CLC Blog

Let me tell you about the murder of Matthew Main.

Matthew was euthanized on December 12^th, 2021. He received Trudeau’s “MAiD service” at the hands of a house-calling death doctor, who dispensed the lethal injection right in Matthew’s own apartment in Toronto. He was 47 years old.

Matthew was born with multiple birth defects, including serious heart and facial structural problems. However, with the help of modern technology and after several difficult operations, he was able to live a fairly full life. His condition was manageable.

I do not know what the “official” grounds were for his approval for MAiD. I only know what his grieving mother told me in an interview I had with her this past week.

Matthew’s mother was informed of her son’s death only after the deed. She was never contacted by the MAiD facilitators. They never inquired with her concerning his medical history, state of mind, or present condition. It seems they simply took him at his word when he expressed a desire to die, and they were happy to oblige with the utmost haste and convenience.

Matthew did regularly complain of pain to friends and family, and he was on pain medication. However, he appeared to be functional and able-bodied. He could take care of himself. He could get around. He did not use a wheelchair. He was not dying. His pain was not debilitating. However, according to his obituary, Matthew perceived that “the suffering of physical pain began to outweigh the quality of his life.”

Is it possible that Matthew’s pain could have been managed in a better way? Was there something else the doctors could have done? Were there better treatment options? I have no doubt. But the MAiD program does not require a person to try any other options.

Is it also possible that Matthew was exaggerating his pain? Were his perceptions skewed? Did he perhaps want to secure a MAiD approval for other reasons? His mother suspects this was the case.

His mother recalls that Matthew had a history of mental illness, and even attempted suicide at one point. He came from a broken home and exhibited a lot of anger in his relationships. He wanted to be in control. In the last five years, he broke with significant friends and family and surrounded himself with a new circle of “friends” who only affirmed him in his misguided desire to die. Around twenty of these so-called friends were with him when the euthanasia doctor came a-calling.

His mother is heartbroken over the loss of her son and deeply disturbed over his approval for euthanasia. She never even got to say good-bye! It took her almost a year to finally open up about what had happened. She says, “I hold the MAiD program responsible in large part for not making contact with me.” It seems to her that the MAiD facilitators had no interest in investigating the grounds for Matthew’s request or providing an objective assessment, but rather they were simply there to make it easy to die.

Matthew received faster “service” requesting euthanasia than most people receive who wish to pursue life-affirming medical treatment, home care, or improved pain relief. His story serves as the perfect illustration of how the legalization of MAiD has corrupted our health care system and prioritized killing over caring.

Please consider sending an Action Alert Email to your provincial Senators to stop Bill S-248, which would expand MAiD even further to include "advanced directives". This deadly innovation would allow dementia patients and those in a coma to be killed without their immediate consent. Click here to contact your Senators: https://www.votervoice.net/CALIFE/Campaigns/95754/Respond