Mother calls out doctor in explosive post after she claims diabetic and blind son was euthanised through 'loophole'

A mother has called out Canada's assisted dying programme after her blind and diabetic son was controversially euthanised, calling it 'disgusting on every level'.

Assisted dying is seemingly edging closer here in the UK after a bill passed a vote in parliament back in 2024, but it has long been an option for people in other countries such as Switzerland and the Netherlands.

In Canada, euthanasia was first permitted in 2016 for those with terminal illnesses before the law was changed in 2021, with the requirement to be terminally ill removed to instead include people with a chronic illness or disability.

That therefore included Kiano Vafaeian, a 26-year-old who had type 1 diabetes, partial blindness and depression, and despite his mother's protests, she says he was approved for the government euthanasia scheme.

Following his death on December 30, she has called the proceedings 'disgusting on every level' and called for change, as Canada surges forward with one of the highest rates of assisted dying in the world.

He gave his family very little warning about his decision (Facebook/Margaret Marsilla)

Margaret Marsilla wrote in a social media post earlier this month: “This is not healthcare. This is a failure of ethics, accountability, and humanity.

“No parent should ever have to bury their child because a system – and a doctor – chose death over care, help or love.

“I promise I will fight tooth and nail for my son, and other parents who too have children that suffer from mental illness.”

In 2027, the law could change again to account for people with mental illnesses and no physical ailments, sparking further fears about the ethics of assisted dying and how it could be utilised as an option too quickly in the case of a vulnerable person.

Vafaeian had initially been approved for a physician-assisted death in 2022, having lost vision in his right eye, but the doctor refused to carry out the procedure after facing intense backlash online, thanks in part to the work of his furious mother.

His mother has called his death repugnant and vowed to fight for other parents (Facebook/Margaret Marsilla)

She said: “He was alive because people stepped in when he was vulnerable – not capable of making a final, irreversible decision."

Although she suggests that his mental health problems were improving and that they had plans to travel together, he texted his family on 29 December to confirm that he planned to die the next day in Vancouver.

Marsilla now alleged that Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAid) programme had found a loophole that wasn't yet legal, claiming that his euthanasia process was approved based on his mental illness, despite it not yet being legal.

However, his death certificate lists the antecedent causes as blindness, severe peripheral neuropathy (damage to nerves that causes pain and numbness) and diabetes.

LADbible has reached out to Health Canada for comment.