The deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research is filling a growing need for conversations with loved ones around MAiD (medical assistance in dying) where statistics and expert arguments are no longer most critical.
In When a Loved One Considers MAiD, a joint project with LifeCycle Books, the institute is offering advice to someone who has reached the point where they think a medically assisted death is their best option.
Zoe Stewart-Bedard, executive director of the deVeber Institute, spoke to the The Catholic Register about how the booklet grew out of a simple observation, that while the Institute has produced extensive research, lectures and expert presentations on medical assistance in dying (MAiD) since it was introduced in Canada in 2016, it had never offered a practical resource for ordinary people facing the conversation in their own lives.
Such a gap became even more clear through discussions with Paul Brown of LifeCycle Books, leading to the production of the booklet over the past year.
“What was most needed was something that addressed the exact moment when a family member or a friend says, ‘I think MAiD is my best option.’ That’s not the moment that you bring out the numbers or the experts, but the moment when you need to truly listen and lead with compassion first,” she said.
As Stewart-Bedard explained, the institute decided to approach doctors, nurses, bioethicists and faith leaders individually with a single question — what would you say if someone you loved told you they were considering MAiD? The responses, gathered without any group discussion or prior prompting, independently converged on the four guiding actions, listen, empathize, connect and faith, which would become the structure of the booklet.
The time has come for expert, practical help to be available if and when those moments arrive, she said.
“I want someone to be able to feel like they know how to turn their love and concern for their loved one into practical care, and that the individual who is suffering and feels like MAiD is their only option can feel that they don’t have to go through those feelings alone,” Stewart-Bedard said.
When a Loved One Considers MAiD is now printed and ready for distribution across Canada.
Breaking up the four components is the intentional inclusion of Lia Milousis’ testimony. The human rights lawyer, speaker and author shares her experience of severe depression and suicide attempts as a teenager.
“Having just those four categories felt a bit distant at first, but (Milousis) was able to bring a humanizing grounding aspect to it. We are hoping that her story will show how someone sees that their future can change,” Stewart-Bedard said.
“While not everybody’s experience will be the same as hers, it is proof that you can go through a period of despair, and that there can still be hope for a better future. She ends it beautifully, in her message, ‘To those who struggle to feel safe in their own minds, please stay. Life really does get better.’ ”
The project was funded by the Archdioceses of Toronto and Vancouver, as well as the Diocese of Hamilton. The support proved to be absolutely essential, with Stewart-Bedard crediting the booklet’s very existence to these dioceses’ generous backing.
Such support has enabled the institute to print tens of thousands of copies, a figure far greater than would otherwise have been possible. Free copies will be provided to every parish within the supporting dioceses, with the hope that parishioners will be able to access them in their parish.
Those from outside of Toronto, Vancouver and Hamilton’s diocesan reach, or those interested in additional copies, can purchase the booklet on deVeber’s website for $5, including shipping.
While the broader effort to challenge and limit MAiD continues, including for individuals whose sole underlying condition is a mental illness, which is on hold (pending upcoming votes in the House of Commons) until March 17, 2027, it is important to note that the new booklet is not a concession. It is instead recognition that, for many Canadians, these conversations are no longer abstract policy debates, but deeply personal realities that can arrive in their own families and friendships.
