Thank you for the question.
It is often presented as a choice between MAID and resources for vulnerable or marginalized groups. It isn't a choice between the two, but rather a choice to help marginalized groups and give them all the care and resources they need. This doesn't preclude some patients from exercising the free and informed choice to seek MAID because they feel that their life is no longer worth living. The clear message of the Supreme Court of Canada in the Carter decision must be remembered that the right to life must not be transformed into a duty to live.
All of this stems from the concepts of autonomous decision-making, free and informed choice, and the assessment of an individual's capacity to consent. The judgment involving Mr. Truchon and Ms. Gladu highlighted that vulnerability is not intrinsic to a group of people by virtue of their characteristics, and that this must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Why should people with severe disabilities be given the option of MAID? Mr. Truchon and Ms. Gladu have already been asked this question. The judgment in this case is very clearly set out over close to 200 pages. It isn't a choice between MAID and access to resources, but all of this all at once, respecting the free choice of an individual based on their own condition. Indeed, the individual is the only witness to their suffering and what they are capable of tolerating or not.