(LifeSiteNews) — A recent poll has revealed that while more than one-quarter of Canadians support expanding euthanasia for those who are poor or homeless, most oppose any further expansion or relaxing of Canada’s so-called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) laws.
According to a poll conducted by Research Co. released May 5, about 28 percent of Canadians support euthanasia for homelessness and 27 percent support it when it comes to poverty.
The same poll shows that about 73 percent of Canadians overall are OK with the current state of Canada’s MAiD laws, which is down by three percent since 2021.
Broken down, about 48 percent of Canadians are satisfied with the current MAiD law, with 25 percent undecided and 27 percent unhappy with the law.
Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, noted that his take on the poll is that “Canadians oppose further expansions of euthanasia and support for Canada’s law has dropped.”
“Canadians are not demanding expansions to the euthanasia law and support for Canada’s euthanasia law has dropped,” he noted in a recent blog post.
When it comes to Canadians supporting MAiD for those who cannot get medical treatment, the poll showed that 51 percent of Canadians support this, with 50 percent supporting it for those with disability.
Of note is that the poll did not inquire about MAiD for minors.
In comments sent to LifeSiteNews, Schadenberg said he believes the poll results are “accurate only because it shows that there are a core group of Canadians who support euthanasia as well as suicide assistance for nearly any reason.”
“As for the state of Canada and other similar nations, I am convinced that our culture is ripe for killing by euthanasia because our cultural has become radically individualistic,” he observed.
“We have lost the concept of the need to care for the other, or the understanding of the reality is that human beings require interdependence to be happy and fulfilled.”
Schadenberg noted how today there is more loneliness than “ever before” and that is reflected in the increase in suicide rates.
Last week, a private member’s Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) bill that would repeal the expansion of euthanasia laws to those suffering solely from mental illness got its first official debate in the House of Commons.
The bill – officially known as Bill C-314, “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)” – was introduced in February by CPC MP Ed Fast. It received immediate praise from Canada’s top pro-life organization, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC), after it passed its first reading.
Schadenberg praised the bill and welcomed the fact it will be debated by MPs.
In speaking to LifeSiteNews, Schadenberg said that what is needed today is for people to “commit to change the culture by our actions.”
“By truly caring for others, by being with others as they are living through difficult physical or psychological conditions,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“Society has changed, but we must focus on rejecting the culture of radical individualism and promoting a culture that cares.”
The expansion to include MAiD to those suffering solely from mental illness came as part of the 2021 passage of Bill C-7, which also allowed the chronically ill – not just the terminally ill – to qualify for doctor-assisted death.
The mental illness expansion was originally set to take effect in March. However, after massive pushback from pro-life groups, conservative politicians and others, the Liberals under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delayed the introduction of the full effect of Bill C-7 until 2024 via Bill C-39, which became law on March 9.
The delay comes after numerous public scandals, including the surfacing of reports that Canadian veterans were being offered the fatal procedure by workers at Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC).
The expansion of euthanasia to those with mental illness will automatically become law in the spring of 2024, but because the date is more than a year away, there is a chance a new government could stop it.
The federal Liberal government under Trudeau legalized euthanasia in 2016. Since that time, he has continued to push to further expand who can qualify for state-sanctioned death.