MALTA MUST REJECT EUTHANASIA: CANADA’S CAUTIONARY TALE

by Maltese Canadian

Using killing to solve social problems is a legacy of Nazi Germany, where whole classes of people were deemed unworthy of life because they could not contribute to the health of society

Before Malta takes the irreversible step of euthanasia, it must heed the chilling lessons from Canada—a nation where good intentions have spiraled into a nightmare of unintended consequences.

Canada legalized euthanasia, known as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), in 2016, initially framing it as a humane option for those with terminal illnesses. But less than a decade later, the reality is starkly different, offering Malta a grim warning of what lies beyond the slippery slope.

What began as a limited measure has ballooned into apermissive euthanasia regime. By 2021, Canada eliminated the requirement that death be imminent, expanding eligibility to anyone with a “grievous and irremediable” condition—terminal or not. The result? Over 15,000 Canadians are now euthanized annually, accounting for more than 4% of all deaths in the country. In Malta, the same percentage would translate to about 170 cases of euthanasia each year. The rapid escalation in Canada reveals how quickly boundaries erode once the door is opened.

More disturbing are the stories emerging from Canada’s experiment. Reports have surfaced of vulnerable individuals—poor, disabled, or socially isolated—choosing death because of societal neglect. A man in his 40s, unemployed and battling bowel disease, was euthanized after being deemed “socially vulnerable and isolated.” Not much had been done to alleviate his pain. Another case involved a woman in her 50s with multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, who sought death largely because she couldn’t secure proper housing. Euthanasia quickly becomes a substitute for care.

Canada’s safeguards, once touted as robust, have proven flimsy. Physicians proactively suggest euthanasia to patients, even those who haven’t raised it themselves. Such normalization risks pressuring the vulnerable. “Il-ġlieda għaż-żgħir” quickly evolves into “il-ġlieda kontra ż-żgħir.”

Perhaps most alarming is the growing acceptance of euthanasia for non-medical suffering. A 2023 poll found 27% of Canadians support it for poverty-related distress, and 28% for homelessness. This shift in societal values—where death is offered as a solution to life’s hardships—echoes the fears of Maltese critics like Philip Borg who wared that euthanasia would encourage families to murder their own. I would add, just like abortion does.