‘MAID in Canada’ by City News

The documentary explores the challenges of medical assistance in dying (MAID) for patients who are not terminally ill. It follows Cheryl Romaire and Jennifer Monahan, who both live with health conditions that cause severe, chronic pain, but that are not terminal. Throughout the documentary, Jennifer recounts how she opted against choosing MAID when she received a diagnosis and effective treatment for her condition. In parallel, Cheryl works to clear administrative hurdles to receive approval for MAID. Cheryl distinguishes MAID from suicide, saying that they are ‘not the same thing at all.’ Implicit in her statement is her conviction that she is not suicidal – she says clearly that she wants to live – but rather wants to end her suffering, which is what MAID offers. The documentary includes the perspectives of Cheryl and Jennifer’s families, who have witnessed their pain first-hand. While both families are supportive of them pursuing MAID, they struggle to accept that they will lose their loved one. Cheryl’s sister, Becky, says that throughout the process, she could not help hoping that someone would deny Cheryl’s application for MAID so that she could keep her sister for a little while longer. The documentary closes on Cheryl’s mixed emotions as she receives approval for MAID. She is excited about her approval, but pained that her choice and her death will hurt her family.

The documentary showcases the effects of the Truchon decision, which found unconstitutional provisions of the Criminal Code that prohibited MAID in applicants whose natural death was not reasonably foreseeable. Cheryl and Jennifer were only eligible for MAID because of the passing of Bill C-7 in 2021 in response to the Truchon decision. The documentary demonstrates both women’s support of MAID, while frankly showing the difficulties they had accessing treatment and support for their chronic health conditions. To this point, Cheryl recounts that she was only given access to a spinal surgery for pain treatment after she was approved for MAID. That spinal surgery decreased her pain, which led her to postpone taking action to access MAID. Similarly, Jennifer decided against pursuing MAID after she received a diagnosis seventeen years after the development of her condition and was prescribed medication that effectively managed her chronic pain. In this way, the documentary presents competing narratives. It shows that people pursuing MAID are confident in their choice and find solace in the control that MAID affords them. At the same time, the documentary shows how difficult it is to navigate the healthcare system with complex, chronic health conditions, and to deal with the emotional toll that accessing MAID can have on the applicant and their family.