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This sounds awful … Elderly lady euthanised against her will in Canada

(8 Posts)
BlueBelle Tue 22-Sept-26 15:11:33

*Brigitte Stegemann, an 83-year-old Ontario resident with Stage IV stomach cancer, is currently the focus of widespread international media attention, including major coverage circulating on MSN Canada following her death through Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program.Her family, led by her granddaughter and legal power of attorney Brigitte Kranendonk, has publicly alleged that Stegemann was euthanized against her will and without proper consent on July 10, 2026, at a care home in Cannifton, Ontario.Summary of the ControversyPrior Refusal: The family states that Stegemann, a devout Christian, had explicitly rejected the MAiD procedure two months prior to her death because it conflicted with her religious faith, stating she wanted to pass away naturally.The Assessment: While her granddaughter and primary advocate was away on a 10-day trip, care facility staff allegedly restarted MAiD discussions with Stegemann privately. During her medical assessments, the family claims she showed severe cognitive decline and disorientation—such as failing to remember how many siblings she had.Lack of Final Consent: On the day of the procedure, her family alleges she was crying, disoriented, and offered no final verbal confirmation or consent. Instead, she stayed silent with her hands clasped in prayer as the lethal injection was administered.The Belleville Police Criminal Investigations Division and Ontario authorities are currently investigating the case to determine if legal safeguards and consent protocols were violated.

Cossy Tue 22-Sept-26 15:20:18

Sounds horrific. I’ll like to hear more detail before commenting further.

Cossy Tue 22-Sept-26 15:25:09

www.foxnews.com/media/family-sounds-alarm-83-year-old-woman-dies-canadas-assisted-death-program.amp

Fallingstar Tue 22-Sept-26 15:26:50

Yes it does sound horrific. I do worry about any possible abuse of assisted dying. Like Cossy will wait until more information on this is available.

Cossy Tue 22-Sept-26 15:30:36

My DGM had stomach cancer in the mid 70’s.

She was sent home to die when it spread.

I would have been about 14 or so. I recall visiting her in her bedroom. She was very calm and clearly very medicated, but awake. Her bedroom window was a large bay and it looked out onto a shrubbery with a very large, green, leafy tree. She could see the canopy of the tree very clearly.

She said to me, “look, can you see the fairies dancing”

She passed away very shortly afterwards, immediately after a visit from our family doctor.

Fallingstar Tue 22-Sept-26 15:31:54

Thanks for the link Cossy, it does sound as though the elderly woman was not in sound mind which means surely that this kind of procedure cannot take place.
The assisted dying bill insists that the person being euthanised must be of sound mind. But there will be abuses imho.

Esmay Tue 22-Sept-26 15:33:49

This is horrendous and actually she has been murdered.
Poor lady
RIP .Brigitte .

CarrotTop Tue 22-Sept-26 15:42:17

If it was really against her will and she was crying because she wanted the process to stop, then it was murder, not euthanasia. A lot of people seem to have difficulty seeing the difference. If she shed tears simply because she was sad to leave the world, or a bit afraid (I certainly would be), then it wasn't murder, it was some poor beggar performing the unenviable task of carrying out her wishes. If, if, if... Cossy's right - without all the relevant details, our imaginations are in danger of running riot. And some people do seem to enjoy starting a riot.