BACK PAIN PATIENT OFFERED EUTHANASIA: MALTA, HEED THIS WARNING

By Maltese Canadian

 As Malta debates assisted voluntary euthanasia, the story of Miriam Lancaster, an 84-year-old Canadian woman, offers a stark warning. Last April, Mrs Lancaster was rushed to Vancouver General Hospital with severe back pain from a fractured sacrum. Before any tests or treatment, a doctor offered her Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).  “I was taken aback,” she said. “That was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to find out why I was in pain. I did not want to die.”  Mrs Lancaster refused. She received proper care and recovered fully. Since then, she has travelled to Cuba, taken cooking classes in Mexico, and most recently visited Guatemala, where she climbed a volcano on horseback and played piano with a local jazz ensemble. 

Here is her story in her own words: https://x.com/AmandaAchtman/status/2034340063795106229.

Her story proves that pain is often temporary and life after suffering can be rich and joyful.  Canada legalised euthanasia in 2016 for “grievous and irremediable” conditions. What began as a limited option for the terminally ill has expanded dramatically. MAiD now accounts for nearly five per cent of all deaths. Cases include mental illness and even ordinary ailments. Doctors sometimes raise the option of death before offering hope or treatment.  

Malta is different. We are a small island nation with deep Catholic roots, strong family ties, and a tradition of respecting every human life from beginning to end. Our elderly are cherished. Our grandparents, parents, and neighbours built our communities. Offering them euthanasia would betray these values.  

Maltese doctors largely oppose assisted suicide. Instead, they call for greater investment in palliative care, better pain management, and home support. Families want their loved ones surrounded by care and prayer, not offered a lethal injection.  

Once legalised, euthanasia carries a slippery slope. In Canada, vulnerable people may feel pressured, subtly or otherwise, to choose death to avoid burdening relatives or the health system. Safeguards weaken over time. The young doctor who offered MAiD to Mrs Lancaster did so almost immediately. How many others, less assertive than Miriam, have accepted?  

Maltese families understand solidarity in suffering. We sit by the bedside, hold hands, pray, and affirm that every life is sacred. Suffering calls for compassion and support, not suicide.  As public consultation continues, let Miriam Lancaster’s experience be heard across Malta. Tell your MPs and community leaders: we do not want Canada’s path. We want hospitals that heal, not end life. We want a Malta that honours the vulnerable and chooses life.  Miriam Lancaster did not want to die. She wanted to live and now travels, laughs, and makes music under foreign skies.  Let us choose life. Let us never offer death to our own.