A Canadian physician who has reportedly performed hundreds of assisted deaths has argued that poor housing conditions should be a legitimate reason to seek euthanasia.
“In some situations, I will actually ask: ‘If you could have better housing, if you could have better services, would you want to live longer?’ And you know, some would say ‘yes,’” Dr. Ellen Wiebe told the Daily Mail, as cited by Right to Life News.
“Does that mean that person should not have rights? No. They should still have the right to make this decision [to end their lives by euthanasia or assisted suicide],” she added.
Wiebe also reportedly expressed her expectation that teenagers believed to be terminally unwell could soon be afforded the right to euthanasia and assisted suicide.
“I’m surprised we haven’t yet had a 17-year-old with terminal cancer insist on their rights,” she said. “When it happens, a judge will agree – I have no question about that.”
Wiebe is a clinical professor at the University of British Columbia, co-director of Vancouver’s Willow Clinic, and a board member and research director for the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers (CAMAP). She has reportedly carried out around 400 assisted deaths.
Her comments come as Canadians remain divided over how doctors should present Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). A December 2024 Cardus–Angus Reid survey found 40% of Canadians oppose doctors raising MAiD unless requested by the patient, while 43% said a ban was unnecessary and 17% were undecided, as previously reported by Christian Daily International.
Concerns about pressure were highest among younger adults and people with disabilities. Half of Canadians with severe disabilities said they would feel pressured to choose death if a doctor suggested it, compared with 38 percent of non-disabled Canadians who said they were not worried.
“MAiD is not just another care option and should not be presented as such,” said Dr. Rebecca Vachon, health program director at Cardus. She urged policymakers to follow the lead of New Zealand and some Australian states, which prohibit clinicians from raising the option unless a patient does so.
