Culture of loneliness meets culture of death in MAiD epidemic: speaker
Catholic Vancouver March 06, 2023
Caring and compassion are the most effective solutions we have to combat the growing requests for Medical Assistance in Dying, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Executive Director Alex Schadenberg told a large gathering at St. Nicholas Church in Langley.
The presentation, entitled “How do we talk to our loved ones about euthanasia?,” unpacked the cultural shift in Canadian culture toward widespread acceptance of assisted suicide while offering ways to help protect the most vulnerable from euthanasia.
Despite media narratives suggesting that euthanasia is offered to relieve physical suffering, Schadenberg said the reality is that most people who request euthanasia do so for emotional and psychological reasons.
According to Schadenberg, this means we need to reframe some of our core thinking around assisted death. “The question is not why are they being approved for euthanasia, the question is why are they asking for it?” he said.
Ultimately, Schadenberg believes the problem is not only that we have a culture of death, but that we also have a “culture of loneliness.”