If medical assistance in death (MAID) had been available to Lia Milousis when she was suffering from depression in high school, she would not be alive today, the motivational speaker says.
“There was a monotony to it, it was very tedious, and I often describe it as kind of colour just draining from my world and things being very dark.”
She said the feelings went on for about six months and then went away, and she got on with her life.
The feelings later returned, however, and that was when she attempted suicide—several times.
“It did not take long for this pain to be intolerable to me and I really thought that it would never end, that this was the rest of my life; that my future would be one full of amorphous abstract existential suffering,” Ms. Milousis said.
‘Sabotages’ Survival Instinct
Ms. Milousis, who is also a human rights lawyer, opposes the government expansion of MAID to include those with mental health issues.She said her story was difficult to share because of the stigma society attaches to depression and suicidal feelings. But she said it was important to share because it highlighted the similar “motivations” between those seeking euthanasia and the suicidal ideation she experienced as a teenager.
Ms. Milousis said a mental health condition “sabotages“ a person’s natural ”survival instinct.”
“It distorts reality. It prevents [people] from being able to see a future of hope and meaning,” she said.
“I’ve reached a point in my life where I realized that depression lied to me when it said that the pain would exist perpetually that it would never stop,” she said. “I find it deeply disturbing to see that our society is moving to a place where it would offer suicide assistance to those who really need suicide prevention.”
Calls for More Supports
Ms. Milousis joined Euthanasia Prevention Coalition’s executive director Alex Schadenberg, physician Paul Saba, and Conservative MP Ed Fast at the press conference to call for the passing of Bill C-62, which would block MAID expansion for those who suffer solely from mental illness. The bill is currently before the Senate and passed a second reading on Feb. 26.Dr. Saba also called for stronger supports for those with mental illness.
“We must ensure access to a wide variety of alternative treatments including art, music, dance, pet recreation, and other therapies,” he said during the conference. “Furthermore, we must ensure free medications, affordable housing, and food security. All of these services, treatments, and social supports are not available at the present time for the majority of our fellow Canadians with mental illness.”
He said those living with mental health issues do not have the capacity to consent to MAID.
“The more a person lives with a mental illness, the less capable they [are] of giving free and informed consent,” he said.
Dying With Dignity, an organization that advocates for those who want MAID, says they are “disheartened” by Bill C-62.
The group said claims that those with mental illness cannot consent was “archaic, not aligned with reality, and condescending.”
The association said anyone who, meets the eligibility criteria for MAID, even when a mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition, “should not be excluded from the care that is offered to all other Canadians.”
‘Social Decisions’ Leading to Death
Mr. Fast, who previously attempted to introduce legislation that would prevent the expansion of MAID, questioned how politicians can support the expansion of suicide prevention, while at the same time looking to expand MAID.“How is it that we as parliamentarians have repeatedly supported a strong national suicide prevention program including a newly established 988 helpline when in the same breath we advocate for the euthanasia of these very same individuals?” he said.
He said MAID expansion was targeting “our must vulnerable citizens,” including those with addictions, the homeless, veterans, and indigenous communities.
“The solution cannot and should not be more death and abandonment,” Mr. Fast said.
Mr. Schadenberg agreed, saying that those living in poverty, who are homeless, and those who struggle to find medical treatment are using MAID.
“These are social decisions being made to cause death,” he said. “And to me, that’s completely unacceptable.”
The instances of MAID-related deaths climbed by 31.2 percent in 2022, representing more than 4 percent of all deaths in the country, according to Statistics Canada. This translates to 13,241 individuals choosing MAID in 2022, a significant rise from 10,029 deaths in 2021 and 7,446 in 2020.
