Professor Jennifer Chandler co-authors a new report on medical assistance in dying and mental illness

Faculty of Law - Common Law Section
Research

By Common Law

Communication, Faculty of Law

Jennifer Chandler, MAiD Report Cover
On March 17, 2023, Canada will become one of only a few countries in the world to allow medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for individuals with a mental illness as their sole underlying medical condition. A new report from an Expert Panel on Medical Assistance in Dying and Mental Illness, recommends policies and procedures for the delivery of MAiD in this context. The Faculty of Law's Professor Jennifer Chandler worked with other members drawn from across Canada, representing people with lived experience as well as diverse disciplines and perspectives.

In June 2016, Parliament passed legislation allowing eligible Canadians to request medical assistance in dying. In March of 2021, changes were made to expand eligibility. These changes, however, temporarily exclude individuals with a mental illness as their sole underlying medical condition until March 2023. As directed by the legislation the government convened an independent expert panel to provide recommendations in August of 2021. Professor Chandler, holder of the Bertram Loeb Chair in Organ and Tissue Donation and a widely-recognized authority on the legal and ethical aspects of biomedical science and technology, contributed her extensive experience in mental health law and medico-legal issues to the panel’s deliberations.

The report, entitled Final Report of the Expert Panel on MAiD and Mental Illness, published on May 13, 2022, is designed to assist the government in developing its approach to MAiD in the context of mental illness in accordance with legislation. The panel’s findings also offer recommendations of value to provincial governments, to medical regulators, and to other stakeholders, as Canadian society continues to grapple with the issues raised by MAiD and to pursue the safe and compassionate delivery of MAiD throughout Canada.

The full report is available here: Final Report of the Expert Panel on MAiD and Mental Illness

Biographies for all 12 members of the expert panel can be viewed here:  Member biographies.

The Common Law Section congratulates Professor Chandler on her valuable contributions to this important and complex topic.