Ovarian cancer patient says Canada offered MAID before oncology care

Key Points:

• Kristin Logan and Donovan James moved to Canada seeking financial and medical benefits of publicly funded healthcare but found the system "dystopian," with medically assisted death (MAID) offered before cancer treatment, leading them to return to the U.S. for care.
• Logan, diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer in September 2023, faced long wait times and lack of resources in Canada, requiring multiple emergency trips back to the U.S. for treatment, including emergency surgery that Canadian doctors initially declined to perform.
• The couple criticized Canada's MAID program for being too expansive and prematurely presented as an option, with MAID now accounting for about 5% of deaths in Canada, raising ethical concerns about its use.
• British Columbia has announced expanded services for gynecological cancer, but median wait times remain lengthy, with 25 weeks from referral to specialist consultation and over 15 weeks from consultation to treatment.
• Health Canada did not respond to requests for comment regarding the criticisms of the MAID program and healthcare system delays highlighted by Logan and James.