Canadian Review Raises Alarming Questions Over Euthanasia of Elderly Woman

26.01.2026

A recent report highlighted by the Daily Mail has raised profound concerns about the operation of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) system, after an elderly woman—identified only as “Mrs B”—was euthanised despite having told an assessor she wished to live and sought hospice care instead.

According to the Ontario MAiD Death Review Committee, Mrs B, who was in her eighties and recovering from complications following heart surgery, initially opted for palliative care at home. As her health declined, her husband—himself elderly—struggled to cope with the demands of caregiving. Although Mrs B reportedly mentioned MAiD to family members, she later withdrew the request during her first assessment, citing her personal beliefs and expressing a clear preference for inpatient hospice support.

The following day, hospital staff found Mrs B medically stable, but noted her husband was suffering from severe caregiver burnout. A palliative care physician sought hospice placement for her, but the request was denied. Within hours, her husband requested a second MAiD assessment. A new assessor deemed her eligible, despite objections from the original assessor, who warned of a sudden and unexplained shift in Mrs B’s wishes and raised the possibility of coercion.

A third assessor was dispatched later that same day, and Mrs B was euthanised that evening.

Members of the Death Review Committee expressed deep unease about the speed of the process and the lack of exploration into Mrs B’s social circumstances, care options, and the pressures facing both her and her husband. They noted the absence of clear documentation that Mrs B herself renewed the request, and highlighted the risks inherent when assessments occur in the presence of a distressed caregiver.

Dr Ramona Coelho, a family physician and committee member, argued that the priority should have been urgent palliative intervention—not an accelerated path to assisted death.