Thursday, October 1, 2026 12:00 – 1:00 MDT
Speaker:
- Trudo Lemmens, LicJur, LLM(bioethics), DCL
Professor and Scholl Chair in Health Law and Policy, Jackman Faculty of Law, University of Toronto
Advocates for broad practice of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) claim that offering MAiD to solve serious suffering associated with mental illness is constitutionally required and sound policy. After briefly debunking the general constitutional rights claim, this presentation will discuss in some detail why providing MAiD for mental illness cannot be justified as sound health policy consistent with suicide‑prevention.
Concrete case examples from Ontario’s Chief Coroner MAiD Death Review Committee reports and from the psychiatric euthanasia practice in Belgium and the Netherlands will help appreciate the concerns about offering MAiD as a form of therapy for mental health related suffering. Canada’s broad practice of MAID outside a strict end-of-life context is already putting many Canadians at risk of premature death; a risk that would be so much higher if MAiD would be officially permitted for sole reasons of mental illness.
More information: please call 780-492-6676, e-mail dossetor.centre@ualberta.ca or visit the Dossetor Centre website.
Via Zoom. Registration is required. All are welcome; free to attend. Click here to register!
