Miriam Lancaster said a doctor suggested medical assistance in dying (MAiD)
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A woman, 84, said she visited an ER while experiencing severe pain and claimed a doctor recommended medical assistance in dying (MAiD) instead of treatment options
- “I just wanted to find out why I was in pain — I did not want to die,” the woman told the Western Standard
- She went on to make a full recovery and travel the world
An woman said she went to the ER after waking up in pain and claimed a doctor recommended euthanasia before even conducting initial tests.
Miriam Lancaster, 84, of Vancouver, Canada, said that she woke up in April 2025 in intense pain, according to the Western Standard.
Lancaster was taken to the emergency room at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), per the outlet. After arriving at the hospital, but before any “tests had been taken,” a doctor approached her and suggested medical assistance in dying (MAiD), which is a legal process in Canada in which eligible adults can request medical assistance to end their lives.
Lancaster said that she was shocked by the comment, as she said she hadn’t even received a diagnosis yet.
Credit: Bayne Stanley/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock
"All I knew was that I was in an emergency ward and was approached by a doctor, which I was expecting. And the first thing the doctor did was ask about MAiD,” she told the outlet.
Lancaster’s daughter, Jordan Weaver, who was with her at the time, said that she recalls the timeline of events slightly differently, but said that her mother was offered MAiD for an injury which ultimately was entirely treatable.
"My recollection is that she had received her diagnosis … My mom had a fractured pelvis. It fractured spontaneously due to osteoporosis, and it was hard for them to find at first, because it was such a hairline fracture,” Weaver recalled to the Western Standard.
Weaver said that her mother ultimately stayed at the VGH for a week and then was transferred to another facility, where she stayed a month while she healed.
"She couldn't come home, so it was very expensive to treat, but it didn't require surgery. And as you know from the story, she made a full recovery,” Weaver said.
Credit: Getty
Weaver went on to say that she worries what might have happened if she had not been with her mom at the time that MAiD was discussed.
"It was something like, you know, ‘MAiD is an option that would end the pain forever,’ you know, with a sort of encouraging attitude," she recalled. "So if someone was being respectful of healthcare workers, they might almost go along with it. "
"I think my mom's pretty feisty, but if I hadn't been there, the doctor might have been able to manipulate. It was off the cuff — it was manipulative,” Weaver added.
Weaver said that her mother has since made a full recovery and traveled to different countries and is “living life [in] full.”
"When we were in Guatemala, she climbed a volcano," Weaver said. “When we were in Mexico, she was taking cooking classes and making her own tacos. And when we were in Havana — she is a retired piano teacher — she played with a five piece jazz ensemble."
In a statement to the National Post, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), which oversees VGH, said it “is committed to the health and safety of everyone in our care.”
“While VCH is limited in what we can say due to patient privacy and confidentiality, we are not aware of a conversation between the patient and emergency department physicians at Vancouver General Hospital related to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD),” VCH continued.
“Staff may consider bringing up MAiD based on their clinical judgement, provided they possess the necessary knowledge and skills to do so,” they said, adding that emergency department staff “are not generally in a position to raise the topic of MAiD with patients.”
“We strongly encourage those who are concerned about their care to connect with our Patient Care Quality Office,” VCH concluded.
While Lancaster and Weaver said that they respect that MAiD might be the right choice for some patients and families, they do not think it should be offered unless a patient specifically asks about it.
In a video clip posted to X by Amanda Achtman, founder of Dying to Meet You, an anti-euthansia organization in Canada, Lancaster said she recalled feeling shocked by the mention of MAiD at the time.
I met an 84-year-old woman who was offered euthanasia at a Canadian hospital practically upon arrival.
Miriam didn’t want to die. She recovered well and travelled to Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala.
Stop offering death to people who have adventures to lead! pic.twitter.com/ZjEfSaKmix
— Amanda Achtman (@AmandaAchtman) March 18, 2026
"I was taken aback. That was the last thing on my mind, I just wanted to find out why I was in pain — I did not want to die," Lancaster said in the clip.
"My recovery has been amazing, and there was no need for MAiD to even have been suggested," she added.
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