CCCB Statement on Bill C-218: No “MAiD” for Mental Illness
On February 4 the Permanent Council of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) issued a statement strongly supporting Private Member’s Bill C-218, which seeks to prevent persons whose sole medical condition is mental illness from accessing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (“MAiD”).
The CCCB has a strong record of opposing “MAiD” and seeking to limit its scope in Canadian society. This statement has been approved by 14 Bishops from across Canada, who together form the Permanent Council, CCCB’s most authoritative voice between Plenary Assembly meetings.
The statement’s position aligns with the Permanent Council’s 2023 Open Letter to the Government of Canada on Permitting Persons Living with Mental Illness to Access Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide: “To enable or assist in the suicide for these patients directly contradicts national suicide prevention strategies and reneges on our collective social responsibility to provide persons living with mental health challenges with treatment, support, and hope through therapeutic interventions.”
Referencing empirical research and the professional judgment of many mental health professionals, today’s statement notes that mental illness is not necessarily irremediable. This implies that access to treatment for mental illness, including palliative care, must be improved.
