Government in Alberta, Canada, considers safeguards on assisted dying for minors, mentally ill

The provincial government of Alberta, Canada, is considering new safeguards for its assisted dying program (known as medical assistance in dying — MAID) that would offer protections to underage citizens and those suffering from mental illnesses.

The measure, Bill 18, titled “Protecting Vulnerable Albertans Seeking MAID,” would “increase oversight, introduce necessary safeguards, and provide greater clarity around eligibility requirements for medical assistance in dying,” the legislation states.

The measure would limit assisted suicide in Alberta to patients 18 years old and over, and would prohibit the procedure for those who are suffering solely from a mental illness as well as “individuals without the capacity to make their own health care decisions.”

Also outlawed would be “advance requests,” a controversial policy in which patients agree ahead of time to be euthanized when they are unable to give consent for the procedure.

Under the new proposal, doctors would also be required to make a “reasonable effort” to review a patient’s health history prior to approving assisted suicide.

And doctors would be forbidden from bringing up discussions about MAID with their patients, requiring the patients themselves to initiate the conversation.

The legislation “would help ensure MAID in Alberta is provided compassionately and in line with federal law, while protecting vulnerable persons, including those with a mental illness,” the proposal says.

Suicide numbers have raised alarm

The proposal comes amid heightened concerns over Canada’s assisted suicide program, which was first legalized in 2015 and has become widely popular in subsequent years.

The country’s most recent report on its MAID program found that 16,499 people received assisted suicide there in 2024, a roughly 7% increase from the year before.

The report also said that the number of assisted suicides in the country — which Canada refers to as “MAID provisions” — may be “stabilizing” after years of double-digit growth, including a 36.8% jump from 2019 to 2020.

The vast majority of individuals who received MAID had what the government calls a “reasonably foreseeable death.” Most of those individuals had cancer.

Advocates have raised alarms about the lack of safeguards in Canada’s assisted suicide laws beyond the risk of suicide itself. An advocacy group in 2025 found that the country’s laws have led to disproportionately high rates of premature deaths among vulnerable groups, including those who are suffering from mental illness.

The country for years has debated expanding the program nationally to individuals suffering solely from mental illness, though the government tabled that proposal in 2024 for three years.

Still, local expansions of the law have raised red flags with watchdog groups, including a Quebec measure in 2024 that allowed assisted suicide for individuals who cannot consent at the time of the procedure.

Catholic bishops and advocates in the country have worked for years to both roll back MAID and pass safeguards for existing programs. In February, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops urged support of a national measure to prohibit MAID for those suffering solely from mental illness.

On March 19 the Archdiocese of Edmonton said the newly proposed legislation in Alberta “marks an important moment for reflection” in the province.

“While public discussion continues, the Church remains committed to a vision centered on accompaniment, compassion, and care,” the statement said.

“In every circumstance, Catholics are called to ensure that no one feels abandoned or without hope, affirming that each life is a gift worthy of dignity and love until natural death,” the archdiocese added.

Source: https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/americas/alberta-canada-government-considers-safeguards-on-assisted-dying-for-minors-mentally-ill