Kristin Logan left Canada to seek cancer treatment in the United States after waiting nine months for a diagnosis and receiving a pamphlet about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) before seeing an oncologist. Since moving to the U.S., Logan's condition has improved significantly, and she credits the outstanding medical care she has received there for her better prognosis.
Pope Leo XIV's apostolic journey to France from September 25 to 28, 2026, focused on defending the dignity of every human life, challenging French lawmakers on assisted dying, abortion, and surrogacy, and emphasizing that no human life is disposable. During his visit, he engaged with the sick and disabled in Lourdes, delivered a speech at UNESCO warning about the impact of AI on human dignity, and celebrated a Mass in Paris attended by over 800,000 people, including altar servers with Down syndrome, highlighting his global voice for the vulnerable. The pope's visit sparked renewed debate over France's assisted-dying legislation, with his strong defense of life receiving widespread attention, including from President Emmanuel Macron, who attended Mass with him despite political opposition; Pope Leo also condemned euthanasia and abortion as threats to human dignity and called for medicine to reject programmed death, reinforcing his role as a prominent advocate for the disabled, elderly, unborn, and vulnerable in society.
Sean, who suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorder, and depressive disorder along with several non-life-threatening physical conditions, experienced numerous negative encounters with emergency hospital services. The family hopes that sharing Sean's story will support opposition to expanding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) eligibility for individuals with mental illness.
St. Timothy's Anglican Church in Nova Scotia hosted a baked potato event to educate their congregation about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), which sparked controversy and backlash online.
Three Catholic bishops and dozens of religious sisters are at the forefront of legal challenges to assisted suicide laws in multiple states. Their coordinated efforts seek to defend the sanctity of life and protect vulnerable patients from legalized euthanasia.
In the year ending June 30, 512 people died under Victoria's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) law, a 31.6% increase from the previous year, with 1,156 applications recorded, nearly 40% more than the prior year. Amendments to the law set to take effect in April 2027 will broaden eligibility and shorten the minimum request period, prompting Catholic leaders to warn that these changes may reduce safeguards for vulnerable patients and urging increased access to palliative care.
Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program, legal since 2016, has euthanized over 100,000 people, with deaths increasing annually and criteria for eligibility expanding, including removal of the terminal illness requirement in 2021. The case of Brigitte Stegemann, who was euthanized without clear consent despite cognitive impairment, highlights concerns about ethical safeguards and potential coercion within the program, while lawmakers debate further expansion to include mental illness as sole criteria by 2027.
Kristin Logan left Canada to obtain cancer treatment in the United States after waiting nine months for a diagnosis and being given a Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) pamphlet by Canadian doctors. She reported that doctors in Canada effectively gave her a death sentence and advised her on how to carry it out, as discussed in an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News.
Pope Leo visited Lourdes, France, where he condemned abortion and euthanasia, criticizing France's government for legalizing both and emphasizing the inherent dignity of the ill and disabled. He encouraged French bishops to continue opposing assisted suicide and highlighted Lourdes as a place of Christian hope where all lives, regardless of frailty, are fully respected and welcomed.
Euthanasia deaths in Victoria, Australia, have increased by 400% over five years, with 2,188 people ending their lives by assisted suicide or euthanasia since legalization in 2019. Significant expansions to the law are set for 2027, including extending the prognosis limit from six to twelve months and allowing doctors to raise the topic of assisted dying unprompted with patients nearing end of life.
During his September 25-27 visit to France, Pope Leo XIV strongly defended human life, condemning abortion, surrogacy, and assisted dying, and urging protection for the vulnerable despite the new assisted-dying law that took effect in August. His remarks, including a call that 'what is legal is not necessarily moral,' were seen by pro-life advocates and the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation as encouragement to continue opposing the law and promoting the dignity of the sick, elderly, and disabled.
Victoria, Australia experienced a 400% increase in euthanasia cases over five years, with 140 cases reported from July 2025 to June 2026 compared to 28 cases in 2020-21, and the law is set to expand in 2027 to include broader eligibility and fewer restrictions. The annual report also noted that deaths by assisted suicide and euthanasia accounted for 1.1% of all deaths in Victoria in 2025-26, and changes to the law will allow doctors to raise the topic unprompted and reduce the prognosis limit from six to twelve months for all conditions.
Catholic bishops and religious sisters in New York and Illinois have filed lawsuits against their states' assisted suicide laws, winning temporary court rulings that prevent enforcement of these laws against them while litigation continues. These lawsuits argue that the laws compel Catholic healthcare providers to violate their conscience by participating in or promoting assisted suicide, which the Church opposes as contrary to its mission and moral teachings.
Alicia Duncan is calling for reforms after her 61-year-old mother, Donna Duncan, was given Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) at home in Abbotsford, British Columbia, in 2021 shortly after being released from psychiatric care following a suicide attempt. Donna had been approved for MAiD by two independent assessors despite not being terminally ill, and her family questioned why she was released from psychiatric care only to receive euthanasia hours later, prompting Alicia to testify against the planned expansion of euthanasia to those with mental illness in Canada.
Brigitte Stegemann, an 83-year-old Canadian grandmother, died under the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program without giving final verbal consent, according to her family who allege that the procedure was initiated despite her objections and cognitive impairment. The family is demanding answers and has filed complaints and a police report to investigate the legality and circumstances surrounding her death, highlighting concerns about consent, safeguards, and family involvement in the MAiD process.
A person in Victoria, Australia, died by suicide after taking lethal assisted suicide drugs that were left unused when their partner died in hospital without using them, according to a report from the Victoria Government's Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board. The report also highlights issues such as non-compliance with the law regarding the return of unused drugs, a significant increase in euthanasia deaths over five years, and upcoming expansions to the assisted suicide and euthanasia laws in Victoria set for 2027.
A person in Victoria, Australia, died by suicide after taking lethal assisted suicide drugs that were prescribed for their partner, who had died in hospital without using them. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board found no evidence that the assisted suicide process contributed to this unintended death and stated the program continues to operate safely despite issues with the return of unused drugs and a significant increase in euthanasia and assisted suicide cases in recent years.
Debbie Fisher wrote a letter to Members of Parliament urging support for Bill C-218, which will be voted on October 7. She expressed concern that mental illness might lead individuals to request medical aid in dying and emphasized the need to help people with mental illness rather than assist them in dying.
A federal court order currently protects several Illinois physicians and religious health care organizations from the state's assisted suicide law, which took effect on September 12 and includes mandates such as requiring doctors to inform patients about assisted suicide and refer them to providers if they refuse to participate. The Thomas More Society has filed an amended complaint to extend these protections to additional religious health care associations and professionals who object to the law on conscience grounds, highlighting concerns about the law's requirements for falsified death certificates and restrictions on Catholic hospitals disciplining staff who promote assisted suicide.
MPs voted 286 to 270 to reject the Edwards assisted suicide Bill after a two-year campaign, following the earlier defeat of the McArthur assisted suicide Bill in Scotland by 69 to 57. The Support Not Suicide campaign plans to continue by advocating for universal access to high-quality palliative, hospice, and social care, while also working to inform MPs, Peers, and the public about the risks of legalising assisted suicide through media and grassroots efforts across the UK.
St Timothy Anglican Church Hall in Hatchet Lake, Nova Scotia, is hosting a free Hot Potato evening in early October to provide information about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). Staff from the MAiD program will deliver a presentation on the criteria, process, and considerations related to MAiD. The event aims to educate attendees about the legal aspects of MAiD rather than unrelated topics, as indicated by the promotional material and the involvement of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition's Executive Director, Alex Schadenberg.
Victoria, Australia has experienced a 400% increase in euthanasia cases over five years, with 512 deaths by euthanasia and assisted suicide recorded in 2025-26, representing 1.1% of all deaths in the region that year. Significant expansions to the assisted suicide and euthanasia laws are set to take effect in 2027, including extending the prognosis limit from six to twelve months and allowing doctors to raise the topic unprompted with patients nearing the end of life.
During his visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the dignity of the sick and disabled, stating that human frailty does not diminish a person's worth and that no one is turned away due to their condition. His message came amid France's recent legalization of assisted dying, a law opposed by the Catholic Church, which warned of potential social inequalities and pressured vulnerable populations, while the pope reiterated the Church's stance against assisted dying during his apostolic journey.
Pope Leo, speaking in Lourdes, France, condemned euthanasia and assisted suicide, emphasizing the dignity of human life. He acknowledged the suffering of those with illnesses and pain but rejected causing death under the guise of false compassion.
Allison Ducluzeau, diagnosed with stage 4 peritoneal carcinomatosis in Canada, was denied surgery by the British Columbia Cancer Agency and was instead suggested to consider assisted dying. She later received treatment in Maryland at Mercy Medical Center, where she was successfully treated and became cancer-free, highlighting differences in care between socialized medicine and the U.S.
Brigitte Stegemann was an 83-year-old mother of two who is mentioned in the context of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's 2020 document Samaritanus Bonus states that euthanasia is considered a crime against human life because it involves directly causing the death of an innocent human being.
Pope Leo XIV condemned assisted dying as immoral and described it as "false compassion" during his visit to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France, emphasizing that causing death should never be treated as normal or moral despite legal permissions. He urged healthcare professionals to care for suffering persons rather than eliminate them and reaffirmed the Church's teaching that every human life must be protected from conception until natural death, opposing abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.
A two-year-old child in the Netherlands was euthanised due to severe medical conditions including brain damage, cerebral palsy, visual impairment, epileptic seizures, and respiratory difficulties, marking the first known case of euthanasia for a non-infant under 12 in the country. The decision was made after medical professionals and the child's parents concluded that the suffering was unbearable and without prospect of relief, and the doctor acted with due care following consultations and second opinions as required by Dutch law, which permits assisted dying for terminally ill children aged one to 12 under strict conditions.
Pope Leo XIV condemned France's recent legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide during a speech at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, emphasizing that killing the sick is neither compassionate nor moral despite its legality. He urged healthcare workers to care for suffering individuals with dignity and called for the rejection of death under the guise of false compassion, highlighting the importance of palliative care and the value of the sick to humanity and the Church.
During his Apostolic Journey to France, Pope Leo XIV condemned assisted suicide and euthanasia laws, calling them 'false compassion' and emphasizing the inalienable dignity of the human person. He urged the healthcare community to care for suffering individuals rather than eliminate them, criticizing recent French legislation legalizing assisted dying and warning against the moral dangers of such laws.
