(LifeSiteNews) — Famous Canadian author Robert Munsch has announced that he plans to end his life through euthanasia after being diagnosed with dementia.
In a September 14 interview with the New York Times, 80-year-old Canadian writer Robert Munsch revealed that he has been granted permission to be euthanized as his mind begins to deteriorate due to dementia.
“I’ve had a good life,” he reflected. “I’ve told my stories. Now I want to decide how it ends.”
Munsch is beloved to Canadians for his more than 70 children’s books, including The Paper Bag Princess, Love You Forever, Thomas’ Snowsuit, and Angela’s Airplane.
He has also received a Juno Award, induction into the Order of Canada, a star in Canada’s Walk of Fame, and has two public schools in Ontario named after him.
In 2021, Munsch was diagnosed with dementia, leading him to lose the ability to perform tasks such as riding a bike and driving. Munsch lamented that he wonders if in a year he lose all his mental facilities and become a “turnip” – a denigrating reference to the disabled.
Munsch noted that he can feel his creativity slipping “further and further away.” He added that he plans to end his life “when I start having real trouble talking and communicating. Then I’ll know.”
Sadly, Munsch is hardly the only Canadian to believe that ending his life through euthanasia is the only solution to suffering. In a recent podcast interview, Cardinal Timothy Dolan revealed that euthanasia is not only the “cheapening of human life,” but also removes the power of redemptive suffering.
He revealed that while his mother suffered for a long time in the hospital, she valued her life and would not have ended it prematurely.
“God’s ways are not our ways,” he explained, noting that sometimes suffering can seem pointless but God always has a greater plan.
Similarly, Bishop Joseph Strickland explained that “True compassion does not eliminate suffering by eliminating the one who suffers. Rather, it means walking with the sick and dying and offering authentic palliative care, emotional support, and spiritual accompaniment. It is in these moments – when we are most vulnerable – that we must be reminded that our worth is not measured by our health, our productivity, or our independence, but by the fact that we are beloved children of God who are made in His image and likeness.”
The dangerous effects of a euthanasia culture are visible in Canada, where patients are waitlisted for health care but have ready access to euthanasia.
The most recent reports show that euthanasia is the sixth-highest cause of death in Canada. However, it was not listed as such in Statistics Canada’s top 10 leading causes of death from 2019 to 2022.
According to Health Canada, in 2022, 13,241 Canadians died by euthanasia lethal injections. This accounts for 4.1 percent of all deaths in the country for that year, a 31.2 percent increase from 2021.