this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2024
240 points (98.8% liked)

News

37421 readers
1851 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious biased sources will be removed at the mods’ discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted separately but not to the post body. Sources may be checked for reliability using Wikipedia, MBFC, AdFontes, GroundNews, etc.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source. Clickbait titles may be removed.


Posts which titles don’t match the source may be removed. If the site changed their headline, we may ask you to update the post title. Clickbait titles use hyperbolic language and do not accurately describe the article content. When necessary, post titles may be edited, clearly marked with [brackets], but may never be used to editorialize or comment on the content.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials, videos, blogs, press releases, or celebrity gossip will be allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Mods may use discretion to pre-approve videos or press releases from highly credible sources that provide unique, newsworthy content not available or possible in another format.


7. No duplicate posts.


If an article has already been posted, it will be removed. Different articles reporting on the same subject are permitted. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners or news aggregators.


All posts must link to original article sources. You may include archival links in the post description. News aggregators such as Yahoo, Google, Hacker News, etc. should be avoided in favor of the original source link. Newswire services such as AP, Reuters, or AFP, are frequently republished and may be shared from other credible sources.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Summary

Euthanasia accounted for 4.7% of deaths in Canada in 2023, with 15,300 people opting for assisted dying—a 16% increase, though slower than prior years.

Most recipients had terminal illnesses, primarily cancer, and 96% were white, sparking questions about disparities.

Quebec, at 37% of cases, remains Canada's euthanasia hotspot.

Since legalizing assisted dying in 2016, Canada has expanded access, now covering chronic conditions and planning to include mental illnesses by 2027.

Critics, citing rapid growth and controversial cases, warn of insufficient safeguards, while proponents highlight strict eligibility criteria. Debate continues globally.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 106 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I'm surprised it's that many, but it's people who are allowed to die with dignity, and released from a life of pain.
I hate we don't have that right here in Denmark.

[–] tootoughtoremember@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago

Not that surprising given how big our aging boomer demographic is. This was my father two years ago who had fought a year long battle with cancer before deciding to go with MAID. He was already hospitalized in palliative care and it may have only saved him a day or two more of suffering. In fact after how rough his final night was, I wish he had been able to let go a day earlier.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 42 points 1 year ago

At least in Canada people can choose euthanasia because they are in pain rather than because they're bankrupting their family

[–] cows_are_underrated@feddit.org 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I would be curious how this affects the suicide statistics.

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That is the neat part, it does not!

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/suicide-canada-key-statistics-infographic.html

so 4500 "suicides" vs the articles above 15,300 people. I don't think 15,300 is a subset of 4500.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] ramsorge@discuss.online 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

It’s ridiculous that there is a prerequisite of terminal illness

[–] 1985MustangCobra@lemmy.ca 28 points 1 year ago (14 children)

There's a huge push from the right that this is unethical to offer it in the first place and that soon we are just going to let people euthanize themselves instead of "treating" them. I mean, i don't want people to do this either, but who are we to force a choice onto someone?

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 20 points 1 year ago

It makes me worried about vulnerable people getting bullied into it somehow.

[–] podperson@lemm.ee 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yep - "unethical" to let people die without suffering and passing on financial ruin to loved ones, but "ethical" to kill criminals for their misdeeds. That's superb logic from the right.

[–] moistclump@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I don’t disagree with you, but I think you’re thinking US not Canada. Death penalty is not Canadian. I don’t think? And health cares free (not to say there’s not other costs associated).

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

We haven't had the death penalty for decades. We stopped using it in '63 and officially abolished in '76 for civilians and '99 for things like treason.

[–] podperson@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

Yes - US perspective. Whacky world view, IMO.

load more comments (12 replies)
[–] BastingChemina@slrpnk.net 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

One step at the time.

Making euthanasia legal for people with terminal illness is already hard enough and I'm glad it is now possible in a lot of countries.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There were issues early on and people who shouldn't have been offered the option, got offered the option.

[–] ramsorge@discuss.online 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean, anyone who wants the option should have the option. The requirement should be to make an appointment.

[–] HikingVet@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 year ago

No argument against that.

The problem was (as I understand it) the doctor didn't read the room and it was received poorly.

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

Quebec has 9 million divided by Canada's 41 = 22% by population.

[–] Routhinator@startrek.website 5 points 1 year ago

Lets keep context here. The largest generation in history is at the end of their lifespan in many cases. The stats are as inflated as that generational bubble.

load more comments
view more: next ›