Opinion: The Deeper Issue With Expanding Assisted Dying to Mental Illness

August 23, 2024

a model of the regions of the brain

(Undark) – Debate over Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying law shows the need to rethink the biological model of mental illness.

I was horrified by the news of the law’s latest expansion — a reaction that surprised me. Having grown up with a seriously mentally ill family member, I know first-hand how destructive mental illness can be, and I have no illusion that it is always treatable. Additionally, I support assisted suicide in cases of grave and terminal physical illness, so why do I find it so unacceptable to offer it to people who are intractably mentally ill? (Read More)