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OPINION

Sick in Canada? Just Kill Yourself!

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.
Sick in Canada? Just Kill Yourself!
Pat Wellenbach

The Great White North is looking more like a dystopian hellscape these days. Endless stories are streaming out of Canada where disabled, sick, or mentally ill Canucks are being encouraged to take their own life in lieu of medical care.

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The most recent example surrounds Christine Gauthier, a 52-year-old veteran and wheelchair bound woman trying to get a wheelchair lift installed in her home to aid with her mobility. 

Gauthier testified to Canadian lawmakers last week that a representative from the country’s Veteran’s Affairs department told her that he could help her kill herself instead of getting the lift installed. 

“I have a letter saying that if you’re so desperate, madam, we can offer you MAID, medical assistance in dying,” Gauthier testified, per The Independent. 

Another outlet reported that at least three other disabled veterans were likely given the same offer to kill themselves instead of receiving medical assistance. 

Canada’s sordid journey into assisted suicide began in 2016, when the country legalized medical assistance in dying for terminally ill residents. By 2022, the law broadened to include those with debilitating disabilities or pain, while not defining what that meant. 

Alan Nichols, a 61-year-old Canadian man, killed himself assisted by medical staff after just a month waiting period. 

His “debilitating disability or pain?” Hearing loss. 

The ghoulish push by Canadian government officials for suicide is bad enough, but now it seems the private sector wants to join in on the fun. 

La Maison Simons, a Canada-based fashion company, recently released an ad glorifying suicide

The ad focuses on a 37-year-old woman named Jennyfer Hatch, who took her own life as a result of her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and paints her decision as beautiful. 

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Related:

CONSERVATISM

"Last breaths are sacred,” says Hatch in the ad. “Even though as I seek help to end my life, with all the pain and in these final moments, there is still so much beauty.” At one point, the ad extolls suicide as “the most beautiful exit.” 

What does suicide have to do with fashion? Who the hell knows! But there’s something extremely dystopic about the fact assisted suicide has become so normalized in Canada that a brand would use it in its advertising. 

What’s worse, assisted suicide has become so prevalent, it’s now one of the leading causes of death in the country. 

“In 2021, over 10,000 people ended their lives this way, just over 3 percent of all deaths in Canada,” the New York Times reported. Things haven’t improved since then. 

Canadian pro-assisted suicide group Dying with Dignity argues that children “at least 12 years of age and capable of making decisions with respect to their health” should be allowed to make the decision to end their own lives. 

Debate continues in the Canadian parliament whether that expansion of “suicide rights” should go forward.

Canada continues to cultivate a culture of death, and what’s happening with our neighbors to the north should be a warning sign for America. 

Ten states as well as the District of Columbia allow for euthanasia for those suffering from terminal illness with six months or less to live. 

While those standards are currently stricter than Canada’s, it’s not difficult to imagine a world where radical leftists, emboldened by a perverted version of induvial liberty, will argue that these restrictions should be lifted. 

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How can one be truly free, they’ll argue, if they aren’t free to choose how they leave this mortal coil? 

But that hyperfocus on freedom denies there’s a vicious cycle to allowing more and more people to kill themselves. The devaluing of life to the point where mild inconveniences become an excuse to end one’s life has grave moral consequences. 

What kind of society do we want? One in which life is treated as a sacred gift from God to be treasured above all else? Or one where life is disposable like trash, a candle to be snuffed out at the first moment possible? 

Canada has clearly made the decision to embrace the latter. But America still has the chance to reject that path and pursue a society in the style of the former. 

Yeah, we may have some issues. But I don’t America is ready to die just yet. 


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