Well I understand that it’s hard to live by that conviction - even if you know it intrinsically - when the powers don’t care if you have adequate and stable support to survive or not.
Expansion of MAID delayed until after next election
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Lets face it intelligence and enlightenment go down in the face of the mystery of avarice (an emotion). Like the degrading of Christ? Look what romantics and Julian powers did ... dark ages followed ...
It seems to be necessary by times ... creating some strange waves across Cosmo ... gravid? They're out there ... the stuffing's of myth ... inflationary to the Roots! (Novella of a black essence))
Northwind
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No doctor should be forced to perform MAID against their will. No person should be in a position where they feel the only choice is to have MAID. I agree with what you've said @Kimmio Laughterlove
The choice about quality of life belongs to the individual. I guess I'm influenced by a friend who lived with metastatic breast cancer for over ten years. For most of that time, she lived her life normally. It only had extra medical treatments and appointments. She came to a point where she was done. She was tired. She declined IV chemo which was her next option. She had the choice. She fully intended to use MAID. She postponed the date twice and ended up dying in hospice with her family around her. I'm glad that's how she went. She was ready. I also though, supported her decision to use MAID.
I understand being tired and done. I'm not there yet. I get it now though. I don't see a time where I would choose MAID.
The choice about quality of life belongs to the individual. I guess I'm influenced by a friend who lived with metastatic breast cancer for over ten years. For most of that time, she lived her life normally. It only had extra medical treatments and appointments. She came to a point where she was done. She was tired. She declined IV chemo which was her next option. She had the choice. She fully intended to use MAID. She postponed the date twice and ended up dying in hospice with her family around her. I'm glad that's how she went. She was ready. I also though, supported her decision to use MAID.
I understand being tired and done. I'm not there yet. I get it now though. I don't see a time where I would choose MAID.
But why did it have to be turned into a doctor’s responsibility to facilitate people’s being done? Literally. Not because they were imminently dying but because they were tired of living? What happened to the responsibility to provide hospice and palliative care to help them find joy even if tired? Why just “I’m tired.” …and the response being “okay, fair enough, we’ll kill you.” It’s just not what MAiD was for.
And speaking of tired. Most disabled people live with fatigue. Whether mental or physical. The government seems to think pushing employment programs is a good enough replacement to the human rights, supports and services cut as MAiD becomes more available. They pretend that paying lip service to the UNCRPD is enough. They’ll tell us being tired isn’t an excuse not to work - that we don’t deserve anything above subsistence if we don’t - but it is a good enough excuse for MAiD? That makes no sense in a civilized society. Not working then becomes an act of protest (I’m not breaking myself for the status quo, thanks). But that’s still tiring and it’s still work to stay aware of this stuff and keep talking about it. It’s exhausting even just writing these posts today, to be honest. But we have to keep communicating the concerns on platforms big and small.
Northwind
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I'm not speaking just plain old tired or even fatigue. I'm talking about ready to die, done.
Anyone living with cancer lives with fatigue. It's life. Being done is the next level and usually part of end of life. I truly hope you are never in a position to understand that.
I said that no doctor (or other health professional) should be forced to facilitate MAID.
Anyone living with cancer lives with fatigue. It's life. Being done is the next level and usually part of end of life. I truly hope you are never in a position to understand that.
I said that no doctor (or other health professional) should be forced to facilitate MAID.
I’m going to be in a position to understand that some day, probably. But I’m going to live my conviction to the end, regardless. I won’t die a moment too soon via a policy that I think is wrong, that harms society more than it helps, that is part of a fascist agenda whether legislators recognize that yet or not.
Not that anyone else will care. But I do.
Not that anyone else will care. But I do.
I understand psychic pain, that is actually being caused by the existence of this legislation and the abject discrimination that’s becoming normalized. I’ve experienced some truly dark ableism, more than I ever thought I would. It’s traumatic. It is truly painful - I fight off “why bother?”… and sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed. Then, I go out and pretend it’s fine, to keep myself going, because I know I have to. I try to laugh once a day, find joy in something. I’m still going to fight for these principles until the end.
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Some disabled people who were struggling with inadequate support and housing - they felt done - chose to go public with their MAiD decisions in protest but as MAiD became normalized it didn’t even register much with the public and they lost their lives too soon. It’s very sad and maddening. Like, when someone is about to jump off a bridge, we’re supposed to talk them down, pull them away from the edge - the public didn’t recognize that and they still don’t. It really upsets me.
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Truchon should’ve been helped into better circumstances - he wanted to die because long term care was inadequate. He should not have been used as a legal pawn in the MAiD game. Again, that’s the governments fault. And the public’s. They watched the turn of events and instead of helping, pitied him to death. He shouldn’t have died. His concerns should’ve been seen as a protest. The Quebec law should’ve been challenged, and done so in his memory.
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Northwind
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Metastatic cancer in the case I'm describing is different from psychic pain. I know that people with disabilities face daily hurdles that able bodied people don't have to face. I know they also quite often have too much interaction with the medical system or with other helpers. I get that. I'm sure it's tiring. Psychologically tiring.
I think the difference is that metastatic does kill. It may kill quickly or it may be something someone lives with for years. It is ultimately terminal. To me, that is different than a disability, even though a disability may be part of the deal. Even with treatment, the cancer lurks in the background, ready to strike anytime. Someone can be doing very well and suddenly the disease goes sideways and becomes immediately life threatening.
So, when I say someone with metastatic cancer is done, I mean they know the disease is active and that any further treatment is stepping into heroic measures category. Stopping treatment or choosing MAID at that point may be comparable to removing life supports from someone who is beyond saving. Treatment is like the life supports.
Merely being in a dark place isn't enough to get MAID. Knowing the end is imminent can be enough.
I think the difference is that metastatic does kill. It may kill quickly or it may be something someone lives with for years. It is ultimately terminal. To me, that is different than a disability, even though a disability may be part of the deal. Even with treatment, the cancer lurks in the background, ready to strike anytime. Someone can be doing very well and suddenly the disease goes sideways and becomes immediately life threatening.
So, when I say someone with metastatic cancer is done, I mean they know the disease is active and that any further treatment is stepping into heroic measures category. Stopping treatment or choosing MAID at that point may be comparable to removing life supports from someone who is beyond saving. Treatment is like the life supports.
Merely being in a dark place isn't enough to get MAID. Knowing the end is imminent can be enough.
Much, much less than that has been enough to qualify many people though. I think that’s more the concern I was trying to get at. The psychic pain of the injustice of this has increased the suicidality of people who could qualify when there’s no legitimate evidence that says that just having a disease or disability - or even fearing future disability after diagnosis as reason for suicidality - is somehow more legitimate to follow through on, than any other reason for suicidality. Or, conversely that one form of suicidality is more important to try to prevent or stop. Those are not medical facts. They are not scientific facts. Where are studies backing those claims? If MAiD is to be offered as medical treatment shouldn’t there be strong medical evidence to back how it’s being applied? These are assumptions that come from ableism, from social prejudice, and from justifying sociopolitical mistakes, that turned MAiD into an expedient option in a failing system. If there’s no “medical evidence” of its “medical” benefit (which is absurd because what medical benefit can a dead person have received?) then what business is it being part of medical practice?
This is me thinking out loud more broadly not necessarily all about your comment.
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Why is MAiD, done prior to imminent death, considered healthcare? Being dead is the opposite of good health of an individual - even logically that can’t be denied. If it’s about collective health how can it not be ableist, discriminatory in the utmost, to “cure” disability by using the government health system to end the lives of disabled people and ill people who may have years to live? Where does our collective well-being factor into that? We know the excuses the nazis used and Canada is quietly repeating the same justifications, but society can’t admit it and the government won’t.
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Northwind
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My point is that there is a place for MAID. No, it is not healthcare. Yes, it's complicated. No, it's not okay for it to be a "treatment" for disability. No, it should never ever be a replacement for supports or care such as palliative care. No, it should not replace palliative care as a "cost saving" "option"
When used, it must always be the free choice of all involved.
When used, it must always be the free choice of all involved.
However for thhose that cannot see the cause ... it is an easy out!
This is grand for leading power: busy, governors and beliefs over what is misinformation ... they possibly have no time for knowing and such intelligence about what is disliked! Thus split decisions or divine impacts ... like "ONG"! Blow to the side of the head ... implication of unchangeable desires ...
There is a time to hold, to fold and when to run ... get out with yah! I am ready to go after all I've leaned about mortal life ... canon fodder?
Well consider if you can't stand your fellow M'N! Greek MU's ... 9 've M ... in a misreading it might appear as "g'vem" room ... ode am ... the plugging of Bung! "Time gentle man" please ... get out for a stretch ... give the publican a rest! Gee Zus spoke on-ite ... puzzling?
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WhyCzar
Connect The Dots
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This is a long article but I found it well worth the time it took to read it.
I will try to link the Gift Article From
t.co
Edit: It works but involves a lot of navigating around advertisements and such.
I will try to link the Gift Article From
Canada Is Killing Itself
The country gave its citizens the right to die. Doctors are struggling to keep up with demand.
t.co
Edit: It works but involves a lot of navigating around advertisements and such.
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Doctors are also caught in a conscience bind because if they conscientiously object they have to refer to someone else and there are maid assessors who feel like it’s their job, their duty, to approve requests after refusals - and so then patients get funnelled to those eager to accommodate death requests. And there’s nobody monitoring this. It comes out, if at all, in post death reports which does nothing for the patient whose life could’ve been saved. But some provinces require that MAiD not be stated as the cause of death. Even though that’s the exact cause of death.
It’s easier to keep up with the demand for MAiD requests than it is to refer people to appropriate interventions - or even find such interventions. It’s faster to get approved for MAiD than to get specialist care. It’s faster (by years) to get MAiD than accessible housing. It’s faster to get MAiD than get suicide prevention counselling. Etc. MAiD is more expedient by far and that’s horrifying - or it should be! I don’t know wtf is wrong with people that it doesn’t horrify more. Is this the Canada we’re supposed to be proud of?
It’s easier to keep up with the demand for MAiD requests than it is to refer people to appropriate interventions - or even find such interventions. It’s faster to get approved for MAiD than to get specialist care. It’s faster (by years) to get MAiD than accessible housing. It’s faster to get MAiD than get suicide prevention counselling. Etc. MAiD is more expedient by far and that’s horrifying - or it should be! I don’t know wtf is wrong with people that it doesn’t horrify more. Is this the Canada we’re supposed to be proud of?
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Thus martyrdom processes like Trump is doing ... he just doesn't realize yet what it is doing to his support system! Going down one notch at a time ... subtle ... like intellect departs!
BetteTheRed
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My experiential problem, Kimmio, is that I have only known two of my friends to use MAiD, and both times, it was totally appropriate. One was a woman with ALS who was had lost most movement including speech, breathing was starting to be compromised, she'd seen one child married in Ireland, and met her first grandchild. The other was a 94 year old with rapidly terminal ovarian cancer who wanted to time her own end so that her far flung kids could be close, and hilariously, not ruin subsequent Christmases for them.
I can totally get behind reducing the law to its original intent: that of alleviating the suffering of dying people. I'd be very upset if basic MAiD for the terminal were revoked.
I can totally get behind reducing the law to its original intent: that of alleviating the suffering of dying people. I'd be very upset if basic MAiD for the terminal were revoked.
Well, it’s not going to be. But Track 2 needs to be repealed, and Track 1 revised to ensure that it’s not being used as an excuse to end lives way too early. That was not the original intent of the law - or actually it was but it’s not the original intent the public were led to believe as of 2014. It needs to be brought back to that even if it means scrapping and starting over. We cannot have a law (well we do but we shouldn’t) that gives power to the state to end lives with little oversight while the state expands the law to mental illness, while simultaneously introducing involuntary detention and treatments for mental illness and addiction which will most likely involve many homeless people. The risks to public safety (and yes that includes safety of homeless people) , are enormous if we leave things the way they are. It doesn’t make sense if we claim to be a decent country. We are not in peacetime, and that fact raises all the risks of death for marginalized people, especially disabled people - particularly disabled women, and disabled people from other marginalized groups - more than anyone else. I don’t want to explain again that there are two tracks. One was intended for terminal illness but that’s been interpreted too broadly. The other is for people who are nowhere close to dying. Disabled people without terminal illnesses. Maybe start referring to them ad Track 1 and Track 2 because it’s important to differentiate and that’s what they’re officially called .
Anyone still on the fence: Do you not see the dangers of such laws because of geopolitics right now? Do you honestly think what Trump’s doing won’t affect, or infect, us? Or maybe some people here are really insulated from how bad it already is getting - even in this country - and still can’t see it. Is it really more important to have it your way? Would it be so awful to go back to where we were in 2014 and really examine it through this lens? Do the UN alarms, warnings, and recommendations expressed in thorough reporting mean nothing? - because if so, that puts you closer to Trump’s point of view than you think.
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