The Liberal government says it will table legislation in the fall to indefinitely exclude people who solely suffer from mental illness from medical assistance in dying.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said there is a lack of consensus on when mental illness is irremediable and concern around a lack of access to mental health support. He insisted that position is not “based on where we believe the politics is going to land,” but rather, “based on what we sincerely believe is right.”
The central issue is this: with many terminal illnesses, it’s way easier for doctors to tell if a disease is irreversible (aka terminal). With mental illness, determining whether someone’s suffering is actually permanent—or whether they could still improve—is much harder.
That said, psychiatrists, disability advocates, and people with lived experience argue that excluding mental illness can deny autonomy to people whose psychiatric suffering is severe and genuinely treatment-resistant.
This is certainly not a black and white issue for me because I do believe that the mind is part of the body and if that mind is irreparably sick, it should be treated the same as cancer or ALS—and people should have the same rights. I think there’s a stereotypical belief that if you’re suffering with a mental illness, you can’t think straight—which is both untrue and insulting.
And there are some countries that take that same stand.
Dutch law, for example, allows for assisted suicide in cases of unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement—and the government explicitly says this can include psychiatric disorders. That said, there are particularly stringent assessment requirements for psychiatric cases.
Belgian law doesn’t exclude psychiatric illness either, and euthanasia can be considered for a serious, incurable condition causing persistent, unbearable suffering— including psychological suffering.
Neither country treats assisted suicide as an option simply because someone has a severe mental illness, has tried several medications or has suicidal ideation. The doctors have to conclude that the suffering is unbearable, the condition is incurable, reasonable treatment alternatives aren’t available, and the person’s wish to die is persistent and genuinely voluntary.
What does all that mean? It’s very rare. In Belgium, psychiatric conditions accounted for 1.6% of medically assisted suicide cases in 2025.
So I asked you, my brilliant Coasties what you thought and we got a mixed bag of responses.
Here are the official poll results:
Here are some of our favourite responses:
Yes
“People are not owned by anyone other than the person that inhabits the body. Freedom of choice is a personal biological right, it is not granted by any external authority. The government did not bring the body into being alive and at a certain age a person is granted the autonomy of being an adult. Sad but true, some people find their lives unbearable… their assessment and their choice.”
“Anyone experiencing severe mental illness over many years with little hope of remission deserves access to MAiD. To withhold access to medical assistance in dying is a violation of their human right. I expect people who have watched loved ones suffering from debilitating mental illnesses with little hope of recovery would agree.”
“Guidelines should include proper access to treatment and failed attempts at management of the mental illness both psychological and medicinal.”
“If the person’s capability to make this decision is supported by a doctor that is qualified to help determine their quality of life.”
“We should have the same rights as a physical condition. Should we just complete suicide and devastate our family and friends? The answer is no.”
“If life is so unbearable and there isn’t adequate medical help, rather than possibly ending their life by suicide, a dignified death with MAID is more humane. Heck, we eliminate the suffering of our animals by euthanasia when warranted; why not humans?”
“I have friends whose mental illness has been unbearable, causing severe grief and suffering to them as they attempt to carry out their daily lives. Medications, extensive counselling, support from friends, etc have been unable to give them the quality of life they desire.”
“We should provide people with a humane way to die rather than leaving them with no choice but to take matters into their own hands and be forever labelled with “suicide” as part of their story, which is almost always viewed in a negative light. Let people have some dignity.”
“We should provide people with a humane way to die rather than leaving them with no choice but to take matters into their own hands and be forever labelled with “suicide” as part of their story, which is almost always viewed in a negative light. Let people have some dignity.”
“It’s MY life!”
“Everyone should have a right to die, when they are ready!! Period! We should be able to own our own bodies! and minds! Thanks for the facts. Thanks once again for saying things straight out! And the term “treatment-resistant” should help us all to equate physical and mental illnesses.”
No
“My faith in humanity is mostly entirely lost. As someone who overcame word curses of being mentally ill since I was a child this is evil, demonic and sick to see so many people are ok with murder because someone has a mental illness. Just because a pill hasn’t healed them, doesn’t mean God can’t.”
“We just do not know if the mental illness is permanent. I can not endorse a permanent solution for a potentially temporary illness. I also believe that the government will use it in cases where people genuinely want help. I know it has been offered to our veterans with PTSD. I do believe the government will abuse it as cost cutting. If even one life is lost due to this, it is one too many. It’s a slippery slope.”
“This, assisted sucicide, is up there as the most serious consequences in life, your death. At this time I do not see this as a personal option. I have witnessed it and questioned the ethics of making this legal in society. I believe we have come to the point that what we call compassion has become something else. It is disguised as compassion and wears the same clothes but I am not at all certain it is. As to MAID for chronic mental illness, many of us in life have seen no way out but sucicide but have found a way through that seemingly hopeless state we have been covered with. Many of us who have walked those waters are grateful we did not dive in. Let us slow down and ponder this issue in all its various possible angles of thought as we only have one chance to make a mistake.. then it is done.”
“Because medical innovations and treatments are always changing and improving, more consideration should be given to providing every option to healing to everyone. With our health care system and mental health options being under extreme financial strain there are people who will not be aware or given all the options available. Let’s work on that option.”
“This is not ok to end the life of vulnerable patients.”
“Making it legal will discourage people with treatable mental illness from getting the help they need. I know from experience that people with mental disorders are already challenged in getting treatment, even if they have the stamina to seek it. It will be so much easier to just give up and die needlessly.”
Unsure
“Mental anguish destroys a person’s life as much as any terminal illness.”
“I think we need to be careful in our country not to use this as an excuse not to provide people with the medical help they require to live a comfortable life. We have already seen a public story of one woman being denied care and choosing assistive dying for a physical issue. I do believe strongly in this right, but I also believe in the right to proper medical care.”
“We need to take more time to understand the issue. Our society has been notoriously bad at treating mental illness and supporting people with mental health problems.”
“This is a complicated issue. Since a psychiatric disorder is not a terminal illness we have to be very careful about how we define “ treatment-resistant disorder” and who makes that determination. I have great empathy and sympathy anyone suffering from a chronic mental illness. I also strongly support the concept of dying with dignity. Where all the issues intersect, when you consider that suffering is a subjective experience, is debatable. As I said, complicated.”
“This should be a medical decision, not a legal one.”
“Is it incurable or lack of appropriate treatment the issue? I don’t want people to suffer needlessly, and I know access to treatment for mental health issues is difficult and at times impossible/too late!”
“I love to hear further from the professionals who have to make this decision and support their patient A politician who only « feels » it’s the right thing to do isn’t very convincing to me.”
