My mom was born in a small town in northern Alberta and grew up during the Depression on the Canadian Prairies. My mom might remind you of your mom or the millions of other women of her era who are now seniors in their 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Mom loved playing bridge, her circle of friends, and of course, spending time with her family. It was a simple life she expressly wanted.

For years, our mom also suffered from unremitting pain, arthritis, and bone degeneration. In 2014, she had open heart surgery and described the experience of having her chest broken opened as less painful than the degenerating disks in her lower back.

Over her last months, mom’s chronic pain grew worse. She suffered bone-on-bone pain in her left shoulder and as a result had difficulties manoeuvring her walker. Mom had to literally choose between going for a walk, which would further damage her shoulders, and remaining sedentary in her apartment.

In January 2016, mom suffered a bleed in her eye, which, when coupled with the damage from macular degeneration, left her partially blind and unable to read, watch TV, or play bridge.

Feeling helpless as to next steps, mom was admitted to the emergency department at her local hospital. While in hospital, she was diagnosed with early stage cognitive impairment — quite likely Alzheimer’s.

On Friday April 29th, the hospital discharged mom. That night, she shared how much she had appreciated the conversations she had with fellow patients. Mom expressed an appreciation for life and living. She then went onto say, “ … and I’m so tired.”

Mom was scared. She was terrified about what more was going to happen to her health.

On the morning of Sunday, May 1, our mom went out onto her 8th floor balcony, climbed onto the ledge, and fell back. Her cane was found by the chair upon which she had crawled up.

Our mom survived the fall. She suffered multiple bone and spinal fractures with no internal damage. She was faced with hours of surgeries. If she survived the operations and the associated infections and complications, my mom would have had to endure months if not years of rehab. Her prognosis of ever leaving the hospital was zero.

Mom was conscious and when presented with her situation chose to forgo the operations. She entered palliative care with just hours or days to live.

And so it was.

Her three children were there with her, all together for the first time in nine years. Family and friends gathered around, bringing food and song, stories and laughter. My mom was able to say goodbye and so too were family and friends. I do not believe a person falls eight storeys and survives without divine intervention. The time to be with my mom was a miracle ... a miracle in so many ways. It was a moment of mercy and grace.

My mom, Marie Winnifred Christian, 84, died in Vancouver sat 9:55 p.m. on May 3rd.

Physician assisted dying is not an ‘answer.’ It is simply better than what currently exists. The violence of mom’s death is incomprehensible. The desperation was needless. Assisted suicide would have brought kindness and compassion to our mom’s death and an intolerable situation.

Despite our mom’s intolerable pain, at no point prior to her fall was her death “reasonably foreseeable.” In its current form, Bill C-14 would have furthered our mom’s suffering as it would not have allowed her access to assistance in dying.

After all that happened in the days, weeks, months, leading up to her suicide the last thing our mom would have needed would be to prove her eligibility. It’s unacceptable given that the Carter v. Canada decision explicitly makes her eligible. The role of the Supreme Court is to protect us from unjust, unconstitutional laws enacted by the House and Senate. It is not the role of politicians to interpret those decisions; it is to enact them.

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As much as Justin Trudeau speaks of wanting to protect “the vulnerable,” he and his colleagues are playing politics with the lives and the suffering of people such as our mom and your loved ones.

The Carter family, who were plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case, has called Bill C-14 “a betrayal.” Trudeau should be ashamed. So, too, should Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Health Minister Jane Philpott. Perhaps the only way they might understand the damage, heartbreak, and brutal suffering they are consciously inflicting will be by having someone they love go through a similar situation. God help them if they do.

David J. Adams is a best selling children’s book author, experience designer, and business consultant.

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