by Gabrielle Peters
- If medically assisted death becomes more accessible for Canadians, we have a moral obligation to make living well – through housing, mental health supports – accessible too by Naheed Dosani
- How Bill C7 will sacrifice the medical profession’s Standard of Care by Trudo Lemmens, Mary Sharriff, Leonie Herx
- Hearing everyone on MAiD by Kat Owens
- Needed: More medical aid in living, not medical aid in dying by Sherif Emil
Videos
Social Media Follows (Stay up to date with those mentioned in this list)
Folks that make up Dignity Denied
Advocates and contributors to articles
Actions to take
- Follow these groups and advocates to keep up to date.
- Share the information, keep talking about it.
- Write to your MP and Senators
- Sign this petition. (by Dignity Denied)
- Follow the hashtags #BillC7, #MAiD, #KillBillC7