In 2016, Canada legalized medical assistance in dying (MAID) for adults with a severe and irreversible illness, disease or disability. Social media posts sharing photos of a pamphlet referring to MAID for "mature minors" claimed it promoted MAID to children or that MAID is currently, or soon will be, available to children, including those experiencing mental illness. These claims are false. The pamphlet actually advocates against MAID access for minors. Minors cannot access MAID under ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥ law, and it's unclear if or when MAID could expand to include them. While an advisory panel recommended the government look into changing MAID eligibility to include "mature minors," it recommended against allowing minors to seek medically assisted death solely for reasons of mental illness.
THE CLAIMÂ
This week, photos of a pamphlet bearing the headings "MAID for children and teens" and "MAID for mental illness" spread on social media along with misleading claims about medical assistance in dying (MAID) for "mature minors."
´ºÉ«Ö±²¥ politics influencer Jasmin Laine , formerly Twitter, on Monday.
One page of the pamphlet refers to a committee's recommendation that Canada allow MAID for "mature minors," which it claims would "remove the minimum age of eligibility" for accessing MAID and essentially allow children to choose death without their parents' knowledge or consent.
The next page says MAID for mental illness is set to take effect in March 2027.
Laine said the pamphlet was spotted in Manitoba and claimed it came from an addictions facility in the province.
Following Laine's X post, photos of the pamphlet spread on other social media along with claims about MAID access for minors.
Several American conspiracy theory platforms , claiming the pamphlet for minors with mental health issues.Â
A claimed the pamphlet was a "promotional tool" to "lobby" for the age restriction for MAID to be removed, opening access to children under the age of 16.
Others interpreted the pamphlet as confirmation MAID is or will soon be accessible to minors, including those experiencing mental illness, with one X user "by 2027."
In an with nearly 80,000 views, one user implied the MAID program could be accessed by minors seeking MAID for depression.
"Can it be that Canada is ... killing (children) if they feel depressed?" ²¹²õ°ì±ð»å.Ìý
RATING: False
The pamphlet itself is advocating against MAID for mature minors, not promoting it. A Google search of phrases from the pamphlet shows it originates from , a Christian organization that opposes MAID.
Canada in 2016 after the Supreme Court of Canada  invalidated parts of the Criminal Code prohibiting the practice. Adults experiencing severe and irreversible illness, disease or disability can request MAID under certain conditions. It's illegal for people under the age of 18 to access MAID in Canada.
Adults whose only medical condition is a mental illness, but who otherwise meet the conditions, are set to become eligible to apply for MAID on March 17, 2027. That is when federal legislation extending the exclusion of that eligibility .
NO EVIDENCE GOVERNMENT PURSUING MAID ACCESS FOR MATURE MINORS
Though a exploring MAID access for "mature minors" made several recommendations to the federal government, there is no evidence the government plans to implement them.
The term "mature minor" refers to the mature minor doctrine, part of a that allows children to make their own treatment decisions in Canada if they are sufficiently mature.
There is no planned legislation to expand MAID eligibility for mature minors, nor is there evidence to suggest it would occur in 2027, when adults suffering from a mental illness become eligible to apply for MAID.
A by Parliament's Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying made several recommendations to the federal government on the topic of mature minors and MAID.
The committee noted there was a "general consensus" among witnesses that MAID should not be made available to minors suffering solely from a mental disorder.
For that reason, it recommended the government amend eligibility criteria for MAID in the Criminal Code to include minors "deemed to have the requisite decision-making capacity upon assessment" and restrict MAID access for mature minors to those "whose death is reasonably foreseeable."
Dr. , past president of the , emphasized that the issues of MAID access for minors and MAID for people with mental health disorders are separate and it is inaccurate to compare them.
"MAID for mature minors is not legal, has never been legal, is not currently being discussed as a possibility. Anybody who is suggesting otherwise is misleading the public," Green said this week.
She said the report's recommendations were for "exploratory actions" and not a direct pathway to changing MAID legislation to include minors.Â
CEO said that while the government responded to some of the recommendations in the report, on the question of minors focused on finding a balance between their personal autonomy and keeping them safe from harm.
"They did not indicate that they would do anything further (in response to the recommendations) and there's no legislation at play," she said.
MAID FOR MATURE MINORS AND PARENTAL CONSENTÂ
Because there is no evidence the federal government wants to actively pursue MAID access for mature minors, the pamphlet's claims about removing the age of eligibility for mature minors or sidestepping parental consent are speculative.
Mature minors already have certain rights under the law which allow them to make decisions about their medical treatment.Â
The special joint committee's 2023 report recommended the government change the eligibility criteria for MAID under the Criminal Code to include minors found to have "decision-making capacity."
The report further recommended parents of mature minors be consulted during the MAID assessment process when appropriate, but that the will of a minor found to be sufficiently capable should "ultimately take priority."
"Regardless of age, anyone whose decision-making capacity is clouded by an active mental health disorder will not be eligible for MAID," Green said.
´ºÉ«Ö±²¥previously debunked false claims about children's eligibility for MAID in Canada in 2023.
SOURCES
X posts about pamphlet from May 19, 2025 () and ()
Kelen McBreen. Disgusting: Canada Promotes Euthanasia WITHOUT PARENTAL CONSENT For Children & Teens Suffering From Mental Health Issues. Infowars . May 19, 2025 ()Ìý
Niamh Harris. Canada Promotes Euthanasia For Kids With Mental Health Issues, Without Parental Consent. The People's Voice . May 20, 2025 ()
Facebook about pamphlet from May 19, 2025 ()
X about MAID for minors becoming law by 2027 from May 19, 2025 ()
Instagram reels about pamphlet from (, ) and ()
Who we are. The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada . Accessed May 21, 2025 ()
Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) law. Government of Canada . Accessed May 21, 2025 ()
Bill C-62: An Act to amend An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), No. 2. Department of Justice via Government of Canada . Accessed May 21, 2025 ()
Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying. Parliament of Canada . Accessed May 21, 2025 ()
Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Children’s Participatory Rights in Canada. Government of Canada . Accessed May 21, 2025 ()
Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada: Choices for ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥s. Report of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying via Parliament of Canada . February 2023, accessed May 21, 2025 ()
. Interviewed May 21, 2025 ()
About Us. ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥ Association of MAID Assessors and Providers (CAMAP) . Accessed May 21, 2025 ()
Our history. Dying With Dignity Canada . Accessed May 22, 2025 ()
- Dying With Dignity Canada. Interviewed May 22, 2025 ()
Government Response to the Second Report of the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying. Parliament of Canada . June 2023, accessed May 22, 2025 ()
Maan Alhmidi. Fact check: Children are not eligible for medical assistance in dying in Canada. ´ºÉ«Ö±²¥Fact Check website. Jan. 6, 2023 ()
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