A Canadian psychiatrist is warning lawmakers that the country’s expanding euthanasia regime is creating what he describes as a dangerous “suicide contagion” among vulnerable people suffering from mental illness.
By Frank Bergman
Dr. John Maher, a psychiatrist specializing in severe mental illness, delivered the warning during testimony before Parliament’s Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).
During his testimony, Maher warned that the normalization of euthanasia is creating a culture where vulnerable patients may “doctor-shop until dead” instead of seeking treatment and recovery.
“It’s Been Normalized”
Maher told lawmakers that assisted suicide is increasingly being viewed as a normal option, even among patients who could potentially recover with treatment.
He described a recent case involving a patient with schizophrenia who discussed seeking euthanasia if his life circumstances failed to improve.
According to Maher, the patient said he would apply for MAiD “if he didn’t get a job and a girlfriend.”
“It’s been normalized,” Maher warned.
“It’s suicide contagion.”
He argued that expanding euthanasia eligibility to include mental illness risks accelerating what experts describe as the “Werther Effect,” where exposure to suicide increases the likelihood of copycat behavior.
“Doctor-Shop Until Dead”
Maher warned that vulnerable individuals may increasingly seek out medical providers willing to approve assisted suicide instead of pursuing treatment.
“Patients will doctor-shop until dead,” he told the committee.
“People need lifeguards, not someone to push [them] under.”
Maher stressed that mental illness is often treatable and pointed to decades of clinical experience helping patients recover despite previous negative prognoses.
“For the last 23 years, I’ve treated patients that other psychiatrists told me could not get better, and they get better,” he said.
Expansion Planned for 2027
Canada is currently on track to expand euthanasia eligibility to individuals suffering solely from mental illness beginning in 2027 under Bill C-7.
Some lawmakers are attempting to block the expansion, including through Bill C-218.
Conservative MP Andrew Lawton has emerged as one of the leading voices opposing the changes.
Others have argued in favor of expanding eligibility.
Psychiatrist Dr. Mona Gupta told lawmakers that people suffering from conditions such as depression or eating disorders should potentially qualify for state-sanctioned assisted death.
Concerns Over a “Slippery Slope”
Critics argue that Canada’s euthanasia framework has already expanded well beyond its original scope.
Maher testified that some individuals with mental illness are already being approved under what he described as “flimsy medical excuses.”
Recent reports have highlighted cases involving elderly patients allegedly pressured into euthanasia despite not being terminally ill, as well as approvals involving non-life-threatening conditions.
Euthanasia has expanded rapidly in Canada since legalization in 2016, with the MAiD program now among the fastest-growing in the world.
Global Concerns Intensify
The debate is increasingly extending beyond Canada.
Recent reports have highlighted cases involving individuals euthanized over emotional distress rather than terminal illness.
Critics warn that once assisted suicide becomes legal, eligibility criteria often broaden over time.
“Once you legalize assisted killing, it is only a matter of who is eligible,” said Alistair Thompson of the advocacy group Care Not Killing.
A Growing National Debate
As Canada moves closer to expanding euthanasia eligibility, debate continues over the role of government, medicine, ethics, and mental health treatment in end-of-life decisions.
For critics such as Maher, concerns are growing that a system originally presented as compassionate care risks steering vulnerable people toward death rather than recovery.