CARDUS Health

Public support for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) hardly constitutes the consensus it’s made out to be, new public opinion research and justice committee testimony show. As Cardus Executive Vice President Ray Pennings and pollster Dr. Angus Reid argue in Policy Options, federal politicians need to deal with the genuine fears and concerns Canadians have about the planned massive expansion of MAiD.

Maclean's shares Cardus' recent polling on MAiD perspectives among Canadians: 

"Cardus, a 'faith-based think tank' in Ottawa, asked Angus Reid to take the nation’s temperature on medical assistance in dying. The pollster found that two-thirds of respondents 'are concerned expanded MAiD will lead to people with mental health issues like depression choosing death rather than dealing with the underlying causes of their condition.' A similar proportion 'fear expanded MAiD will lead to people with disabilities or those who are elderly feeling more pressure to choose death in order to avoid being a burden on others.'"