September 23, 2026 09:00 AM PST
(PenniesToSave.com) – Brigitte Stegemann was 83, a devout Christian, and living with stage 4 stomach cancer when she died through Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying program on July 10 at The Pearl care home in Cannifton, Ontario [1]. Her granddaughter, who served as her medical power of attorney for six years, says Stegemann never wanted the procedure and never gave final consent [3]. The practitioners and the care home have not commented publicly but reportedly maintain that Stegemann legally consented [1].
Her case lands as Canada approaches a decade of legal assisted death. Health Canada data shows 76,475 Canadians died through the program by the end of 2024 [8]. Meanwhile, assisted dying laws have spread across a growing number of U.S. states, including California and New York [4].
The questions raised in Canada are not only medical or moral. They touch on who gets notified when a loved one’s care changes, how cost pressures can shape the options patients hear about, and what families can do to make sure a parent’s or grandparent’s wishes are honored. Those questions matter to every household.
Quick Links
- What Happened to Brigitte Stegemann?
- How Common Has Assisted Death Become in Canada?
- Who Brings Up Assisted Dying, and When?
- Can Money and Circumstances Shape End-of-Life Choices?
- Where Do U.S. Assisted Dying Laws Stand Today?
- How Can Families Protect a Loved One’s Wishes?
What Happened to Brigitte Stegemann?
Brigitte Kranendonk cared for her grandmother for 12 years. Stegemann moved into The Pearl about 18 months before her death, and after her cancer diagnosis in February, doctors estimated she had six months to two years to live [1]. Kranendonk says that when she raised MAiD, her grandmother said no, a position Kranendonk ties to Stegemann’s Christian faith [1]. The Daily Wire, drawing on a family Facebook post, reports the family says Stegemann also voiced her objection to doctors [3].
The timeline is where accounts diverge. Kranendonk left in June for a 10-day trip, and on July 3 the home called to say it planned to arrange a MAiD assessment because Stegemann’s health had declined [1]. The family’s post says staff met privately with Stegemann twice during the trip [3], while the Daily Caller reports Kranendonk learned after returning that a first consultation had already taken place [1]. Kranendonk disputes the claim of a rapid decline, saying her grandmother was still eating, walking to the bathroom, and joking [1].
Two days before the procedure, Kranendonk says she asked her grandmother directly whether she understood she would die that Friday. The Daily Caller reports Stegemann wept inconsolably [1], while the family’s post describes her as confused [3].
“I’ve made a mistake.”
Brigitte Stegemann, as recounted by her granddaughter [1]
At the second assessment, Kranendonk says she was asked to leave the room, and four minutes later the doctor deemed Stegemann fit [1]. On July 10, she alleges a nurse needed several attempts to place an IV, causing heavy bleeding, and was not wearing gloves [1]. The family says it had been assured Stegemann would be asked for explicit verbal confirmation that day [3]. Kranendonk says her grandmother stayed silent with her hands clasped in prayer, the doctor proceeded, and Stegemann was pronounced dead within 10 minutes [1][3].
Kranendonk alleges the paperwork was completed afterward and says The Pearl has refused to release her grandmother’s medical records. She has taken her concerns to Ontario’s Chief Coroner’s Office, the Patient Ombudsman, and Belleville Police [1].
How Common Has Assisted Death Become in Canada?
Canada legalized Medical Assistance in Dying, known as MAiD, on June 17, 2016, when Parliament passed Bill C-14 [8]. At first, the law applied to adults whose death was reasonably foreseeable, such as a patient with terminal cancer [5]. In 2021, access expanded to people with chronic, debilitating conditions who were not terminally ill [7]. Eligibility for people whose only condition is a mental illness is scheduled to begin in early 2027 [8].
The numbers grew quickly. Deaths rose from 5,461 in 2019 to 7,451 in 2020 and 9,842 in 2021 [8]. In 2023, roughly 15,300 Canadians died through MAiD, or 4.7% of all deaths in the country. Their median age was over 77, and about 96% had a death deemed reasonably foreseeable [7]. By 2024, MAiD accounted for 5.1% of deaths, about 45 per day, and the cumulative total reached 76,475 [8]. Reports differ on the 2024 count itself, with the National Post citing 16,499 deaths [8] and the New York Post citing 15,767 [9].
There are signs the pace is easing. Health Canada reported the rate rose nearly 16% in 2023, well below the 31% average of prior years, and said it was too early to explain the change [7]. Even so, the National Post projected Canada would pass 100,000 total MAiD deaths around June 2026, a figure first popularized by activist Kelsi Sheren [8].
Only the Netherlands has a higher share, at 5.8% of deaths [8]. Within Canada, Quebec accounts for about 37% of MAiD deaths while holding 22% of the population [7]. Advocacy groups disagree on where assisted death ranks among causes of death, with Live Action News calling it fourth [6] and ARPA Canada analysts calling it fifth [5]. Nearly all Canadian cases are administered directly by a clinician rather than taken by the patient [5].
Who Brings Up Assisted Dying, and When?
Miriam Lancaster, an 84-year-old Vancouver resident, went to the emergency room at Vancouver General Hospital in April 2025 with intense pain [2]. She says a doctor brought up MAiD before any tests had been done [2]. Speaking to the National Post, she said the doctor opened the conversation by offering MAiD for her pain, and that other treatments came up only after she firmly refused [4].
Her daughter, Jordan Weaver, remembers the timing a little differently and believes the diagnosis had already been given [2]. Both agree on what it turned out to be: a hairline pelvic fracture caused by osteoporosis, which healed without surgery after a week at the hospital and a month at another facility [2]. Weaver recalls the doctor presenting MAiD as a way to end the pain for good, and she says she worries what could have happened if she had not been in the room. Lancaster has since made a full recovery and traveled abroad [2].
Vancouver Coastal Health told People it was not aware of any MAiD conversation between the patient and emergency physicians. The agency said staff may raise MAiD based on clinical judgment, while also saying emergency staff are generally not positioned to do so [2]. Lancaster and Weaver say they respect MAiD as the right choice for some families but believe it should come up only when a patient asks [2].
Similar concerns have surfaced elsewhere. A Nova Scotia cancer patient told the National Post she was asked about MAiD twice while undergoing mastectomy surgeries [7]. Canadian law requires two independent providers to confirm eligibility, and Health Canada says the criminal code sets strict criteria. Cardus, a Christian think tank, called the latest figures alarming [7].
Can Money and Circumstances Shape End-of-Life Choices?
Critics argue that cost pressures can quietly shape the options patients hear about. Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated the 2021 expansion would produce about $149 million in net health care savings in its first year, according to The Daily Wire [3]. Sally Pipes, a think tank CEO writing in Forbes, argues that systems where government both pays for care and decides what is covered face an inherent tension, pointing to the Fraser Institute’s finding that Canada’s median wait for specialist care topped 28 weeks in 2025 [4].
The reasons patients give also point beyond medicine. According to ARPA Canada policy analysts, nearly half of MAiD requesters say they feel like a burden on family, friends, or caregivers. More than 20% cite isolation or loneliness, a figure that rises to nearly 50% among those whose death is not near [5].
Housing and income have come up as well. An Ontario report described a woman in her 50s whose request was granted after she could not find housing that met her medical needs, and Canadian outlets have reported on people with disabilities weighing MAiD over gaps in housing or disability benefits [7]. The family of Kiano Vafaeian, 26, who had Type 1 diabetes, depression, and vision problems, is calling for reforms after he died through MAiD in British Columbia on December 30, 2025 [9].
Dennis Poust of the New York State Catholic Conference argues that what begins as an option can harden into an expectation for the most vulnerable patients [9].
“The poor and underinsured and people with disabilities.”
Dennis Poust, New York State Catholic Conference, on who feels that pressure most [9]
For households already stretched by medical bills, a plan for paying off medical and other debt can ease one source of that pressure. Health Canada, for its part, maintains its eligibility criteria are strict, and most 2023 cases involved patients whose death was reasonably foreseeable [7].
Where Do U.S. Assisted Dying Laws Stand Today?
New York passed its Medical Aid in Dying Act by a narrow margin in June 2025, and the New York Post describes it as the 14th state to approve a version of the practice [9]. Counts vary by source and date. A Forbes column in April 2026 put the number at more than a dozen states, including California and Oregon [4], while a National Post analysis in February 2026 counted Oregon plus six other states and the District of Columbia [8]. Even Oregon’s start date differs, listed as 1997 in one account [5] and 1998 in another [8].
One key difference is mechanical. U.S. laws allow a doctor to provide the means for a patient to end their own life, while Canadian MAiD is almost always carried out by a clinician [5]. The scale differs sharply as well. One 2022 study counted 5,329 U.S. deaths over 23 years [8], fewer than Canada recorded in 2024 alone [8][9]. In Oregon, 367 people died this way in 2023, about 0.8% of the state’s deaths [5].
Pipes notes that government already finances roughly half of U.S. health spending and argues that similar pressures could follow as that share rises [4]. Poust calls Canada a warning sign for where New York may be heading [9]. Canada’s own experience shows how quickly the rules can shift, since its first major expansion came just five years after legalization [5]. That history is a reason to watch closely how U.S. safeguards hold up over time.
How Can Families Protect a Loved One’s Wishes?
The cases in Canada offer practical lessons for any family, wherever they live. Kranendonk had served as her grandmother’s medical power of attorney for six years, yet she says no one called her before the first MAiD consultation [1]. A stated objection may carry more weight when it is written down, signed, and kept on file with both the care facility and the family.
It also helps to ask a care facility directly how it handles end-of-life conversations and who gets notified when a resident’s condition changes. Kranendonk says the home gave routine updates during her trip without mentioning a major decline [1]. Weaver believes being in the emergency room with her mother made a difference [2], which makes a strong case for having a trusted family member present at key appointments whenever possible.
Records matter too. Kranendonk says The Pearl has refused to release her grandmother’s medical records [1], so requesting copies early, before any dispute arises, can save time later. Families should also know the complaint channels available, which in these cases included a coroner’s office, a patient ombudsman, local police [1], and a health authority’s patient care quality office [2].
Long-term care and caregiving can strain any family’s finances, and building a household budget that accounts for those costs can reduce pressure on everyone involved, including the loved one receiving care.
Final Thoughts
Canada’s decade of MAiD shows how fast eligibility and usage can grow, even as the annual rate of growth has slowed [7]. The most troubling cases turn on the same few questions: whether consent was clear, whether family was informed, and whether cost or circumstance tilted the choice. None of the allegations in these cases has been proven, and Canadian officials maintain the system’s safeguards are strict [7].
As more U.S. states adopt their own laws, the most reliable protection may be the one both Kranendonk and Weaver point to: families who stay informed, stay present, and put their loved ones’ wishes on record [1][2]. End-of-life decisions belong first to patients and the people who know and love them best, and preparing ahead is one of the most meaningful ways to honor that.
Works Cited
[1] Brasfield, Ashley. “Christian Grandma Was ‘Covered In Blood’ During Euthanasia Family Says She Didn’t Want.” The Daily Caller, 21 Sept. 2026, dailycaller.com/2026/09/21/christian-grandma-brigitte-stegemann-euthanasia-canada/.
[2] Sheffield, Toria. “Woman, 84, Went to the ER for Pain and Claims a Doctor Suggested a Euthanasia Program Over Treatment.” People, 28 Mar. 2026, people.com/woman-went-to-the-er-for-pain-claims-doctor-suggested-euthanasia-11936643.
[3] Prestigiacomo, Amanda. “The Latest Horror Story Out Of Canada’s ‘Free’ Healthcare System.” The Daily Wire, 12 Aug. 2026, www.dailywire.com/news/the-latest-horror-story-out-of-canadas-free-healthcare-system.
[4] Pipes, Sally. “What Canada’s Euthanasia Surge Reveals About Single-Payer Health Care.” Forbes, 6 Apr. 2026, www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2026/04/06/what-canadas-euthanasia-surge-reveals-about-single-payer-health-care/.
[5] Minderhoud, Levi, and Daniel Zekveld. “The Cautionary Tale of Euthanasia in Canada.” In All Things, Dordt University, 18 Mar. 2025, www.dordt.edu/in-all-things/the-cautionary-tale-of-euthanasia-in-canada.
[6] Sielicki, Bridget. “Canada Experiences Population Decline for the First Time.” Live Action News, 6 June 2026, www.liveaction.org/news/canada-experiences-population-decline-first-time.
[7] Yousif, Nadine. “Assisted Dying Now Accounts for One in 20 Canada Deaths.” BBC News, 12 Dec. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0j1z14p57po.
[8] Hopper, Tristin. “First Reading: Canada Likely to Mark 100,000th MAID Death by Summer.” National Post, 24 Feb. 2026. Yahoo News, ca.news.yahoo.com/first-reading-canada-likely-mark-155631641.html.
[9] Galvin, Shane. “Canada Set to Surpass 100,000 Assisted Suicides: More Than the Country’s WWII Death Toll.” New York Post, 7 Mar. 2026, nypost.com/2026/03/07/world-news/canada-set-to-pass-100000-assisted-suicide-deaths-before-programs-10th-anniversary-societal-failing/.