Canadian man applies for doctor-assisted death due to homelessness

A Canadian man is applying to end his life under Canada's regressive euthanasia framework because he does not want to be homeless.

Amir Farsoud, a 54-year-old man from Ontario, told a local broadcaster that he feels he has no other choice - social support is unavailable.

Mr Farsoud suffers from a back injury he sustained years ago which prevents him from sleeping properly and has led to depression.

He commented: “I don’t want to die but I don’t want to be homeless more than I don’t want to die. I know, in my present health condition, I wouldn’t survive it anyway."

When asked if he would consider applying for assisted suicide if he had stable housing provided by the Canadian state, Farsoud said he wouldn’t “even be close to it yet.”

UN experts have warned that assisted suicide and euthanasia laws lead to "ableist assumptions about the inherent ‘quality of life’ or ‘worth’ of the life of a person with a disability.”

Before Canada's law was passed, the UN warned: “It is not beyond possibility that, if offered an expanded right [to MAiD] persons with disabilities may decide to end their lives because of broader social factors".

Last week, it was reported that theMSP behind assisted suicide plans in Scotland has won enough support from other parliamentarians to officially introduce his private members bill at Holyrood.

The Scottish Government can take the Bill on, but because assisted suicide has traditionally been a free, conscience vote, that is highly unlikely to happen.

Under the proposed legislation, terminally ill adults with less than six months left to live would have the right to ask for help to commit suicide.

Earlier this year, former MP and MSP Dennis Canavan, who has lost four children, three to terminal illness, urged parliamentarians to oppose assisted suicide.

"I have probably had more than my fair share of deaths in my family, having suffered the loss of three of my dear sons and my only beloved daughter. Three of them died as the result of terminal illness.

"I had the experience of watching two of them die and I would not wish that on any parent. However, I must say that, in general, I found the standard of NHS care to be excellent and the standard of palliative care in our local Strathcarron Hospice was first class.

"My children undoubtedly underwent some pain but it was minimised by caring health professionals who did everything possible to make their final days as comfortable as possible. As a result, my children died in dignity and I beg to differ from those who assert that the option of assisted suicide is necessary to ensure dignity in death."