The Catholic Women’s League of Canada is calling on its members and Catholics across Canada to support a private member’s bill that would exclude mental illness as an eligible condition for receiving Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID).
“Bill C-218 is an important bill in ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable populations from choosing to die because Canada does not have adequate resources to treat mental illness,” said Jessie Parkinson, CWL National Chairperson of Social Justice
The federal government legalized euthanasia for mental illness alone in March 2021. This expansion was to be implemented in March 2023 but was delayed by one year and then for another three years. It is currently set for implementation in March 2027.
B.C. Conservative MP Tamara Jansen introduced a private members bill in the House of Commons to remove the expansion of MAID to individuals whose sole condition is mental illness.
“Our society could end his or her life for solely a mental health challenge. That’s not a future scenario, that’s the law, right now, waiting to take effect,” Jansen said in a video shared by Canadian Physicians for Life.
On Dec. 5, a private members’ bill is scheduled for second reading in the House of Commons. Bill C-218: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying) would add the following exclusion to the current Act:
(2.1) For the purposes of subsection (2), a mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition.
In the second reading, Jansen will outline its principles. It will then be followed by debate and a vote. If the vote passes, the bill is referred to a committee that studies it and may hear witnesses and make amendments before referring it back to the House for a third and final reading. Second reading is a crucial step in the process. If the vote is unsuccessful, the bill does not go forward.
Take Action!
The CWL urges its members and all Catholics to urgently contact their MPs to ask them to support Bill C-218. Letters, emails and telephone calls are important. Many online resources to help with this are available, including the following:
- Contact Us, House of Commons
- “How to Write to Your MP,” Results Canada
- Personal Letter Writing Guide (#173), The Catholic Women’s League of Canada
For more information on a Catholic response to MAID, go to our Hope and Dignity website.
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