What does euthanasia have to do with parental rights?

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), also known as euthanasia, was legalized in Canada in 2016 and is now in the process of being expanded. In just under a decade MAID has become one of the top five leading causes of death in Canada. Our country now has the fastest-growing euthanasia program in the world.

Why is this relevant to parental rights? Well, a special joint committee of MPs and Senators studying MAID has recommended that it be expanded to “mature minors” – that’s right; for children. The committee came out with an extensive report with many recommendations in February 2023. They recommend (link) that access to euthanasia for minors be restricted to track one, meaning to those whose natural death is deemed as “reasonably foreseeable”. It’s important to note that as of now, the committee has not gone so far as to recommend MAID be accessible for minors when their natural death is not “reasonably foreseeable”, but it seems like this could only be a matter of time. What does “reasonably foreseeable” mean? The term is vague, perhaps intentionally so.

Putting debate about the morality of euthanasia aside, the recommendations become particularly alarming when parents are referenced. Here is recommendation 19 (link): “that the Government of Canada establish a requirement that, where appropriate, the parents or guardians of a mature minor be consulted in the course of the assessment process for MAID, but that the will of a minor who is found to have the requisite decision-making capacity ultimately take priority.”

The committee recommends that parents be consulted “where appropriate”, the word “permission” is never used. Ultimately, they recommend that the will of the child “who is found to have the requisite decision-making capacity” take priority. This coincidentally, shares a similar logic to “gender-affirming care” in Canada. To put it bluntly, parental permission for life-altering (or life-ending) decisions, is irrelevant, according to the government.

In Canada, minors are typically not able to get a tattoo or even an ear piercing without a parent or guardian providing consent. Minors are not legally allowed to vote or gamble, and the government of Canada strongly advises that parents provide a letter of consent to their child when they travel. How then, can the committee recommend that a child be allowed to make the decision to take their own life via MAID? In what world could parental consent be completely bypassed when a sick child requests medical assistance in dying?

The mere suggestion of this is an egregious overstep by the government and the medical community.

Parents cannot sit back and allow the government to strip away the authority they have over their children’s very lives.

What can you do about it? 

• Call your MP and voice your concern about these recommendations
• Warn your friends and other parents about this 
• Share this on social media by clicking here (link to email blog will be embedded)

Parents have authority over their children, and that authority is not to be undermined by teachers, doctors, or legislators. We work tirelessly to defend the inalienable rights of parents.