When Compassion Becomes Discrimination: Disability, Structural Injustice, and the Ethics of MAID for Mental Illness

Policy and public discourse surrounding Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in Canada is often framed in terms of dignity, compassion, and respect for individual autonomy. As Canada currently grapples with the question of expanding eligibility for MAID to persons with a mental disorder as their sole underlying medical condition, new ethical concerns arise that cannot be addressed within the existing framework. The aim of project is to consider whether allowing MAID for mental illness might inadvertently reproduce existing structural injustices by transforming social abandonment into an apparent act of compassion – and whether what is presented as fairness and framed in terms of ‘equal access’ may actually mask deeper inequalities that arise from social conditions of exclusion, stigma, and inadequate provision of care and support.