On June 10, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement anticipating the 10-year anniversary of the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia throughout Canada. The Canadian bishops condemned the nation’s “Medical Assistance in Dying” law and called on all “Catholic faithful and people of goodwill” to oppose the practice, pray for the conversion of its supporters and support the “sick and vulnerable.”

Just days before, Pope Leo XIV delivered a speech to Spanish legislators denouncing MAID and the “throwaway culture” he said it represents, asking: “Can a community that casts into the shadows the unborn child, the elderly, the sick, those who suffer in silence, or those who depend entirely on the care of others be called fully just?”

Spain was the fourth European country to legalize euthanasia in 2021.

“On this occasion, we reject complacency with the status quo on euthanasia in Canada,” the bishops said. “Formed by the Gospel, we are called to draw near to those who suffer: not to ignore, trivialize, or abandon them in their pain or despair, but to accompany them with compassion, practical care, and hope (cf. Lk 10:30-37).”

“We actively seek opportunities for effective, collaborative strategies to provide concrete and compassionate support to those living with serious physical or mental illness, those with disabilities, and those nearing the end of life, as well as their families and caregivers,” they added.

The Canadian bishops described the current state of MAID in their country as “the world’s largest and fastest-growing euthanasia program.” MAID accounts for more than 5 percent of all deaths in Canada. In 2024, 16,499 died by euthanasia or assisted suicide, and The B.C. Catholic estimates that 100,000 Canadians have died by MAID since its legalization.

The amount of people eligible for MAID in Canada has expanded since its establishment a decade ago. “In 2016, only individuals whose death was ‘reasonably foreseeable’ were eligible for ‘MAID’ with so-called ‘safeguards’ in place,” the bishops wrote. “Subsequent legislation in 2021, however, considerably broadened the criteria, expanding access to include those whose death is not reasonably foreseeable, but whose condition is ‘grievous and irremediable.’”

Over the last decade, MAID has expanded dramatically across the United States and the western world. Recently, New York and Illinois joined 11 other U.S. states and Washington, D.C., to legalize some degree of assisted suicide or euthanasia. In 16 other states, bills are pending which seek to permit “death with dignity,” a phrase coined by activists who support euthanasia and assisted suicide and believe it should be considered a human right.

Internationally, nine countries in Europe, four countries in Latin America, New Zealand and Australia all maintain some form of assisted dying, according to the U.K. organization Dignity in Dying. Local laws differ on whether assisted suicide, in which a clinician provides patients with the means to end their lives, or euthanasia, in which the clinician directly administers life-ending medication, is allowed. Laws differ further on what constitutes a “terminally ill” condition and who may be eligible for MAID.

The Canadian bishops affirmed the centrality of human dignity and argued that euthanasia and assisted suicide are “gravely contrary” to that dignity and “can never be morally acceptable.” In opposition to MAID, the bishops voiced their support for palliative and hospice care that “accompanies those who suffer.”

“May the Church in Canada continue to be a place where people, especially the sick, elderly, disabled, suffering, and dying, are received with love, accompanied with compassion, and reminded that their life remains precious in the eyes of God,” the Canadian bishops’ statement concluded.

Edward Desciak is an O'Hare Fellow at America Media.