A Canadian Armed Forces veteran was offered euthanasia by a Government department responsible for pensions, benefits and services for war veterans after he contacted them for help with post-traumatic stress disorder.
David Baltzer, who served two tours in Afghanistan, explained how a Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) agent brought up the topic of “medical-assisted suicide”, saying “I was in my lowest down point, it was just before Christmas”.
“He says to me, ‘I would like to make a suggestion for you. Keep an open mind, think about it, you’ve tried all this and nothing seems to be working, but have you thought about medical-assisted suicide?’”.
“It made me wonder, were they really there to help us, or slowly groom us to say ‘here’s a solution, just kill yourself’”.
Baltzer had contacted VAC for support after the counselling and therapy he received on his return from Afghanistan – where he had seen “plenty of combat” – failed to improve his condition. Baltzer had then tried to deal with the trauma through the use of alcohol and substance abuse.
Following the VAC agent’s offer, Baltzer was left reeling, saying “It just seems to me that they just want us to be like ‘f–k this, I give up, this sucks, I’d rather just take my own life'”.’
“That’s how I honestly felt”.
This scandal isn't new. Retired corporal, Christine Gauthier, who competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, testified before a Canadian House of Commons Veterans Affairs Committee at the beginning of December 2022 that an unnamed veterans affairs case worker had said, in writing, that Ms Gauthier could be provided with a euthanasia device when all she had wanted was a stairlift to be installed in her home.
Ms Gauthier, 52, said “I have a letter saying that if you’re so desperate, madam, we can offer you MAID, medical assistance in dying”.
Canadian veteran Kelsi Sheren said that she knows almost a dozen former military servicemen who have been offered medical assistance in dying by Canadian authorities, calling this “disgusting” and “unacceptable”.