What Is MAID? The Assisted Dying Process Chosen By Canadian Author Robert Munsch

Canadian children’s author Robert Munsch, best known for The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, has revealed that he was approved for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), a process that allows people with serious medical conditions to end their lives with medical help. The 80-year-old, who has been diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson’s disease, said that he applied for MAID years ago but has not

yet chosen a date.

The news came through an interview with the NYT, where Munsch explained that although his stories are still with him, he is slowly slipping away. Tributes poured in quickly, prompting his daughter Julie to step in and clarify that while her father made the decision years ago, he is “NOT DYING” anytime soon. She stressed he remains stable, though degenerative conditions can worsen suddenly.

So what exactly is MAID, how does it work, and why did Munsch choose it?

What Is Medical Assistance In Dying?

Medical Assistance in Dying, or MAID, is a process in Canada that allows eligible adults suffering from serious and incurable medical conditions to choose a medically assisted death. Legalised nationwide in 2016, it is tightly regulated by the federal Criminal Code, with provinces and territories overseeing its practice.

MAID falls under the wider term “assisted dying,” which also covers assisted suicide and euthanasia.

How Is MAID Provided?

There are two ways MAID is carried out in Canada:

Clinician-administered MAID: A physician or nurse practitioner administers a lethal substance that causes death (usually via injection).

Self-administered MAID: The person is prescribed a lethal drug and takes it themselves.

In both methods, the law mandates strict medical safeguards.

Who Is Eligible For MAID In Canada?

Eligibility rules are strict and designed to protect vulnerable people. To qualify, a person must:

• Be at least 18 years old and eligible for government-funded health care.
• Be mentally competent and able to make their own decisions.
• Have a grievous and irremediable medical condition that causes enduring, intolerable suffering and cannot be relieved under acceptable conditions.
• Make a voluntary request, free from external pressure.
• Provide informed consent before the procedure.

Importantly, in Canada, someone doesn’t need to be on the verge of death to qualify for MAID. People with long-term or degenerative illnesses, like dementia or Parkinson’s, can still be eligible if their condition is incurable, causes ongoing and unbearable suffering, and they meet all other legal requirements, such as mental competence and informed consent.

What Safeguards Are In Place?

Canada’s MAID law includes several safeguards designed to protect vulnerable individuals:

1. Two independent medical assessments are required to confirm eligibility.
2. The person must submit a written request, witnessed by someone not involved in their care.
3. They must reconfirm consent just before the procedure, unless specific exemptions apply (such as pre-arranged waivers for capacity loss).

Another critical rule: the person must retain decision-making capacity at the moment MAID is provided. This is why Robert Munsch told NYT, “I have to pick the moment when I can still ask for it.”

Why Did Robert Munsch Apply For MAID?

In a 2021 interview with CBC, Munsch said he had ongoing dementia: “I can’t drive, I can’t ride a bicycle, I can’t write. So it’s been really whittling away on who I thought I was. My stories, strangely enough, are all there. The stories will be the last thing to go, I think.”

In the NYT interview, he revealed that he was later diagnosed with Parkinson’s as well, and that he intends to proceed with MAID once he loses the ability to speak and communicate, since the law requires him to still have decision-making capacity.

His decision was also shaped by personal experience. He watched one of his brothers die slowly of Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS), which convinced him not to endure a similar decline.

How Does MAID Work In Other Countries?

Medical assistance in dying is not unique to Canada. According to Mint, some form of assisted death is legal in ten US states and Washington DC, though these laws generally limit eligibility to patients with terminal illnesses and a prognosis of six months or less to live.

In Europe, countries such as Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, and Luxembourg have more expansive frameworks. Some of them permit assisted dying even for those who are not terminally ill, including individuals with chronic or psychological conditions, provided stringent consent and medical review criteria are met.

Australia has also legalised assisted dying in most of its states, while New Zealand allows it for patients expected to die within six months, a limit extended to 12 months for neurodegenerative illnesses.

India’s law is different. Active euthanasia, the act of intentionally administering a substance to cause death, is illegal in India and punishable under the Indian Penal Code. But in 2018, the Supreme Court of India recognised the legality of passive euthanasia, which involves the withdrawal of life support or medical treatment from terminally ill or permanently incapacitated patients.

The ruling also allowed individuals to issue advance medical directives, commonly known as “living wills”, stating their preference to refuse life-prolonging interventions if they become incapable of making decisions in the future.