RFK Jr. calls Canada’s assisted suicide laws ‘abhorrent’

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized assisted suicide policies during a recent Senate hearing, warning that expanding such laws in the U.S. puts vulnerable people at risk. 

Kennedy made his comments while testifying before Congress about his agency’s budget April 22. The issue arose when Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, asked how the federal government is protecting people with disabilities.

Lankford pointed to cases in multiple states where people with serious conditions have been approved for assisted suicide. He said those cases raise concerns about whether the American health care system pushes struggling people toward ending their lives.

Kennedy, who is Roman Catholic, said he believes that is a problem and cited Canada as an example.

“I think those laws are abhorrent,” he said. “And we just see in Canada today, I think the number one cause of death is assisted suicide, and as you say, it targets people with disabilities and people who are struggling in their lives.”

Assisted suicide, known in Canada as medical assistance in dying, or MAiD, has grown in recent years. Canadian government data shows it accounted for 4.7% of all deaths in 2023, making it one of the country’s leading causes of death, LifeSiteNews reported.

Critics say the growth raises concerns about whether sick people receive adequate treatment options or if the system nudges them closer to death.

Kennedy said he wants to work with lawmakers on the issue.

“I don’t think we can be a moral society, we can’t be a moral society around the globe, if that becomes institutionalized throughout our society,” he said.

Kennedy’s remarks come as Cardinal Frank Leo, the Catholic archbishop of Toronto, recently expressed similar concerns in a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and members of Parliament.

“Our Catholic faith opposes the taking of any life, and it is with great disappointment and anguish that we have seen our country expand MAiD at a rapid and alarming rate,” Leo wrote.

Leo urged Canadian leaders to stop further expansion, including a planned policy change to allow assisted suicide for people with mental illness.

Assisted suicide is legal in 13 states, most of them Democrat-led.

Some states have expanded the scope of their assisted suicide law after legalizing it. Notably, Oregon dropped its residency requirement in 2022, allowing out-of-state residents to end their lives. Vermont followed suit a year later.

The issue divides lawmakers. Some want to expand assisted suicide, while others warn it pressures vulnerable people. Kennedy’s remarks add to concerns that once it expands, it is difficult to stop.