Christine Gauthier, pictured with George W. Bush at the 2016 Invictus Games, also competed in the Paralympics that same year. Credit: AP Photo/John Rau
Canadian Army veteran and former Paralympian says she was offered euthanasia after she asked about installing a disabled lift in her home.
Christine Gauthier, who served 10 years in the Canadian military and represented her country at the 2016 Paralympics, was given the right to die by a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) case worker.
Comment reportedly , was made last year, following Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party passing new laws in 2016 to legalize euthanasia for terminally ill Canadians.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Ms Gauthier, who requires a wheelchair due to permanent injuries sustained while serving in the military, said that after initially submitting a request for wheelchair equipment in 2018, in 2022 a VAC employee «called me, to find out where we are [with the elevator].”
She continued, “And I said I just couldn't go on like this. I can't continue living like this. Like, it needs to be done. This needs to be resolved.”
“And the man said, “You know, Madame Gauthier, if you really feel that you cannot go on like this, if you feel that you cannot do this. more, do you understand, you have the right to die?”
Ms. Gauthier has been wheelchair-bound since she had an accident while serving in the Canadian Army. Photo: Alex Menendez/Getty Images for Invictus Games
Veteran said she was shocked by the comments, exclaiming, «I can't believe after all this time, not only will you not give me the equipment I need to live, but you will help me die?< /p>
“It's very hard to understand when you feel or can be blind enough or stupid enough to believe that your government is there to help you and not end your life because you become too expensive or too expensive. problem.»
An investigation by the VAC identified four cases, «separate for one employee who is no longer a Department employee,» of death care improperly reported to veterans.
More than 10,000 people died as a result of assisted suicide in Canada in 2021, accounting for 3.3 percent of all reported deaths in the country.
The Canadian Euthanasia Prevention Coalition predicts 13,500 people in 2022 decided to commit suicide with the help of the government.
Responding to Ms Gauthier's revelations, Mr Trudeau told reporters at a press conference in September 2022: «We are investigating and we are changing protocols to ensure what should seem obvious to all of us: that this is not the seat of the Authority.» Veterans Affairs Canada, which is there to support those people who are ready to serve their country, to offer them medical care. help in death.»
UK lawmakers are considering a Private Members Bill currently before the House of Lords that would legalize euthanasia.
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, condemned the alleged actions of a Canadian Veterans Affairs official. Credit: Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP
Next year, the eligibility requirements for those eligible for death assistance in Canada will be expanded to include those with mental health problems.
The expansion was supposed to come into effect in March, but the government delayed its implementation until March 2024 to allow for consultations.
Dr. Konya Troughton, a proponent of euthanasia and a physician who provides and evaluates assisted suicide, supported the expansion of the legislation.
She told The Telegraph: “When the assisted death law was passed, it was in the same the year we got mifepristone in Canada, so it's a drug that people can take as a pill to have an abortion. Therefore, my skills and need for surgical abortion were limited.
«And I thought, 'Oh, there's an interesting change happening in the law, which is also about social justice, which is also about human autonomy.' . I wonder if I'd like to be a part of this?” and I did from the very beginning.”
The doctor was not concerned about expanding euthanasia legislation to include disorders such as depression.
“Having watched over the last couple of years as people with terminal illnesses, diseases or disabilities that are not fatal access Maid [medical care at death], I am quite sure that the level of verification and the level of assessment is very high. tough,” she said.
The fashion house “promoted euthanasia.”
Last year, Canadian fashion company La Maison Simons was criticized for an ad that starred a chronically ill woman who chose to commit suicide by claiming that it promotes euthanasia.
In the ad, Jennifer Hatch, who suffered from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, discussed the end of her life while music played and she was surrounded by images of nature.
She said: “When I imagine my last days, I see bubbles, I see the ocean, I see music. Even now, when I seek help to end my life, there is still so much beauty in it, you just need to muster up the courage to see it.
The video posted on YouTube contains the message: «For Jennifer: June 1985 to October 2022.
Hatch told Canadian broadcaster CTV in June 2022, «I was like, 'God, I feel like I'm losing consciousness, so if I can't access medical care, can I then access death care?' This is what prompted me to think about medical care at death, and I applied last year.”
Peter Simons, the former CEO of the company, defended the film.
In a video interview accompanying the ad, he said, “Obviously this is not a commercial campaign. Rather, it is an attempt to use our freedom, our voice and the privilege we have to speak and create every day in a way that is more about human connection.”
“A complex and deeply personal matter”
In December 2022 David Lametti, Canada's then Attorney General, told lawmakers: «There is no doubt that Medical Assistance at Death (MAID) is a complex and deeply personal issue.
«We are committed to ensuring laws reflect the changing needs of Canadians protect those who may be vulnerable and support autonomy and freedom of choice.»
The VAC said it was «concerned» by Ms Gauthier's allegations, but «found no evidence in our investigation that supported Mrs. -Ms. Gauthier, [and] we remain open to any new evidence that Ms. Gauthier or any other veteran brings forward.»
It adds: «It's not widespread, systemic. It's not problem and is not a reflection of the work of the hundreds of Veterans Affairs Curators and Agents who interact with veterans every day with the utmost care, compassion and respect.”
Свежие комментарии