The new bill drops the requirement that a person must be able to give final consent immediately before the procedure is performed. It’s intended to ensure that someone who has been approved to carry out MAID won’t be denied if they lose mental capacity before it can be carried out. I always felt that my dad left us too soon, he feared not being able to follow through on his wish to utilize MAID, as we was becoming somewhat disoriented being on pain medication. Because of this he insisted he end his life sooner than planned. This was something our family had to accept very quickly and was not what we were expecting. This was very tough on each of us. I am relieved for all the families out there that feel as I do, that our voice was heard when we filled out the government survey and because of this the change is included in Bill C-7 (About Medical Assistance in Dying (justice.gc.ca) see table 7).
