Medical Assistance in Dying Committee on June 6th, 2022

[Myeengun Henry]

After witnessing some of our people, I'm not totally opposed to it when it comes down to that final decision, but it has to be at that extended decision. I'll leave it at that. There is a time when it's appropriate, yes.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

That's very helpful, and thank you, because we're here to talk about safeguards and guardrails, however you want to characterize them. That's a good foundation for my questions.

Ms. Mehdi, I'll start with you. You're 19 now, you said?

[Ahona Mehdi]

Yes.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay. You indicated that if a year ago you had applied for MAID you would have qualified, you believe, but you were 18 a year ago? Is that right?

[Ahona Mehdi]

I was 17.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

You were 17. Is it your view that there are circumstances where people under the age of 18—minors—can make decisions for themselves, be it for this or other medical circumstances?

[Ahona Mehdi]

I think to some degree, yes, but I also know that the development of the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex, which evaluates risk assessment—

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

I understand that there will be some medical circumstances where doctors deem it not appropriate because the person doesn't have the capacity, so my question to you is very simple: Do you believe, if medical opinion is there to support it, that it is okay for somebody under the age of 18 to make that decision on their own?

[Ahona Mehdi]

I think that if that were to be the case we'd need to slow down and evaluate and talk to more professionals about it.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

With respect, though, Ma'am, it's a yes-or-no question. You're saying.... I agree that you need to slow it down in certain circumstances, but the question is very straightforward. There are circumstances where a person in that situation could make that decision, because at the end of the day what we're talking about is individual choice

Your view is that somebody under the age of 18 who does have the capacity, which is supported by medical professionals, should be allowed to make medical decisions on their own.

[Ahona Mehdi]

Well, what I'm going to say is that I don't know. I don't have that information—

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay.

[Ahona Mehdi]

—but I think we also need to be putting.... We can't keep putting this topic of individual rights before the topic of collective responsibility.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay.

Let me digress for a second here. You mentioned palliative care, for example, and I assume you did so because there's a divergence of opinion in the palliative care field about MAID. Is that why you said it and that people should be entitled to services before they have access to MAID? Is that fair?

[Ahona Mehdi]

Yes, absolutely.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay.

All right, because we've had a number of witnesses, as I've said, and in the palliative field, for people who practise in that area, there is a conversion going on, and people are learning more about MAID. The conversion is based on situations where they are comfortable with the safeguards that have been put in place, but more importantly, they're doing it on the basis that their patients want it to happen, assuming those safeguards are in place. Do you think those circumstances are appropriate if those safeguards are in place?

[Ahona Mehdi]

Honestly, I don't think I can answer that.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay. Thank you.

This will probably be my last question. You said—and I don't want to misquote you—that this is “inflicting pain” on people with disabilities.

I am strongly of the view, as everybody is around this table, that nobody should be forced into any circumstance and that somebody who has a disability should not be at a disadvantage because of that. Can you clarify, perhaps, how you think this is disadvantageous to people who have disabilities? If the medical foundation is there and there's medical support for the decision, can you tell me how you bring those two things together?

[Ahona Mehdi]

I'm also speaking as a disabled youth who works with other disabled youths. Some of them are here today, behind me. I can say that all of us have experienced a great degree of pain listening to these conversations, because we know, through our lived experience, that we often have not had access to things like counselling, therapy, accessible housing, assistive devices—

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

I think we're all in agreement, in those circumstances. It's inappropriate—

[Ahona Mehdi]

Yes.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

—but where the criteria have been satisfied, do you feel it would be appropriate?

[Ahona Mehdi]

No.

[James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Okay, thank you.

[The Joint Chair, Hon. Yonah Martin]

We'll continue with Mr. Thériault for five minutes.

Mr. Thériault, you have the floor.