An 84-year-old woman in British Columbia says she was offered medically assisted suicide during an emergency room visit before other treatment options were presented, after she sought care for severe back pain, as reported by The Gateway Pundit.

Miriam Lancaster, a resident of the province, said she went to Vancouver General Hospital last year while experiencing what she described as “excruciating pain.”

Doctors later determined she had a fractured sacrum, a break in a bone located at the base of the spine.

Image Credit: nampix - Shutterstock.com

Trump's Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?

Lancaster recounted her experience in a March 18 post on the social media platform X, stating that the suggestion of Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) came immediately upon evaluation.

“I was approached by a young lady doctor whose very first words out of her mouth is, ‘We would like to offer you MAID.’ I was taken aback,” Lancaster said.

She added that the suggestion was not what she was seeking when she arrived for treatment.

“That’s the last thing on my mind. [I] just wanted to find out why I was in pain and did not want to die.”

FREE Gun Law Map: Laws Don't Pause During Social Unrest

After declining the offer, Lancaster remained in the hospital for about a month, undergoing rehabilitation. She later reported a strong recovery.

“[I] recuperated nicely enough that I could take some trips,” she said.

“So my recovery has been amazing. And there was no need for MAID to even be suggested.”

I met an 84-year-old woman who was offered euthanasia at a Canadian hospital practically upon arrival.

Miriam didn’t want to die. She recovered well and travelled to Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala. Stop offering death to people who have adventures to lead! pic.twitter.com/ZjEfSaKmix — Amanda Achtman (@AmandaAchtman) March 18, 2026

According to reporting from Canada’s National Post, Lancaster was able to walk her daughter down the aisle six weeks after the injury in April 2025.

She later traveled internationally, including trips to Cuba, Mexico, and Guatemala, where she walked and rode on horseback up Pacaya volcano.

Lancaster and her daughter, Jordan Weaver, said their religious beliefs influenced their decision to decline assisted death.

“My mother and I are practicing Catholics. We would never accept MAID under any circumstances,” Weaver said.

Weaver said that while other treatment options were eventually presented, she questioned why assisted death was introduced first.

“The doctor said, ‘Well, you could get rehab, but it will be a long road, and it will be very difficult. We don’t know what to expect.”

She added that her mother remains active and independent.

“My mother is not frail. She climbed a volcano in Guatemala. She’s a dynamo. She reads books. She goes to the theater. She’s alert. She takes the public bus on her own. She’s active.”

“Her life is valuable to the people who care for her,” she said.

Assisted death is legal throughout Canada.

In the United States, it is legal in 13 states and the District of Columbia, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

MAID is typically offered to patients who are terminally ill and experiencing severe, unmanageable pain.

Lancaster noted that her husband, who died of metastatic cancer in 2023, had also been offered assisted death.

“Of course, he turned it down,” she said.

“We are churchgoers. We both are ready to go when the Lord calls us, and that’s what happened to him.”

While she said she understood why the option was presented in her husband’s case, she questioned its use in her own situation.

“I had already seen that MAID gets presented pretty quickly, in this day and age. But I was a lot healthier. He had cancer,” Lancaster said.

Weaver also raised concerns about the decision to offer MAID in cases that are not life-threatening.

“[To] be offered MAID right off the bat for a non-life-threatening condition? It was a matter of pain management. The bone would eventually heal."

“Just because someone is 84 does not mean they’re ready to go on the scrap heap of life. It’s an insult to seniors.”

The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Objectivist. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.