Death As a Same-Day Service, by Phil Lawler

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture, March 02, 2026

Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

Here’s a ghoulish statistic from Ontario’s “Medical Assistance in Dying” program: In 2023, more than 200 people who applied to the program were dead within 36 hours. For 65 people, the state program provided same-day service.

Think about it: If you’re sick and suffering—or if you’re just suffering from a severe bout of depression—you can end it all, more or less immediately. You won’t have time (on his earth, anyway) to regret it.

The chilling efficiency of Ontario’s death service contrasts sharply with nearly any other government program you might care to name—particularly in the field of medicine. If you show up at the hospital in pain, suffering from a condition that will require a surgical procedure, you can expect to wait days, or weeks, or even months before you are taken to the operating room. …

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