Liberals Looking to Delay MAID For People Suffering Only From Mental Illness

Thursday, 2 February 2023 at 17:09

By Linda Morgan

Expansion of assisted dying for those with a mental illness will be delayed until 2024 if new bill passes

The federal government is looking to delay a controversial expansion of the medical assistance in dying (MAID) law.

Justice Minister David Lametti has introduced legislation to delay expanding the law to include those suffering solely from a mental condition.

If the bill is passed, anyone seeking MAID for mental health purposes only will need to wait until at least March 2024.

He says the government needs more time to get this right.

"The proposed one-year expansion is necessary to ensure that we move forward on this sensitive and complex issue in a prudent and measured way."

Meanwhile, Conservative MP Michael Cooper says the move needs to be completely scrapped.

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