Euthanasia Is Legal In Canada, But Is It Just?
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
Euthanasia is becoming not just a hot-button political topic, but also a faith and justice issue. Euthanasia has been legal in Canada since 2016, and according to “The Atlantic,” “Doctors are struggling to keep up with demand.” Elaina Plott Calabro, in her August 11, 2025, article entitled “Canada Is Killing Itself,” states, “One day, administering a lethal injection to a patient was against the law; the next, it was as legitimate as a tonsillectomy, but often with less of a wait.” Medical Assistance in Dying, or MAID, makes up 1 out of every 20 deaths in Canada. Calabro records, “It is too soon to call euthanasia a lifestyle option in Canada, but from the outset it has proved a case study in momentum.”
When the Canadian government was considering MAID legislation, the themes they kept hearing from proponents were “Autonomy, Choice, Control.” As people of faith in our Triune God, we must ask ourselves how we respond to the complex issue of euthanasia. The ethical and spiritual concerns are vast, and I do not have a quick and easy answer. On the one hand, I’ve been with suffering people toward the end of life with little or no quality of life. I often think to myself, “We put dogs out of their misery, but we let this poor person suffer!” In that moment, it feels so cruel not to help them die with dignity. Shouldn’t a person have the right to decide when they are ready to die (autonomy, choice, control)? Further, since health care keeps us living longer, are medical interventions keeping us alive, with health care taking over our autonomy, choice, and control?
Yet, we must take seriously the spiritual and justice implications. If God is the giver of life, when do we have the right to take what God has given us? Also, who can we trust to make such a weighty decision? Often, we cannot trust ourselves to decide to euthanize. Depression, strong medications, and other factors may keep us from making a proper decision. What about family? Too often, families are negatively influenced by their dysfunction, disagreements, and other factors that hinder them from being the decision-makers. Do you want your doctor or some nebulous medical board to decide the outcome? How about the insurance companies, which no longer wish to pay for expensive end-of-life care?
The list of potential rationales is vast. Instead of naming numerous potential scenarios for Medical Assistance in Dying, bring the issues of life, death, autonomy, choice, and control to God in prayer. Do faithful study and reflection on the issue. Your process isn’t to determine whether the Canadians are right or wrong for instituting MAID, or to begin lobbying for the United States to follow suit. Instead, euthanasia allows us to prayerfully consider the larger issues of life, death, and the divine role of life after death. As society continues to make decisions that affect our physical, ethical, and spiritual lives, we must prepare ourselves to understand and share how these societal decisions impact our lives and how to respond faithfully.
