Are Safeguards Safe: Grave Concerns Regarding MAiD

Speaking from a legal, academic and personal perspective David Shannon and Dr. Ramona Coelho address many of the underlying causes of the recent exponential rise in MAiD cases and its implications for the disability community and medical practice.

David Shannon is a member of the Law Society of Ontario practicing health law in Thunder Bay, ON. Shannon has won numerous prestigious awards and honours, such as the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada for his work advancing the rights of disabled persons and other minority groups in Canada and abroad. He is co-editor of the book Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada: Critical Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives, Springer Nature.

Dr. Ramona Coelho is a family physician in London, ON whose practice largely cares for marginalized persons. Dr. Coelho is a senior fellow with Macdonald Laurier Institute. She has testified before Parliament and has been published in newspapers and journals laying out the dangers of legal euthanasia. She is co-editor of the upcoming book, Unravelling MAiD in Canada: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide as Medical Care, McGill University Press.

David Shannon and Dr. Ramona Coelho are members of the MAiD Death Review Committee. In collaboration with the Office of the Chief Coroner, they offer multidisciplinary expertise in the review of MAiD deaths in Ontario to assist in public safety concerns.