A mother is speaking out after her son, who battled mental illness, was a victim of euthanasia in Canada despite not being terminally ill.
In an interview with the Epoch Times, Sharon Danley told the story of her son, Matthew, and his death. On December 21, 2021, Matthew was killed through Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD), despite not having a terminal illness.
“There was nothing I could do,” Danley said.
Danley explained that Matthew had struggled with mental illness, but had cut her — as well as other family members and friends — out of his life when she encouraged him to seek genuine medical help, and not death. Because of this estrangement, Danley was not permitted to be present when her son died. “I hoped that his soul would find some peace,” she said, explaining that she sat in her apartment praying as her son was killed.
Matthew had applied for MAiD in the spring, and Danley initially was not worried. “Both my sister and I were sure that this wouldn’t go through because of his history of mental health,” she said. “Oh, were we wrong.”
He was approved for MAiD because he had been born with several birth defects which had required various treatments and surgeries, but he was not dying, and his condition was manageable. “I am not for one second trying to diminish the seriousness of [his pain] at all,” she said. “But I’m questioning.”
Even though Matthew had struggled with suicidal thoughts, that history did not seem to enter into the equation when it came time to approve him for MAiD. “Shouldn’t that be part of the issue?” she asked. “Shouldn’t that be explored?”
Instead, Matthew’s death was approved, and Danley was forced to wait with friends in her apartment, helpless, as a doctor killed her son. “We sat here, we talked about Matthew, and I got a text message that the doctor was there and he was starting to insert, and I just lost it,” she said. “I just cried, because I wanted to be there to pray for Christ to take his soul. I wanted to be part of that. It was about his soul I was concerned about more than anything. But I was denied that.”
Danley also made it clear how she views Matthew’s death. “When a loved one is murdered, it’s a traumatic situation,” she said. Now, she is fighting to change the legislation which has allowed people like Matthew to be so easily killed — and he is far from alone. In recent months, people have been approved for MAiD not due to terminal illness, but because of issues like medical mismanagement, chemical sensitivities, and an inability to access health care. And Danley fears it will only get worse.
“What I have a concern about with MAiD is how many more amendments are coming,” she said. “It’s a Trojan horse, and there will be more and more and more stuff coming out of that horse.”
