Over the past few weeks, reports have emerged from both Canada and Australia detailing the rapid increase in euthanasia deaths in the respective districts. Though the data comes from opposite ends of the world, it reflects the same sobering tale — there appears to be no stopping the rapid expansion of so-called “assisted death,” and once it becomes legalized, no matter where it is, it quickly spirals out of control.
Sky-rocketing euthanasia deaths around the world
Australia
Recently released data out of New South Wales (NSW) shows that dozens of people are ending their own lives every week through the nation’s Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) laws. Though it was only legalized in NSW in May 2022, the latest VAD report shows that a shocking 398 people died between November 28, 2023, and June 30, 2024. What’s more troubling is that the vast majority of these deaths occurred in the four-month period from February to June 2024, which saw a 50 percent increase in the number of VAD deaths compared to the first three months of the reporting period.
Though the rapid rise should be cause for caution, NSW authorities are advocating for even more deaths, calling the current laws “too restrictive.”
“[The] Criminal Code Act 1995 significantly restricts voluntary assisted dying service in NSW,” wrote Board chair Professor Jenni Millbank in the report. “[We] will continue to advocate for federal legislative changes to enable state and territory voluntary assisted dying laws to operate as they were designed to do.”
Though NSW is just one Australian state, similar reports have emerged from other states (and countries) that have legalized the practice.
Belgium
Though Belgium first legalized euthanasia in 2002, assisted suicide and euthanasia rates in that country have been steadily climbing ever since, and reached a record high in 2022-2023. A number of troubling reports have been noted, including a woman who was euthanized solely due to an autism diagnosis, and another woman who was smothered with a pillow after the drugs failed to cause her death as intended.
Canada
When Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) was first legalized in 2016, Canadian officials stressed that it was only intended for “rare” circumstances. “We do not wish to promote premature death as a solution to all medical suffering,” stated Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould. However, in just a matter of a few short years, MAiD deaths in the country have spiked immensely. Numbers released earlier this year showed that it is now the worldwide leader in euthanasia rates; the latest report from Quebec showed that the province had the highest euthanasia rate in the world, with 5,686 people undergoing MAiD in 2023.
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New figures released last week from Health Canada show that euthanasia deaths have risen for the fifth consecutive year and that euthanasia now accounts for nearly one in 20 deaths. The number of deaths increased by nearly 16% in 2023 over 2022’s numbers. Strikingly, hundreds of these deaths are occurring because of loneliness, not because of pain and suffering due to a terminal illness. Another notable statistic is that nearly 50% of people seek MAiD because they say they are afraid of being a burden on their families.
The skyrocketing rates don’t appear to be bothering pro-euthanasia pushers in the country, who are now advocating for advanced directive requests — meaning a person can access MAiD without giving their immediate consent — as well as euthanasia for mental health conditions.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, there was a 14% increase in euthanasia deaths between 2021 and 2022, with a record number of 8,720 people dying via assisted suicide or euthanasia. Of those, 115 people were killed simply due to psychiatric illness, and not because of any terminal diagnosis.
Earlier this year, a law allowing the euthanasia of terminally ill children went into effect. The law legalized the killing of children ages one through 12 who are deemed to be “suffering hopelessly and unbearably.”
United States
In the states where assisted suicide is legal, deaths continue to rise. Vermont, Oregon, and Hawaii have all seen a rapid increase in deaths since assisted suicide was first legalized, and officials continue to push for expansion and the removal of rules meant to safeguard against abuse.
The far-reaching consequences of euthanasia
Though euthanasia is touted as a personal choice, evil doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Legalized killing has far-reaching consequences that affect society as a whole. Some of these negative impacts include:
Rise in suicides
Data shows that when assisted suicide or euthanasia is legalized, there is also a rise in suicides committed outside the law. After Victoria, Australia legalized assisted suicide in 2019, the suicide rate among those aged over 65 years increased by 42% between 2019 and 2022. This data was confirmed by a 2022 research paper that found that legalizing assisted suicide led to a significant increase in “non-assisted” suicides, particularly among women.
“If we encourage assisted suicide, then we will encourage suicide,” explained Professor David Albert Jones, director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre. “If we legalize what is euphemistically called ‘assisted dying,’ then more people will kill themselves, and not only people with chronic or terminal illnesses. The evidence is out there, the threat is real.”
Decrease in palliative care
Accessing palliative care has been a serious problem in places like Canada, where euthanasia is rampant.
“Patients, failing to benefit from such care could have no other choice but to ask for medical aid in dying to end their days in dignity,” said Quebec’s College of Physicians, adding, “Palliative care cannot be limited to access to medical aid in dying.”
Across the globe, healthcare professionals are pushing for improved palliative care, and not assisted death. Australian doctors have warned that euthanasia will keep patients from seeking the care and assistance they need, while in Ireland, physicians have warned that legalized killing keeps vulnerable populations from palliative care and instead increases the pressure they feel to die.
“Where physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are available, many requests stem not from intractable pain, but from such causes as fear, depression, loneliness and the wish not to burden carers,” one group wrote.
Difficulty accessing healthcare
In Canada especially, numerous stories have emerged regarding people who have been approved for euthanasia simply because they have been unable to receive the timely healthcare they need. In other instances, healthcare workers have suggested euthanasia to patients as a normal course of action, when other routine healthcare would have helped their condition.
Death by euthanasia seen as the “answer” to life’s problems
In places where euthanasia has been legalized, it has become just another solution for conditions like anorexia, autism, depression, and mental illness — even when these depart from the “terminal” designation touted by so many euthanasia advocates.
“One of the most worrying aspects of the Canadian experiment is it shows that once you start legalising, there is a risk that a significant number of physicians normalise this practice,” Trudo Lemmens, a professor of law at the University of Toronto, has said. “It’s like putting fuel on the fire. I’m not sure it can be easily contained. Once it’s implemented, there will be advocacy groups pushing for further expansion…”
Dr. Ramona Coelho, a family medical practitioner, previously told The Telegraph, “With the legalisation of MAiD, real lives are at stake and the dangers of a slippery slope are very real. When Canada legalised assisted suicide and euthanasia under MAiD in 2016, Canadians believed it was intended to be a rare, last-resort measure, reserved for consenting adults enduring intolerable suffering at the end of life. However, lobbying efforts have steadily pushed for broader access and eligibility.”
Opening Pandora’s box
Assisted suicide and euthanasia have had dramatic consequences worldwide, as they show that there’s no way to legalize killing without it spiraling out of control. The rapid increase in deaths, decrease in palliative care, instances of coercion, and the erroneous view that death is a solution all demonstrate one reality: once Pandora’s box is opened, there’s no turning back.
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