Family of woman who's physically fit but wants assisted suicide shares what they think about her decision
Topics: Mental Health, Canada, Court
Thomas Bamford
Featured Image Credit: Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Topics: Mental Health, Canada, Court
Warning: This article contains discussion of assisted dying which some readers may find distressing.
On the face of it, Claire Brosseau has had a wonderful life, along with a great family, loads of friends and a successful career in acting and comedy.
She has been in movies, performed at some huge comedy festivals and even written her own TV shows, as well as being the owner of a gorgeous Maltipoo called Olive.
However, Claire also suffers from a series of brutal mental health conditions, including bi-polar and post traumatic disorders.
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She has tried to end her life more times ‘than she can count’, and now, she’s hoping she can end her life on her own terms in a case that had divided opinion across Canada.
Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) law allows eligible adults with grievous, irremediable medical conditions to receive assistance in ending their lives. Legalized in 2016, the law applies to those with intolerable physical or psychological suffering.
However Claire has been denied approval for assisted suicide, because her condition is a mental health one, not a physical ailment.
She now finds herself at the center of a country-wide public debate over who has the right to die by assisted suicide.
Speaking to the New York Times, Claire’s sister said she was absolutely devastated when she found out about Claire's decision to end her life.
She said: “I was furious. I really saw it as giving up.”
According to the report, Claire has tried over 25 medications, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), art therapy, talk therapy and behavioral therapies, and even guided psychedelics. She has been fighting for permission to do an assisted suicide since 2021.
Her mother, Mary Louise Kinahan, shared Claire’s sister’s devastation around her decision, but showed some empathy.
She said: “No mother ever wants to lose a child before them, but no mother wants to see incredible suffering.’’
Claire reported feeling suicidal since she was just eight years old, writing in her Hello Kitty diary that she hoped to die: “It would be better for me and for everyone else if I weren’t here."
Claire claims that Canada's MAID assisted dying laws are discriminatory to people with mental health conditions.
She wrote in an open letter published on Dying with Dignity: "Current MAID law discriminates against people like me. In anticipation of my litigation, I was assessed and found eligible for MAID, but I cannot access this legal medical service just because my illness is a mental illness. If my suffering were from a physical condition, I could be eligible for MAID. They are drawing a distinction that is stigmatizing, paternalistic and without any valid justification. That is discrimination.”
Claire's psychiatrist, Dr Mark Fefergrad told the New York Times that he still has hope for Claire, and believes she can get well.
He said: “I believe she can get well. I don’t think [assisted suicide is the best or only choice for her."
Her second psychiatrist, Dr. Gail Robinson, said, “I would love her to change her mind. I would hope that she would not have to do this. But I will support her."
The debate about whether people with mental health issues can use MAID has been a flashpoint in Canada for years, and it doesn't look like there will be any resolution soon.
For advice, support, and more information, you can contact Dignity in Dying via their website or email them at [email protected]. For more state resources, you can also contact End of Life Choices Oregon or Patient Choices Vermont.
Additionnally, if you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.