Euthanasia Is Now The Cause Of 1 In 20 Deaths In Canada

An annual report by the Canadian government showed that deaths by euthanasia have steadily grown since it became legal.

Since the establishment of Canada's Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) law in 2016, more than 60,000 people have used euthanasia to die.

Euthanasia accounted for 15,343 deaths in 2023 or 4.7% or about 1 in 20 of all deaths in the country.

According to a 2023 annual report on medical assistance in dying, assisted dying cases grew more than 15% last year but the growth in increases of euthanasia cases is slowing.

Health officials are not sure if that means cases are leveling out to a more predictable yearly average.

Most recipients were older adults, with a median age of 77. Most also had terminal illnesses, such as cancer, though 4% were granted euthanasia for chronic conditions without imminent death.

Ethnic data revealed that 96% who chose to die were white, despite whites only comprising 70% of the population. Asians made up 1.8 percent of euthanasia victims.

This year is the first time the annual report has released information about recipients' ethnicity.

The majority of MAID provisions occurred in Quebec (36.5%), Ontario (30.3%) and British Columbia (18.0%) in 2023, with these three provinces accounting for nearly 85% of all MAID cases.

In 2023, 915 individuals who requested MAID were determined to be ineligible for the procedure

Canada's medical assistance in dying law, initially limited to foreseeable natural death, expanded in 2021 to include chronic conditions.

Other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Spain Austria and the Netherlands have introduced euthanasia laws.

The United Kingdom passed a euthanasia bill for adults in England and Wales that's undergoing scrutiny prior to becoming law, the BBC reported.

Euthanasia is legal in six states in the U.S.: New Mexico, Colorado, California, Washington, Oregon, and Montana.