Margaret Marcella/Facebook

The issue of euthanasia is a sensitive one. Some consider it an abomination, while others see it as a death with dignity. Of these two spectrums, I lean towards the last end: when a person is in agony, suffering from an incurable affliction, and destined to become worse, choosing to die peacefully makes perfect sense to me. Personally, I know there are some scenarios where I would want to choose if I were unlucky enough to be in that situation. But euthanasia becomes ambiguous when it deviates from strict and well-established lines around the practice.

Grieving Canadian parents are now seeking change after their son, Keanu Vafaiyan, died with the help of the Medical Assisted in Dying, or MAID, program. Keanu lived with type 1 diabetes, partial blindness, and long-term mental health struggles after a serious car accident as a teenager, and became obsessed with the idea of ​​MAID, according to New York Post.

Canada’s MAID framework allows people with “serious and incurable” medical conditions to request euthanasia, the newspaper reported. In 2021, the law was changed to add what is known as Pathway 2, a provision for patients whose death cannot be reasonably predicted but who are experiencing unbearable suffering. Under these expanded criteria, doctors can approve euthanasia even if a person is not near the end of their life.

Favaian sought euthanasia for the first time when he was 23 years old. His mother, Margaret Marcella, said the doctor initially granted his request but later withdrew it after she and his stepfather, Joseph Caprara, intervened under the law. mail. The young man was originally angry with his family, but for a time his mental health seemed to improve, and he returned to live with his family.

“He did his best when he was in one of the best levels of life,” Marcella told the outlet. “Then winter and fall started to come, and it started to change and then everything we had worked for from the spring and summer was gone…and he was starting to talk about MAID again.”

In late 2025, Favaian again pursued MAID and found Dr. Ellen Wiebe, a prominent MAID provider in British Columbia, who consented to Favaian’s imminent death under the terms of Track II.

“We believe she was coaching him on how his body was deteriorating and what she could agree to and what she could get away with by agreeing to him,” Marcella said. mail. “Because if he had spoken again in 2024, and been a good candidate to approve MAID, she would have done so immediately, but she didn’t.”

He was euthanized on December 30, 2025, and the family was not informed of his plan and did not learn of his death until days later. Now, the family is fighting for changes that would repeal the Track Two provision, which also allows doctors to approve and euthanize patients within 90 days.

“Realistically, the guarantees for patients are that they will be able to communicate with their family members and be given a full range of different treatment options,” Marcella said.

Wiebe defended herself to Fox News Digital, saying: “Like my colleagues, every patient I accept in Track 2 is experiencing unbearable suffering from a serious and irreversible medical condition (non-psychiatric) with advanced decline in capacity and agrees that MAID is fully informed about treatments to reduce the suffering.”

In the United States, Death with Dignity has lobbied for policy changes to allow terminally ill patients (usually with six months or less to live) a safe way to end their lives. It is not technically euthanasia but medical assistance in dying, where the patient must take medication to end his or her own life. There are 15 US states that consider this legal, and another 13 states are considering implementing it in their states in 2026.