CARDUS Health

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.'"

Advocates say the new law could ultimately lead disabled people in particular to seek euthanasia even in cases where the patient might recover to full health.

"A recent Angus Reid poll, commissioned by Cardus, found that 77 per cent of Canadians considered access to MAID to be a basic human right. However 48 per cent of those respondents were “cautious supporters” citing concerns around potential abuses of the system, particularly for aging and vulnerable people."