I support assisted suicide. People have a right to end their lives on their own terms when they are sick and/or dying.

But the fact that certain mental illnesses and disabilities can qualify you feels like a cop-out to actually support disabled folks. Disability pay in Canada hardly covers rent and our health care system is fucked up. If you deal with chronic pain, mental health issues or addiction, the government has barely anything they will do for you.

I’ve watched my friends get abused by the system as teens and are now traumatized young adults who qualify for MAid. The institutionalizations, the rehab, the harm reduction…none of it has a long-term impact on some people when systemic barriers are pushing disabled people into corners. If you’re not in extreme crisis, good luck getting any real help unless you can cough up the money for therapy.

I hear young adults wanting to go forward with MAid for their mental illness and it always boils down to barriers the government could be more proactive about.

That being said, I have a chronic illness and really want to plan my death and choose to go before it becomes too painful.