Quebec: Provincial govt. proposes bill to incorporate advanced consent in assisted dying

Sonia Bélanger, the minister responsible for seniors in Quebec, on Thursday, proposed a bill that, if passed, would permit people to ask for assisted dying under the medical aid in dying (MAID) before being incapacitated by an incurable disease.

People in the province suffering from degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s would be able to apply for advanced consent under assisted dying in the province if the bill tabled Thursday, that cites “a mental disorder is not considered to be an illness”, is passed.

Expansion to MAID was also proposed by Quebec lawmakers back in the spring of 2022 to inculcate advanced consent but was postponed by the province citing that further discussions are needed on the topic.

Back when MAID was legalized by Ottawa in 2016, it only covered those battling terminal illnesses the demise of whom was “reasonably foreseeable.” In 2020, the government amended the bill to include people with “serious and incurable illness, disease or disability [excluding mental illness, for now]” to qualify for MAID.

It must also be necessary for individuals seeking assisted dying under MAID to be in an “advanced state of irreversible decline in capability” and endure suffering “that cannot be alleviated under conditions the person considers acceptable.”

As of now, at a provincial level, Quebec requires an individual to be able to give informed consent while receiving assisted death under MAID, a provision that leaves out those battling degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

It may be pertinent to note that on a federal level, individuals suffering from mental illnesses like depression or personality disorders will also be eligible for assisted dying under maid starting March of 2024.