New Yorkers are being warned they could open a “Pandora’s box” as the state legalizes physician-assisted suicide this summer, and Canada’s experience serves as a cautionary tale.Debbie Fisher, 71, from Ontario, said her elderly mother nearly had to be euthanized after saying something at the hospital. Her mother, 93-year-old Rita Busby, was hospitalized after an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. As she drifted off to sleep, she told the nurse she “wanted to die.”Hospital staff took the comment seriously and began preparations for euthanasia. “I was scared. I couldn’t believe what was happening. They talked to me like I was letting the dogs loose,” Fisher told the New York Post.Fisher said her mother had no intention of ending her life. “My mother wanted to die, she didn’t want to be killed!” she said. “If I hadn’t been there, if she hadn’t signed the release, who knows what would have happened.”Busby avoided surgery and lived for another six months, during which time she resumed normal activities, including bowling, attending baseball games and reconnecting with her family, before dying of natural causes at home in 2019.Fisher is now urging families in New York to prepare ahead of time as the state plans to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The law will take effect on August 4. It will allow eligible terminally ill patients to request life-ending drugs, subject to strict conditions.
The case of Heather Hancock
In Canada, Heather Hancock, 58, who has cerebral palsy, warned of a “slippery slope.” “You’ve just opened Pandora’s box and the landslide can get very steep very quickly,” she said.Hancock claims medical professionals repeatedly encouraged her to consider taking her own life. She recalls one visit to the hospital, “The nurse on my ward looked at me and said, ‘You should really consider MAiD. You’re not living. You’re just existing.'”She now carries a “Don’t euthanasia” card and warns vulnerable people to be vigilant. “Please be vigilant, especially if you have a disability or mental illness or are in any way considered a vulnerable or non-contributing member of society. These are the people who are targeted,” she added, “[PAS] is an effective way to get rid of those they believe are draining resources from the healthcare system. This is not compassion.“Canada legalized physician-assisted dying a decade ago and has since expanded its use. It is estimated that about 100,000 people will die under the system, accounting for about one-half of the deaths in 2024.The system is becoming increasingly lax. Canada is expected to expand eligibility to people with mental illness as the only condition in 2027, pending legal challenges.American medical institutions have also raised concerns, saying that physician-assisted suicide is incompatible with the role of doctors and poses serious social risks.
