Living a dystopian reality: The serious consequence of accepting assisted suicide

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About 9 years ago, I came across a book series, called “I am Margaret”, written by a Catholic author Corinna Turner, set in a dystopian world. The books tell the story of 18-year-old Margaret who lives in a world of essentially forced family planning, abortion and euthanasia for the sake of organ harvesting, all in order to create the “perfect” society. 

The plot surrounds the idea that families can have no more than two children, and each child is educated until they are 18 where they have to undergo a series of tests, that range from health or mental health, to intellect. 

If you fail a test, you are immediately transported to a facility where eventually you are put down so your organs are harvested for the people who are considered “normal” or “perfect”. If an unborn child, or newborn baby, is found to have a disability they are aborted or put down – unless they have rare genetics, where their organs could be used for someone else with the same rare genetics, then they are allowed to grow until 18, only to be taken straight to the facility. Margaret is perfectly healthy but she suffers with dyscalculia, a form of dyslexia with numbers, meaning she fails her maths test.

Whilst I enjoyed the series, at the end of the day, it's only fiction, right? Yet, around the time I came across the books, I also heard the author say that news about Planned Parenthood's harvesting of the organs of unborn babies had come out shortly after the books were published. 

Then, as of a study published in 2022, Canada, a country that has come under sustained criticism for its assisted suicide regime, became the world leader in organ donations that come from deaths as a result of assisted suicide.

Assisted suicide, known as the Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) act, was legalised in Canada back in 2016. Whilst the law was much stricter when originally legalised, over the years the country has relaxed its law, where the government is currently looking at expanding the law to allow for those with mental illnesses to avail of it also.

Some doctors have also recently suggested expanding the law to allow for babies born with disabilities to be euthanised. Those who do opt for assisted suicide are given the option to donate their organs after death, however, this does not come without concerns, particularly when it comes to the topic of pressure. 

In recent news from Canada, as reported in the National Post by Sharon Kirky, doctors have performed the first successful heart transplant surgery after assisted suicide, where a man who suffered with Lou Gehrig’s disease and ended his life through MAiD, donated his heart to a man whose heart was failing and was given a month to live.

In her article, Kirky states that “organ donation after voluntary euthanasia has been called the ultimate act of altruism, a gesture that could bring a profound sense of psychological comfort and solace to those seeking assisted death.” Yet, in light of this, she questions whether this could add extra pressure on people to proceed to their death, even if they were to change their mind, on the basis that they are aware that someone is waiting for a much needed organ. 

Perhaps, without saying it, the “sacrifice for the greater good” theme seems quite implicit. But who exactly will end up being targeted, whether intentional or unintentional?

Canada is known to be far too relaxed about how its assisted suicide regime is implemented or treated, with many often seemingly turning a blind eye to the fact that several people have been subject to abuse within the system in place. For instance, people have been offered and even approved of assisted suicide, for reasons not even eligible under its law.

Such cases include, Rosina Kamis who suffered a series of non-terminal illnesses but requested assisted suicide due to suffering mentally as a result of homelessness. She was approved and died in 2021.

Les Landry, a disabled man, who sought assisted suicide for the same reason and said he would shop around until he got his required signatures. Christine Gauither, a veteran who became disabled after a training incident was offered assisted suicide because she was complaining about having a chair lift put in her home. A disabled woman contacting a suicide hotline to help her battle suicidal thoughts to she could live, was offered assisted suicide. Donna Duncan, who suffered with mental health problems following a car accident, was fast-tracked for assisted suicide on the basis that she had a terminal condition when she had in fact starved herself. 

An elderly woman who was offered assisted suicide moments before she was to undergo a life saving surgery. Amir Farsoud, a disabled man who sought and was approved of assisted suicide because he was facing homelessness.

“I did tell my doctor right off the bat that while I qualify for medical reasons, the reason I’m asking is my socio economic position at the moment,” he told the BBC in 2024. 

And then there’s the horrific case of Roger Foley. Every time I see his name in the news I always ask myself “Is he still alive? Please Lord, that he is!” If anyone is unfamiliar with his case, Mr Foley has been battling for his life against his doctors for nine years. He suffers with spinocerebellar ataxia, an incurable brain condition that requires aid for eating, drinking and taking medicine. Despite his frequent requests for assisted living at home, this has not only been denied, but he has repeatedly been asked by doctors if he wants MAiD. In the latest update, Mr Foley has said he is fearful for his life as doctors seem intent on making his life a living hell so he either dies or caves into their pressure.

In following the news revolving around the proposed assisted suicide bill in the UK, one common theme keeps coming up, and that is that disabled activists and disabled organisations are consistently against assisted suicide.

Liz Carr, a vocal opponent of assisted suicide, who also suffers with a disability, has said that assisted suicide “terrifies” the disabled community. Perhaps we should stop and ask ourselves why. Why are the very people who assisted suicide is generally “made available” for, strongly against its legalisation?

Disability Studies scholar Dr Miro Griffiths (@MiroGriffiths) reminds the Committee that there are no deaf and disabled peoples' organisations in support of this Bill. pic.twitter.com/rX2eWDxISb

— Right To Life UK (@RightToLifeUK) January 29, 2025

Fazilet Hadi, from Disability Rights UK also told a committee set up to scrutinise the UK bill that “We’re trying to create a society where disabled people are equal and valued, and in that sense the bill actually makes that harder for us to reach a disability inclusive society.”

The reality we have to face is when we look at the cases in Canada, we see that all these people qualify under the MAiD act for their disability, yet, they do not seek assisted suicide because of their disability, but due to other factors that do not qualify for assisted suicide. Is there a trend here? 

The difficult question we have to ask is, are the lives of people, like Roger Foley, being disregarded because they have a disability? Would these people still be granted assisted suicide if they were not disabled? I have no doubt it most likely does happen, that those without disabilities are also approved, but most likely in less proportions. So, can we blame the disabled community for being terrified of such legislation?

Society’s attitude towards the disabled is already flawed, particularly as for instance, the current abortion law in the UK allows for abortions until 24 weeks, but if the baby is diagnosed with a disability, including Down syndrome, they can be aborted until birth. Heidi Crowter, a woman with Down syndrome took the UK government to court, calling the law “downright discrimination” – she’s not wrong – and yet she lost her case. 

Last week, Niamh Ui Bhriain reported on the case of Adrian Poulton, a man with Down Syndrome from the UK who was starved to death in hospital when he was being treated for a broken hip. In writing this, Niamh questions whether there is a dangerous shift in our attitudes towards those who are disabled. I can only strongly reiterate this, and any law that allows for “compassionate” deaths amongst this community is not helping.

In contrast, back in 2014, 18-year-old Conrad Roy was found dead in his pick-up truck after inhaling carbon monoxide in a suicide attempt. Roy was depressed and was prescribed anti-depressants. However, it later emerged that his then girlfriend 17-year-old Michelle Carter had been sending him a series of text messages encouraging him to go through with the suicide. She was later found guilty in 2019 and sentenced to jail for 15 months.

What I recall most about reading this case was the shock over the actions of Carter, that essentially encouraged Roy into his suicide. Yet, how do her actions differ when it comes to those attempting to provide assisted suicide? Is it because Roy was otherwise physically healthy and if helped could have lived a long life? Is it okay to suggest or even push for suicide if one is disabled or seriously ill, but it is awful if one is not? Even if this comes down to the personal “choice” of the person, are we seriously suggesting we give up on them because they have given up on life? In the testimony of Mark Davis Pickup, a man who suffers from MS, he asks the same question:

“Have we come to the point where we will not embrace even the broken? So, what citizens get suicide prevention and what citizens get assisted suicide? I can tell you who it is, people like me get assisted suicide, my healthy neighbour gets suicide prevention. Where’s the equality in that? Where is the equal value of individuals in that?”

How can we look at this with an open mind and not see that this is complete and utter discrimination towards those who are vulnerable and in need of care?

The stark reality is, that no matter how many safe guards you put up within an assisted suicide legislation, the actual acceptance of assisted suicide is saying that some lives are worth saving, and some are not. 

Some suicidal people are worth fighting for and some are not. And how exactly do we determine which lives are worth it or not? Well, we just look at whether they are sick or disabled. And whilst the UK is at the moment only suggesting it for the terminally ill, whose lives are still precious and are still worth fighting for, we know it will never stay that way once that door opens – as is evident in Canada, and other countries like the Netherlands and Belgium.

The use of organ donations after assisted suicide also begs the further question that, would this not open the door to other abuses when it comes to assisted suicide. For people who are already vulnerable and may even feel worthless in society due to the discriminative attitudes that come about as a result of these laws, could a doctor not easily take advantage of their vulnerability, and try to pressure someone into ending their life so their body may be “put to good use” for the “greater good”?  

This is where I see the parallels to the ‘I am Margaret’ books, where perhaps such a dystopian world may not be as fictional as one might think. Granted, no one is being locked up and forced into euthanasia and thus organ donation, but there is a type of nudge towards euthanasia through the pressures people, particularly those that fall into the sick and disabled community, are facing.  

The attitude captured in the book is that those with a disability, whether physical, mental or intellectual, or those with illnesses, are considered worthless and then sacrifice for the greater good of an “ideal” society, and yet time and time again, where assisted suicide is present in our world, I fail to see where this same attitude is lacking, even if not to this full extent.

It is very clear that where assisted suicide already exists, especially in Canada, there has been a very dark and dangerous slippery slope, where attitudes towards those with disabilities, and those with a range of illnesses, terminal or not, have changed – and not for the better. 

The UK should heed this when discussing their bill, and so should Ireland when the topic arises again. I don’t believe that most of those advocating for assisted suicide are discriminative people, save for the odd person, but the reality is this: assisted suicide is not about compassion or helping people, it is all about discrimination. This shift in attitude towards those deemed “imperfect” is a very dangerous consequence of assisted suicide that needs much more serious consideration, and is something that those advocating for assisted suicide need to accept.