Canada pauses assisted suicide program for the mentally ill due to lack of physicians

Canada has put a temporary pause on its assisted suicide program for those suffering only from mental illness. The country currently offers assisted suicide to those terminally or chronically ill, but Canadians are still split on extending the same option to those suffering only from mental illness, according to Fox News Digital.

Some have suggested that psychiatric care in the country could be better, which would otherwise dissuade some people from deciding to die. The controversial policy would permit any Canadian with an incurable disease to apply for assisted suicide, even if the condition is not life-threatening.

The program would be one of the most liberal assisted suicide programs in the world.

Canada's initial effort to introduce medically assisted suicide took place when the Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that forcing someone to deal with intolerable suffering violated their fundamental rights to liberty and security. However, the law was expanded in 2021 to include anyone who experienced "grievous and irremediable" situations, including depression and other instances of mental illness.

Consequently, 13,000 Canadians took advantage of the assisted suicide program in 2022 alone. When the program took off, Conservative MP Ed Fast said, "Have we gone too far and too fast with Canada’s assisted suicide program?"

"Will we evolve into a culture of death as the preferred option for those who suffer from mental illness or will we choose life?"

However, health officials are reluctant to expand the program, suggesting that there are not enough physicians — specifically psychiatrists — to effectively diagnose and treat those with mental illnesses, according to a statement made by Health Minister Mark Holland and Justice Minister Arif Virani, per the New York Times.

"The system needs to be ready, and we need to get it right," Holland said. "It's clear from the conversations we've had that the system is not ready, and we need more time."

"Although the curriculum is present, although the guidelines are set, there has not been enough time for people to be trained on them, and provinces and territories are saying their systems are not ready and need more time," he added.

However, the BBC reported that Dying with Dignity, an advocacy group, said on Thursday that they were "disheartened" by the sudden delay of the program. They referred to the pause as a "denial of constitutional rights for suffering people across Canada."

It is uncertain when the program will be extended if it does at all.

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