“We believe that any form of MAiD contravenes our belief that every life is sacred from the moment of conception to natural death,” the archdiocese wrote in a recent statement.
“Please continue to respectfully urge your Member of Parliament to ensure that the commitment to exclude mental illness alone from MAiD eligibility becomes law, and to prioritize access to mental health care, suicide prevention and recovery supports.”
As LifeSiteNews reported, on October 7, the federal government paused a planned expansion of allowing euthanasia to those with mental illness as the sole cause. Still, it then said it would allow Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) by advance request. On the same day, it voted against Conservative Bill C-218, which would have banned the practice outright.
Despite not allowing MAiD for those with mental illness, Liberal Justice Minister Sean Fraser told reporters that new legislation would, in a way, allow for more euthanasia.
The Archdiocese of Toronto said it continues to call on “elected officials to halt any further expansion of MAiD in our country and to separate mental health exclusions from advance requests for MAiD in future legislation.”
The archdiocese noted that it is “grateful” to those who have already “reached out to their elected Member of Parliament to respectfully ask their support of Bill C-218” but stressed that “Our work must continue.”
“An announcement does not change the law, and legislation must be passed before the current exclusion expires on March 17, 2027. The government also announced plans to permit advance requests for MAiD, raising additional concerns that will require careful examination when the proposed legislation is available,” it stated.
Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) recently noted that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is “playing with lives” after opening the door for advance death requests while at the same time voting against Bill C-218.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Canada’s Catholic bishops had said they supported Bill C-218.
Euthanasia in Canada has become so prevalent that recent statistics show the nation recorded more deaths by euthanasia than murders by guns in the United States in 2024.
The expansion of euthanasia for the mentally ill is slated to become law in 2027 as a consequence of the passage of Bill C-7.
The bill has an exclusion in it for those who are mentally ill. Fraser’s new bill would expand the exclusion indefinitely, but the exact wording of the bill is unclear.
Many provincial governments such as Alberta had protested the planned MAiD expansion. Alberta placed strong limits on assisted suicide