Medical Assistance in Dying: the Canadian Experience

  • 21 Mar 2024
  • 6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
  • Macquarie University City Campus

Medical Assistance in Dying: the Canadian Experience

A public panel organised by the Macquarie University Ethics and Agency Research Centre.

Abstract

Many places around the world have now legalised medical assistance in dying (MAiD), either in the form of assisted suicide or voluntary euthanasia. In NSW, voluntary assisted dying came into practice in late 2023, with strict safeguards. Meanwhile in Canada, the first legislation legalising MAiD in Canada was passed in 2016. That legislation was subsequently amended to remove "reasonably foreseeable natural death" as a threshold criterion for MAiD eligibility, and the government has committed to further extending MAiD eligibility in 2024 to persons experiencing intolerable suffering arising from mental illness (as the sole underlying medical condition).

Join our panel of experts to discuss how Canada got from their initial legislation to the present, and what that trajectory suggests regarding (potential) future developments.

Panelists

Prof. Margaret Hall (Simon Fraser University)

Hon. Prof. Jeanette Kennett (Macquarie University)

Dr. Linda Sheahan (SESLHD)

Chair: Assoc. Prof. Mianna Lotz (Macquarie University)

Interested members of the public from Sydney and surrounding areas are warmly invited to learn and to share their perspectives.

To register, please go to: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/public-panel-on-medical-assistance-in-dying-the-canadian-experience-tickets-837052084317?aff=oddtdtcreator