An 84-year-old Canadian woman, Miriam Lancaster, reported that she was offered euthanasia as a first option when going to a hospital for severe back pain, a case that has sparked criticism of Canada's healthcare system and the use of the Medical Assistance to Die (MAid) program.
The incident occurred in April 2025 at a Vancouver hospital, when Lancaster was taken by ambulance after waking up in “unbearable” pain. As she said in a video released on March 18, her intention was to receive a diagnosis and treatment, but she says that a doctor directly proposed to her to access the euthanasia program. “The first thing they said to me was: 'We want to offer you MaiD. ' I was shocked. I just wanted to know why it hurt so much, I didn't want to die,” he said
.The MAiD program in Canada allows adults with serious, irreversible illnesses and intolerable suffering to request medical assistance to die, always under strict conditions: it must be a voluntary decision, with informed consent and evaluated by at least two independent professionals. However, Lancaster's account has raised questions about whether these criteria are being applied correctly, especially when the option is presented before exploring treatments
.The case elicited an immediate reaction from organizations and activists. Members of the “Dying to Meet You” project, an organization that seeks to discourage euthanasia, harshly criticized what happened and called for the cessation of offering death to people who can still recover. Along the same lines, the “Delta Hospice Society” stated that suggesting MAid as a first step is not only ethically questionable, but could contravene the program's own rules
