The family of an 83-year-old Canadian woman is seeking answers after she died through the country’s medical assistance in dying program, despite allegedly becoming distressed when she learned the procedure would end her life and displaying signs of cognitive decline, according to a report.
The Daily Mail reported Sunday that Brigitte Stegemann, an 83-year-old Christian grandmother, died under Canada’s physician-assisted dying program, known as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), on July 10.
Her granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, said she had been Stegemann’s primary caregiver. As her grandmother’s physical and mental health worsened, the family decided to move her into The Pearl care home in Cannifton.
Kranendonk said Stegemann continued to have a healthy appetite even after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. She also rejected MAiD when it was initially presented as an option.
That situation reportedly changed in June, when Kranendonk left for a 10-day road trip with her husband.
Kranendonk said she stayed in regular contact with the care home during the trip. Staff told her that Stegemann had fallen and would need a wheelchair, but she said she was not initially informed of any major deterioration in her grandmother’s condition.
Near the end of the trip, on July 3, Kranendonk said she received a call saying the home planned to arrange a MAiD assessment for Stegemann. The news surprised her because, she said, her grandmother had previously made clear that she did not want an assisted death.
After returning, Kranendonk said she asked a nurse at The Pearl who had begun discussing MAiD with her grandmother.
“The nurse became very abrasive, very defensive,” Kranendonk told The Daily Mail. “She was like, ‘Well, I’m just trying to advocate for her. I’m just trying to do what’s right for her.’”
Kranendonk said she later learned that her grandmother had already undergone her first MAiD consultation before she returned from the trip.
She also alleged that Stegemann had difficulty during a mental-capacity assessment, including incorrectly answering questions about members of her own family.
Kranendonk said she attended Stegemann’s second MAiD assessment. According to her account, the doctor used “really loose terms” and did not use the words “death” or “dying.”
“She explains MAiD to my grandmother by saying: ‘We’re going to give you medicine, you’re going to feel at peace. And I just want you to know that you won’t have a bowel movement,’” Kranendonk told the outlet.
When Kranendonk interrupted to say, “She doesn’t understand what you’re saying,” the doctor allegedly turned to Stegemann and said, “We’re going to make sure you won’t have any more pain.”
The doctor reportedly determined that Stegemann was “deemed fit for MAiD, and we’re going to proceed,” The Daily Mail reported.
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Kranendonk said she spoke directly with her grandmother two days before Stegemann’s death and asked whether she understood that the scheduled procedure would cause her to die.
According to Kranendonk’s account, Stegemann began to cry and said she had “made a mistake.”
Stegemann was allegedly told that she could “deny” MAiD on the day of the procedure. However, Kranendonk said she was uncertain whether her grandmother had genuinely consented and did not want to subject her to additional distress. She chose instead to spend what might have been their final days together.
Kranendonk also said the nurse administering the IV was not wearing gloves and struggled to insert it into Stegemann’s right arm. She alleged that the nurse pierced her grandmother’s arm multiple times, leaving “blood all over the place.”
The doctor then entered and told Stegemann she was there to give her “medicine.” Kranendonk said her grandmother did not respond.
“My Oma is not moving,” Kranendonk said. “She doesn’t open her eyes. She doesn’t nod. She doesn’t say anything, and the doctor just said: ‘Okay, well, I’m going to proceed.’”
Kranendonk said her grandmother was dead within 10 minutes.
Kranendonk said she wishes she would have applied for a legal injunction to stop the MAiD from occurring, but also said she was not aware she had the option.
She is appealing to the Chief Coroner’s Office in Ontario, as well as the Patient Ombudsman and Belleville Police, to investigate if what happened was legal.
According to the BBC, Canada’s MAID law, which legalized euthanasia in 2016, is responsible for one in every 20 deaths in Canada.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Kranendonk said, “My grandmother was a vulnerable senior who was let down when the doctors and home bypassed every safeguard put in place to protect her — from assessing her mental capacity, to getting her clear, final consent before acting and the home filling out paperwork and having her sign when we were not there, and giving us copies. I will not stop until there is a full investigation into how this was allowed to happen behind closed doors.”
Mira Metter, Director of “Broken Country,” a film about the decline of the country over the last two decades, said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “What is particularly troubling about this case is that it raises questions Canadians should be asking about whether MAID’s safeguards are protecting vulnerable people as intended.”
Metter added, “A compassionate healthcare system should ensure that when someone is at their most vulnerable, every reasonable avenue for care and support has been explored before death is presented as an option. MAID may be legal in Canada, but legality cannot be the end of the conversation.”
Laura Echevarria, National Right to Life’s communications director and press secretary, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “Euthanasia and assisted suicide cross a line medicine should never cross: from caring for patients to intentionally ending their lives. The most vulnerable among us deserve protection, compassion, and care—not death presented as medical treatment. No safeguard can undo a mistake once a patient is dead.”
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.