Parents Challenge Canada’s MAID Act After Son’s Death
The parents of a 26-year-old man are raising concerns about Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Act, arguing that the system failed to protect their son, who they describe as “vulnerable,” from euthanasia, even with his history of mental illness.
Kiano Vaffeian was euthanized in British Columbia on December 30, 2025. His family shared that he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at four and began facing significant mental health issues following a car accident at 17.
His mother, Margaret Marsilla, living in Ontario, mentioned that his depression was mostly seasonal. However, after losing vision in one eye in 2022, she felt he became “addicted” to the idea of MAID. “He was so preoccupied with how to get approved,” she recalled. “It honestly didn’t cross my mind that a doctor in their early twenties might render such a decision based on his diabetes or blindness.”
MAID was legalized in Canada back in June 2016, targeting patients with “serious and irreversible” conditions allowing them to request physician-assisted euthanasia.
In 2022, a doctor in Toronto initially approved Kiano’s request. This prompted his family to launch a social media campaign against it. Following a public outcry, the approval was rescinded. Vaffeian expressed initial anger but noted that his family appeared to improve in the following year, even living together in 2024.
“He put everything into those better years,” said Marcilla. “But then came autumn and winter, and he changed.” She added that Kiano started bringing up MAID again.
The family noted that he was turned away by several doctors in Ontario before finding Dr. Ellen Wiebe, a prominent MAID provider in British Columbia. Marcilla suspects that Wiebe may have influenced her son on how to qualify as a “Track 2” patient, essentially someone whose natural death isn’t imminent.
“It feels like she was guiding him on how to present himself, on how to convince them,” Marcilla asserted. “If he had been a solid candidate for MAID back in 2024, she would’ve approved him right away, but she hesitated.”
Vaffeian’s parents claimed they were unaware of his approval for euthanasia and only found out about his death days afterward. They pointed out inconsistencies in his medical records, which did not indicate “severe peripheral neuropathy,” a condition noted on the death certificate.
Joseph Caprara, Vaffeian’s stepfather, said, “This process has been utterly shocking to us.”
In 2021, the eligibility for MAID was broadened, allowing for applicants whose death isn’t deemed reasonably foreseeable. The family is now advocating for the removal of this “Track 2” provision and the passing of Bill C-218, which would restrict MAID to those whose primary issue is mental illness.
“To realistically protect patients, there needs to be outreach to families and alternative treatment options offered,” Marcilla argued. She questions the safety of a system where approval for euthanasia can happen in just 90 days under Track 2.
Marcilla shared her son’s story on social media, calling it “disgusting.” She expressed, “No parent should ever have to bury their child simply because the system, and the doctors, favored death over care and love.”
Caprara hopes that highlighting their experience can draw attention to the dangers such laws pose to “vulnerable individuals and those with disabilities.” He stated, “We don’t want other families to endure this pain, or for any country to create laws that harm the vulnerable without proper treatment plans.”
Dr. Wiebe responded to queries, saying that all patients approved for Track 2 had intolerable suffering from serious, incurable conditions, emphasizing that informed consent options were provided to alleviate their suffering.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed a new law legalizing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults, making New York the thirteenth state, along with the District of Columbia, to enact such measures. This law is expected to take effect in six months.
