Discussion thoughts on MAID (assisted ctb) being made accessible for minors?

[badkarma4618]

TLDR
saw a (debunked) tiktok claiming canada will allow assisted ctb for minors along with adults with mental illness. it got me wondering what your guys thoughts are on this, should this service ever be an option for "mature minors" suffering from mental illness? let me be clear that im not a minor now, but looking back, i probably would have pursued this method if it was available to me as a teen. i support this being available to suffering adults with proper assessment, but i am curious about your thoughts, where's the line? how do other countries handle this? is it ethical, helpful, or dangerous?




so recently I found myself a little ragebaited by a tiktok that sent me down a rabbit hole, and it got me curious what you guys might think.

a seemingly right wing influencer made a video about medical assistance in dying (MAID) in canada, claiming that it was going to be offered to minors WITHOUT parental consent and that MAID for mental illness would be legal starting in 2027. he referenced a pamphlet from a facility in manitoba promoting this.

so i looked into it and, thankfully, that pamphlet was fake and those claims are not true from what i have found. but it still got me wondering what do you guys think about MAID being available to "mature minors" and also just adults with mental illness in general? would you have taken that option if it was available to you at a certain point in your life?

like for example, could there be rare situations where it might be an acceptable option for a minor, like maybe an emancipated teen without any parental figures who genuinely understands what they are deciding? but even then… can any teen fully grasp the weight of something that permanent? whats really the difference between being 17 and being 18? does the ability to understand magically kick in at that exact age or even later? personally, i dont know if i really grasped what that kind of permanence really meant until my 20s.

now when it comes to assisted ctb services for adults with diagnosed mental illness, i do support it as an option, as long as it is a well thought out decision, with proper assessment and all that, and not something made during a temporary crisis. i feel like a lot of people here might agree, but if not, id love to hear why. do you think there are better alternatives for people who feel hopeless and out of options? or do you think it should be openly available to anyone at any time no assessment needed?

also, what are your thoughts on how this kind of service exists (or doesnt) around the world? i have heard about similar practices available to adults in places like switzerland(?), but i wonder how these ideas are viewed in more religious or culturally conservative countries where suicide is especially stigmatized.

i know assisted ctb probably comes up a lot on here, but id really appreciate hearing your thoughts, whether its about MAID for minors, adults, or just how end of life choices and mental health support should work.

so yeah thanks for reading, and please share your perspective if you are comfortable!!




https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca...cle_37de72d7-18e9-51f0-98bc-8bcd64f8d209.html

 

[Forever Sleep]

I thought they were still struggling with allowing MAiD for mentally ill adults. I doubt they would consider it for minors unless the situation was absolutely debilitating and doctors were certain there wasn't a cure. I also doubt all that many parents would be supportive of it either. So, I don't really believe it would happen for all but a tiny minority.

As to what I think- I don't really know. That's the frustrating part with the treatment of mental illness in general though. Who does know? When will they decide that a person's illness is treatment resistant? That's the other issue really. Surely, they'll want evidence that the child has tried multiple treatments- and to no avail.

Is it really all that great to be flooding a developing child's body with mind altering drugs? Is it actually all that helpful for them to be in therapy that young? Maybe it does help some but, there are certainly members here who seem to feel treatment from such a young age has only made things worse for them. If they aren't assisted in death, that means they're stuck with the negative side effects/ experiences now. I just think it's extremely complicated.

I suppose I feel like they simply don't know enough about mental illness to be able to know themselves. Obviously, with children, they have simply had less time to try different things. Not just drugs but, lifestyle things too. What if the main source of their problems is a toxic home environment? It's possible that they would start to live a better life if they could move away from that. Not necessarily of course but- it's possible. I suppose that could be highlighted in assessment. I just don't know though.

I suppose, being anti-natilist, I think it's unfair to have been brought here to begin with! So- even 16 years of suffering ought to be enough for someone to be released. The problem still stands though of potential- do they have the potential to get better? And, competency. Do they have enough experience/ maturity to really be able to make a rational decision?

Plus, there's obviously the danger element to it. Maybe their parents are incredibly empathic and want to spare their child pain. What if they just want free of the burden though? So- assistance with murder effectively. Both the young and old are at risk of that.

 

[jewelxxet]

fully with it. i regret not dying when i was younger
not everyone whos a minor and wants to die is stupid

 

[eattwinkiesseejesus]

Absolutely not, children should not be in charge of making life altering decisions until they've grown up and their brains fully developed. The first 20 years is a rollercoaster of changes taking place in the body and mind, growth, development, hormonal changes and imbalances - children are not stable and of sound mind enough to be entrusted with their best welfare.

 

[sunnyside]

In the Netherlands maid is available for kids who are terminally ill which I think is fair and it's really hard to get approved.
I Think we should be careful with maid for children though.
Probably not the best example but when I was 16 I was 100% sure I was gonna get a twenty one pilots tattoo and if I could have got it in that moment I would've done it. Now I'm 22 and I don't gaf about twenty one pilots

 

[SchizoGymnast]

Minors absolutely should not be able to pursue this unless they are terminally physically ill. I said what I said.

 

[TBONTB]

TLDR
saw a (debunked) tiktok claiming canada will allow assisted ctb for minors along with adults with mental illness. it got me wondering what your guys thoughts are on this, should this service ever be an option for "mature minors" suffering from mental illness? let me be clear that im not a minor now, but looking back, i probably would have pursued this method if it was available to me as a teen. i support this being available to suffering adults with proper assessment, but i am curious about your thoughts, where's the line? how do other countries handle this? is it ethical, helpful, or dangerous?




so recently I found myself a little ragebaited by a tiktok that sent me down a rabbit hole, and it got me curious what you guys might think.

a seemingly right wing influencer made a video about medical assistance in dying (MAID) in canada, claiming that it was going to be offered to minors WITHOUT parental consent and that MAID for mental illness would be legal starting in 2027. he referenced a pamphlet from a facility in manitoba promoting this.

so i looked into it and, thankfully, that pamphlet was fake and those claims are not true from what i have found. but it still got me wondering what do you guys think about MAID being available to "mature minors" and also just adults with mental illness in general? would you have taken that option if it was available to you at a certain point in your life?

like for example, could there be rare situations where it might be an acceptable option for a minor, like maybe an emancipated teen without any parental figures who genuinely understands what they are deciding? but even then… can any teen fully grasp the weight of something that permanent? whats really the difference between being 17 and being 18? does the ability to understand magically kick in at that exact age or even later? personally, i dont know if i really grasped what that kind of permanence really meant until my 20s.

now when it comes to assisted ctb services for adults with diagnosed mental illness, i do support it as an option, as long as it is a well thought out decision, with proper assessment and all that, and not something made during a temporary crisis. i feel like a lot of people here might agree, but if not, id love to hear why. do you think there are better alternatives for people who feel hopeless and out of options? or do you think it should be openly available to anyone at any time no assessment needed?

also, what are your thoughts on how this kind of service exists (or doesnt) around the world? i have heard about similar practices available to adults in places like switzerland(?), but i wonder how these ideas are viewed in more religious or culturally conservative countries where suicide is especially stigmatized.

i know assisted ctb probably comes up a lot on here, but id really appreciate hearing your thoughts, whether its about MAID for minors, adults, or just how end of life choices and mental health support should work.

so yeah thanks for reading, and please share your perspective if you are comfortable!!




https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca...cle_37de72d7-18e9-51f0-98bc-8bcd64f8d209.html

I didn't want my kids to get a tattoo until they were 18, definitely in favor of lifelong decisions being made by adults only. I realize there's no bright line for leaving childhood and entering adulthood. But I would not be in favor of MAID for people below the age of majority.

 

[bankai]

It's never going to happen. People are going crazy over assisted suicide for even the ill adults. Imagine the fuss they will kick up if kids are allowed to die.

 

[myriapoda]

i doubt people would let it happen, people already fight about the right for people to choose for themselves if they should live or die. i'm not informed on Canadian politics, but even if it was allowed,, i can already see the headlines of some parents mourning about how their children were being taken advantage of by the system…..

 

[Droso]

I believe in complete medical autonomy for children. It's their body, their life. Having a safer option for suicide is needed in our society regardless. It should be up to the person completely to continue living or not. And people are going to kill themselves no matter what we do, including minors.

 

[myriapoda]

I believe in complete medical autonomy for children. It's their body, their life. Having a safer option for suicide is needed in our society regardless. It should be up to the person completely to continue living or not. And people are going to kill themselves no matter what we do, including minors.

i agree with this heavily. while i haven't heard any cases where someone's attempt has unintentionally brought harm/ death to another person, i can definitely imagine a scenario where a minor feels like they have no other choice. potentially seeking out methods that aren't likely to succeed, cause permanent damage, or hurt other people. dunno if harm reduction is the right term to describe it, but safer controlled options means prevention of additional unneeded harm.

 

[concession]

I believe in complete medical autonomy for children. It's their body, their life. Having a safer option for suicide is needed in our society regardless. It should be up to the person completely to continue living or not. And people are going to kill themselves no matter what we do, including minors.

I` ve had the same opinion as you and brought up same arguments, but someone made me look on this from other perspective and now I am not so sure about this, hear me out.

Firstly, radical legalisation of assisted dying will create class of people that make money from it and they will be incentivized to push this service to unstable individuals. And secondly, where it will put us as a society? Life is painful for everyone. There is no progress without suffering. I understand that there are many unsolvable issues, like terminal ilnesses, that can be "mitigated" via assisted suicide, but many people that want to die are just facing problems they can push through (look how many people here are posting about suicide and provide reasons like failed exams or romantic relationship. I do not blame them, I am the same way, but this is not a reason to assist someone in dying). If we as a society accept that giving up at every opportunity is OK, then we will be fucked in no time.

I think suicide discussion should be destigmatized and suicide attempt must not be a thing that puts you in a mental ward. Also I do support assisted suicide for terminally ill/physically suffering people. But active support for suicide for everyone can end up being horrible thing.

 

[wham311]

I grew up pro life and now I think I was absolutely fucking stupid for doing so. Your body your choice. Shouldn't be up to doctors.

If people want to go, let them. If they're doing it for reasons people think are silly, then they probably can't handle the real world all that well. If you're too sensitive to deal with a break up or a test maybe you shouldn't be here.

Poverty is an absolutely viable reason. Chronic depression is absolutely a viable reason. Mental illnesses are debilitating. Living on the street is not fun for you, or the people that have to deal with you.

 

[bl33ding_heart]

As pro choice as I am. I don't think assisted suicide should be available to minors unless they are suffering from a painful chronic or terminal illness. Minors are still young and susceptible to things, no matter how mature they may think they are.