Catholics across Alberta are urged to respond with conviction and compassion as end-of-life issues grow more urgent.
During Hope and Dignity Activation Week, Amanda Achtman will lead efforts to equip the faithful to prevent euthanasia and encourage hope, especially in the most vulnerable among us. Activation Week will include public presentations and targeted training for clergy, chaplains, pastoral staff, educators, and more. Archbishop Stephen Hero will celebrate Mass and provide remarks at a public event on Tuesday, April 21 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Sherwood Park, calling Catholics to renew our commitment to human dignity and the sacredness of life.
Amid recent legislative developments in Alberta, Achtman emphasizes the need for thoughtful engagement and a renewed commitment to protecting human dignity at every stage of life.
On March 18, 2026, I stood in the gallery of the Alberta Legislature as the Minister of Justice tabled a bill to strengthen protections for vulnerable Albertans at risk of euthanasia.
This was a momentous occasion because the Alberta framework marks the first positive step in a life-affirming direction concerning end-of-life law in Canada.
Since legalizing euthanasia–commonly referred to as medical assistance in dying (MAID), nationwide in 2016–Canada has become known as the euthanasia capital of the world. Currently, 1 in 20 deaths in Canada is the result of a doctor or nurse deliberately ending a patient’s life. Our country has become a cautionary tale.
Tragically, the legalization of euthanasia has created a two-tier society where some get suicide prevention, and others get suicide assistance. I recently met an 89-year-old woman named Muriel who has had euthanasia suggested to her unsolicited three times– by her family doctor, by a specialist, and even by a funeral home. When I asked how this affected her, she said
“This is almost being advertised and promoted and it’s the most horrible feeling. It’s as if money is the most important thing and it’s cheaper to kill us off rather than put us in a nursing home and take care of us. It’s just a horrible feeling and there’s a pressure there to really conform to other people’s thinking. You really have to be standing alone with the Lord.“
We are all vulnerable, and every person, especially at a time of particular vulnerability, deserves to be met with a look of love that says, “It’s good you exist.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na0Yq_4efrs
As the Bishops of Alberta have written in their Pastoral Letter on Bill 18:
Every human life has inherent dignity and worth. Thus, the defense of life is called for where vulnerability—arising from illness, disability, isolation, or poverty—may negatively impact the person’s decision-making.
Despite the federal government designating MAID an exception to homicide, euthanasia remains a form of intentional killing to which no person or demographic should be subjected.
The Alberta framework will:
- Prohibit euthanasia in cases where the person is unlikely to die naturally within the year
- Prohibit doctors and nurses from referring their patients for euthanasia out of province
- Proactively prohibit euthanasia for:
- those under age 18
- those whose sole medical condition is a mental illness
- those without the capacity to make their own health-care decisions
- those unable to give contemporaneous consent
- Restrict medical professionals from bringing up euthanasia unsolicited
- Prevent the advertising of euthanasia in health care facilities
- Strengthen conscience protections for those unwilling to be involved in euthanasia
- Protect the ability for institutions to provide MAID-free spaces to patients
This legislation was devised in response to real cases that demonstrated the need for better oversight and stronger protections of life. For example, in January 2024, a 27-year-old woman from Calgary was approved for euthanasia on the basis of autism and ADHD, despite her parents insisting that she had undiagnosed mental health challenges. In October 2024, a psychiatric patient who was not approved for euthanasia in Alberta sought euthanasia in British Columbia. And, in July 2024, the story of a 56-year-old Albertan living with cerebral palsy made international headlines when she reported having been told by a nurse that she was “selfish” for living and advised to “consider MAID.”
The Alberta framework would cover the above cases. While incremental, it deserves to be celebrated because it is a step toward a just law which would be a total prohibition on assisting suicide.
At the same time, legal restrictions are not enough. We are responsible for ensuring that we actually have something better to propose than death to those who are struggling.
As disability scholar Dr. Heidi Janz put it: “It is hypocritical to claim to be pro-life and yet have no qualms about making people’s lives unliveable.”
In their letter, the Bishops say: We encourage all the faithful to remain informed, engaged, and prayerful, and to continue fostering a culture of life in which every person is cherished, accompanied, and supported. If you are moved to act, please consider reaching out to your local MLA and encouraging them to support this bill, as well as the additional supports for the vulnerable.
The Church is at the forefront of the defense of human dignity and human life. Thank you for your engagement on this issue, not only politically, but also in your everyday reality as you seek to bear the light of Christ, comforting the afflicted and bringing hope to those in despair.
Find your MLA at assembly.ab.ca and urge them to support Bill 18.
Sign up for The WINDOW, the weekly electronic bulletin with news from the Archdiocese of Edmonton.
This blog post was originally published in Faithfully, the newsletter of the Diocese of Calgary
