Canadian man planned to use assisted suicide to kill wife, court finds

A British Columbia judge stripped a Vancouver man of medical decision-making authority after finding he posed a threat to his elderly wife’s life and intended to kill her using assisted suicide.

The 77-year-old woman has Alzheimer’s disease and lives in a longterm care facility. Court records show her husband repeatedly told others he planned to end her life and would kill her himself if the state would not authorize euthanasia.

“The issue in this petition is whether the (health authority) should be granted declaratory relief and orders to enable it to provide protection to a vulnerable woman against the likelihood of death at the hands of her husband,” Justice Bradford F. Smith wrote, according to LifeSiteNews.

The husband, identified as T.W., described his proposal as a “death plan,” framing it as an alternative to assisted suicide and referring to it as a “dignicide.” His wife, E.W., received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2017 and was ruled ineligible for assisted suicide in 2021. 

“T.W. is a strong advocate for MAiD [Medical Assistance in Dying] and has expressed to various persons that if he and E.W. are eligible for MAiD they intend to receive it,” the decision states. “T.W. has also overtly and repeatedly informed family, friends and Island Health personnel that if E.W. becomes ineligible for MAiD, he intends to end her life and then take his own life.” 

Court documents show E.W. never consented. 

“E.W. never expressed agreement with the death plan. On the contrary, E.W. was understandably upset by it,” the decision said. “E.W. expressed to (the couple’s daughter) that T.W. was trying to kill her.” 

Health care workers reported apparent preparations, including “paying for funeral services and grave sites; selling assets and distributing the proceeds; preparing obituaries; and creating memorabilia as part of their collective legacy.” 

“Since arriving at the [longterm care] facility, E.W. has settled in well there and believes it is her home. She is comfortable, calm, and does not experience any distress when T.W. is not present,” the judge wrote. 

Facility staff observed T.W. urging his wife to cut off contact with their daughter. He accused the facility of jailing his wife and publicly shared her medical information despite a publication ban. 

University of British Columbia law professor Isabel Grant said the case exposes the dangers of normalizing euthanasia. “[T.W.] is talking about murdering a disabled woman who does not have the ability to protect herself,” Grant said. “The death plan is contrary to our murder laws.” 

Island Health, a publicly funded healthcare provider in British Columbia, welcomed the ruling. 

“Island Health is pleased with the court’s decision,” a spokesman told CTV.