Two daughters say their mom was released from a psych ward and died by assisted death hours later, and they want the rules changed now.
Story Snapshot
- Daughters say their mother got assisted death hours after psychiatric release
- First doctor declined; later assessors approved based on frailty and weight loss
- Family tried police and court routes to stop it but failed
- Police later described her as capable; assessment records remain sealed
A compressed timeline that shocked a family
Alicia and Christie Duncan told Parliament that their mother, Donna, survived a suicide attempt, was admitted to a psychiatric unit, then was released and died by assisted death within hours. They said assessors approved her on October 24 and October 26, 2021, and that she died that same week after discharge from hospital. CTV News reported police opened an investigation, which is rare in these cases, adding public weight to the family’s alarm over speed and process.
The family says they fought for 48 hours to stop the procedure. They called police, sought emergency help under mental health law, and tried court action. They describe a race against a clock they did not set and could not slow. Their core claim is simple: Donna was in acute crisis, not at the end of a well-run course of care. They say systems that should have paused the process instead cleared it to proceed.
Why assessors said yes when others said wait
A different picture appeared in later reporting. One account says Donna’s family doctor declined her request on October 14, stating she had not followed treatment and that mental decline drove physical decline. Two other assessors later approved her, citing severe weight loss and frailty that made death reasonably foreseeable under Canadian law at that time. That framing moves the case from mental illness alone to physical deterioration, where assisted death eligibility rules were looser in 2021.
Police conclusions also cut against the daughters’ view. After reviewing records from clinicians and the health authority, investigators reportedly said Donna was of clear mind and capable through the process, based on several medical opinions that included her family doctor. Capacity is the hinge in these cases. If a person understands and chooses, the law leans toward allowing the choice; if capacity is doubtful, the law must slow down.
The records-shaped fog that fuels distrust
The debate now sits in a gap only sealed files can fill. The health authority has not released the full assessment packet. The daughters say the lack of disclosure forced the police case closed and keeps the public from seeing the exact reasoning behind approval. Without those primary notes and checklists, outsiders cannot confirm whether assessors weighed suicidality, recent involuntary admission, and treatable causes of malnutrition with the care the law expects.
Parliament’s own expert materials admit these are the hardest calls. Officials say the toughest jobs are judging if suffering is truly without remedy, separating suicidal crisis from a settled wish to die, and testing decision-making capacity. They also note that track-two cases—where natural death is not foreseeable—need longer safeguards, while track-one cases do not. The result is uneven friction. The system can move fast when death seems near, even if the root cause is complex.
What a conservative, common-sense fix looks like
The law should never rush a death where a treatable condition might restore life and clarity. A recent suicide attempt and a psychiatric hold should trigger an automatic cooling-off period, a mandatory external capacity review, and proof of active treatment offers for nutrition, pain, and depression. That is not red tape; it is guardrail. Families who raise red flags deserve formal standing to request a pause, with a fast appeal path and written reasons on the record.
Transparency must improve. Require release of de-identified assessment rationales to next of kin after death, absent strong clinical harm. Publish province-level audits on how often assessors approve soon after psychiatric discharge and what alternatives were offered. Sunshine builds trust. It also protects good clinicians who follow the law and exposes the rare cases that do not. If leaders will not add these simple safeguards, they should explain why families should ever trust the process again.
Sources:
lifesitenews.com, theepochtimes.com, firstthings.com, ctvnews.ca, aliciaduncan.substack.com, podcasts.apple.com, coming-of-age-meeting-the-need.cohostpodcasting.com, macdonaldlaurier.ca, thecatholicherald.com