A priest from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, recovering from a hip fracture at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) said he was twice offered assisted death by healthcare staff who knew he was a priest and opposed to euthanasia \u2014 a practice critics say is growing as medical professionals are increasingly encouraged to initiate such conversations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are some things you just don\u2019t talk about to some people,\u201d said Father Larry Holland, who has completed studies in healthcare chaplaincy in addition to serving at numerous parishes in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.<\/p>\n
He described his reaction when a doctor brought up the option of medical aid in dying (MAID) should his condition deteriorate. \u201cI think I was very shocked,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is such a sensitive subject.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holland, 79, is currently convalescing at VGH after suffering a hip fracture from a fall in his bathroom on Christmas Day. He spoke to The B.C. Catholic about the offers of MAID from two healthcare professionals, despite their knowing he was a Catholic priest.<\/p>\n
Holland said he wasn\u2019t dying then or now and that the doctor\u2019s mention of MAID left him \u201ckind of silent\u201d for a moment. The doctor then raised the subject again, saying it\u2019s \u201csomething they have to discuss with someone who\u2019s been given a terminal diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holland recalled telling the doctor he was morally opposed to euthanasia. The doctor explained that \u201che just wanted to make sure that, if a [terminal] diagnosis came up or not … I knew of the different services I had access to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Weeks later, a second offer of MAID came from a nurse who the priest said seemed uncomfortable raising the topic and was likely doing so out of compassion because of the pain he was enduring.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a false compassion, really,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for Vancouver Coastal Health, which operates VGH, told The B.C. Catholic in an email that \u201cstaff may consider bringing up MAID based on their clinical judgment, provided they possess the necessary knowledge and skills to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staff are also \u201cresponsible for answering questions when patients bring up the topic of MAID,\u201d the spokesman said.<\/p>\n
The two incidents arise as Canada approaches 100,000 assisted dying deaths.<\/p>\n
Father Larry Lynn, the archdiocese\u2019s pro-life chaplain, said he was shocked to hear about Holland\u2019s case.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis must surely be among the most appalling examples of Canada\u2019s coercive and insensitive euthanasia regime,\u201d Lynn said in an interview.<\/p>\n
He said it\u2019s disturbing that a healthcare provider suggests euthanasia with any patient, and particularly when the patient is a consecrated religious known to be morally opposed. \u201cIt places the medical practitioner into the role of the devil, tempting a vulnerable person into mortal sin.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s equally troubled that Canadian euthanasia providers aren\u2019t ruling out initiating discussions with Roman Catholics about MAID. In a document titled \u201cBringing up Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) as a Clinical Care Option<\/a>,\u201d the Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers recommends against assuming patients oppose MAID because of their faith.<\/p>\n The document says: \u201cHealthcare professionals may draw incorrect assumptions about a person\u2019s views on MAID; e.g., they may assume that a patient objects to MAID because she is a Roman Catholic nun, and yet Roman Catholic nuns and others dedicated to a faith-based way of life have requested MAID.\u201d The booklet does not provide a source for the information.<\/p>\n An updated version<\/a> published in March removes the Catholic reference but gives the same advice regarding people of a \u201cfaith community\u201d and even those of \u201cstrong faith.\u201d<\/p>\n Lynn called it \u201cdiabolical\u201d to use a nun as an example for overcoming a patient\u2019s moral objections.<\/p>\n The booklet reflects a recent trend of encouraging healthcare personnel to initiate MAID discussions with patients. In November 2025, The B.C. Catholic reported on a little-known 2023 Health Canada document urging health authorities and professional bodies to adopt \u201cpractice standards\u201d requiring doctors and nurse practitioners to raise MAID with certain patients.<\/p>\n The MAID assessors and providers document similarly says physicians and nurse practitioners involved in care planning and consent processes \u201chave a professional obligation to initiate a discussion about MAID if a patient might be eligible for MAID.\u201d However, Health Canada does not have the authority to require provinces or health authorities to adopt such guidelines and The B.C. Catholic found no evidence of any public agency or professional body in British Columbia doing so.<\/p>\n Amanda Achtman, creator of the anti-euthanasia project Dying to Meet You<\/a> and ethics director of Canadian Physicians for Life<\/a>, said initiating MAID discussions in a medical setting is a form of coercion that attacks patients\u2019 deepest convictions when they\u2019re vulnerable. To \u201ctorment\u201d someone who has deeply held beliefs with an offer of MAID is \u201can attack on their identity,\u201d Achtman said.<\/p>\n Holland admitted he was in so much pain that he could \u201cfeel the temptation\u201d to accept MAID. \u201cIt\u2019s a human reaction. We always look for the easy way out.\u201d<\/p>\n Conservative member of Parliament Garnett Genuis has introduced Bill C-260<\/a>, An Act to Prevent Coercion of Persons Not Seeking Medical Assistance in Dying, which would prohibit federal employees from proactively offering or recommending MAID. The bill resulted from incidents of bureaucrats such as veterans counselors trying to steer vulnerable people toward assisted dying.<\/p>\n The Alberta government introduced legislation in March that would restrict regulated health professionals from providing information about MAID to their patients unless the patient brings it up. The Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act<\/a> would also restrict the public display of MAID information, such as posters, within healthcare facilities.<\/p>\n The bill is worth supporting, said Achtman, who lives in Calgary. \u201cSimply being offered euthanasia already kills the person, because it defeats and deflates their sense of self-worth and value.\u201d<\/p>\n