False Claim: People of faith never choose MAiD

This week in MAiD misinformation is dedicated to Tucker Carlson, who made a number of false claims about MAiD in Canada while interviewing a familiar Canadian purveyor of MAiD misinformation and conspiracy theories.

At 1:31:35, Sheren states:

“Somebody who is a Christian or a Catholic won’t choose euthanasia, that I know of. Like, not somebody who’s a real believer.”

Carlson adds:

“Of course not. You can’t. Or a religious Jew or religious Muslim or religious anybody. It’s prohibited by every religion.”

Numerous faiths do have strong statements opposing MAiD and some of their members will uphold those beliefs. Despite that, many members of those faith communities support the legalization of MAiD and even choose MAiD as an end-of-life option for themselves.

We have attended many MAiD provisions in which a person’s faith was honoured before, during, and after the provision of MAiD. We have witnessed prayers, chanting, rosaries, the Sacrament of the Sick, and many other symbols and expressions of faith during MAiD provisions.

Unfortunately, no data is collected on exactly how many people who receive MAiD in Canada identify as religious. Perhaps that is something Health Canada should consider gathering for future annual reports on MAiD.

Regardless, Carlson and Sheren’s comments here are not supported by fact.