Canada will not allow assisted suicide for those with only mental illness
MONTREAL — Canada will not allow medically assisted suicide for people whose only condition is mental illness, the justice minister said Wednesday, seeking to close debate on one of the country's most controversial healthcare issues. Canada legalized assisted dying for those at the end of life in 2016. The right was extended to those suffering from serious and incurable illnesses in 2021, even if…
Canada has decided not to permit medically assisted suicide for individuals whose sole medical condition is mental illness, according to Justice Minister Sean Fraser. This move comes as the country seeks to address one of its most contentious healthcare matters. Assisted dying has been legal in Canada since 2016, initially extending to those with serious and incurable illnesses, even if death was not reasonably foreseeable.
The government then planned to allow assisted death without any condition by 2024, but this deadline was postponed by three years, citing concerns about the mental health system's readiness. Without legislative action, people suffering exclusively from mental illness would have been able to access assisted suicide starting in March, when the exclusion was set to end.
The Liberal government now intends to pass legislation that will prohibit assisted suicide for those whose only underlying medical condition is mental illness.
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