OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — A Canadian psychiatrist warned MPs that a planned expansion of euthanasia to those with mental illness will lead the nation into a “suicide contagion” that could spiral out of control and lead people to “doctor-shop until dead.”Â

While speaking to the Special Joint Committee on “Medical Assistance in Dying” (“MAID”) or assisted suicide on April 21, psychiatrist John Maher from Barrie, Ontario,testified that expanding euthanasia in Canada will lead to the normalization of suicide.

Maher said that he recently had a patient with schizophrenia “very, very cavalierly saying, if he didn’t get a job and a girlfriend, he’s going to request MAID.”

“It’s been normalized. It’s suicide contagion,” he warned.

Maher, who is a specialist in severe mental illness and is also the editor-in-chief of theJournal of Ethics in Mental Health, noted that if the Liberal government goes ahead and allows the deadly practice for those with mental illness, it will spread what is known as the “Werther Effect.” This means that publicized suicide cases could potentially motivate others to get assisted suicide.

According to Maher, in nations such as Switzerland, which legalized euthanasia, the number of those getting it have “risen much faster after it was legalized.”

Maher then said the quiet part out loud, which is that Canadians with mental illness are indeed already getting approved for assisted suicide “under the guise of flimsy medical excuses.”

Last month, the Canadian governmentcreated theSpecial Joint Parliamentary Committee for MAID. It is filled with euthanasia backers, but Conservative MP Andrew Lawton is one of the few pro-life members of the committee.

The committee will determine whether Canada should expand assisted suicide to those with mental illness, but a few Members of Parliament on the committee promise to advocate for life.

The expansion of euthanasia for the mentally ill is slated to become law in 2027 as a consequence of the passage ofBill C-7.

Source: Infowars: There's a War on For Your Mind!