A Canadian funeral home is making headlines, offering spaces for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) patients to end their own lives. The head of the funeral home described the practice as the natural next step for businesses of that industry. However a government spokesperson said that it is looking into the legality of funeral homes offering assisted dying services.
CBC News spoke with Mathieu Baker, head of the funeral home, which went unnamed in the report, who described a surreal scene in which family members gather in the funeral home with their still living relative, only to watch them die. He explained that the practice is even more emotional than he is normally accustomed to, which says a lot coming from someone whose whole profession revolves around comforting those in grief.
"There are a lot of emotions," Baker said. "The person who made the decision is usually very convinced, but the kids, the siblings, or other family members aren't necessarily on the same page."
He went on to explain that his business provides a “personalized experience” that most hospitals are too understaffed to offer. He described amenities like wine and movies for groups as large as 30. Seemingly taking place at a funeral home to make one’s death more convenient for others, the funeral home takes care of handling and preparing the body for burial afterward.
Explosion of deaths
Sarah Bigras, a spokesperson for Quebec's Minister Responsible for Seniors, explained that her office is taking time to validate questions that have arisen from the practice, although she seemed less interested in protecting the dignity of the dying and more so in funeral homes monetizing the practice. According to Right To Life, the funeral home charges CA$700 for the service.
Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson pointed to the explosion of deaths due to MAiD in recent years. In 2021, MAiD deaths accounted for 3.3% of all deaths in Canada, with 10,064 Canadian lives ended by euthanasia. She went on to lament that the euthanasia practices are more available than treatment in Canada:
“A year to see a psychiatrist but only two weeks for euthanasia, support for euthanasia being made legal for homelessness and poverty, a parliamentary committee recommending euthanasia for children, and now seven hundred dollar personalized euthanasia experiences: Canada’s euthanasia regime appears to be totally out of control,” Robinson stated.
She concluded by warning that the new funeral home practices opens patients up to exploitation, musing that they need assistance to continue living, rather than being assisted to die.
