Research summary
Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) is a process that allows someone to receive assistance from a doctor or nurse practitioner to end their life. As Canada Research Chair in Health, Inclusion and Policy, Dr. Jonas-Sébastien Beaudry is proposing the first systematic theory of MAiD grounded in disability bioethics and disability legal studies.
He and his research team are bridging the gap between those who argue that offering MAiD to people with disabilities is unfair and dangerous, and those who argue that people are entitled to make these fundamental decisions for themselves. Beaudry and his team will explore the risks of assisted dying as well as the failures of assisted living, and justify fostering autonomy in both contexts. Ultimately, their findings will lay the groundwork needed to overhaul the socio-economic rights of Canadians who experience intolerable suffering.