Physically Healthy Man with Depression Killed Via Euthanasia in British Columbia

Alan Nichols with his brother

A recent court decision in Canada removed terminal illness criteria for euthanasia in that country. This very quickly led to the death of Alan Nichols. Alan was 61 years old and physically healthy, but he suffered from chronic depression. He was admitted to a hospital after being found dehydrated and malnourished. Once he arrived, however, he lived one month before he was given a medically-assisted suicide.

Family members attempted to convince him not to undergo the procedure, but it was administered regardless. “He didn’t have a life-threatening disease," his brother Gary Nichols said to CTV News. "He was capable of getting around. He was capable of doing almost anything that you had to do to survive. I didn’t think he had a sound mind at all.” The hospital approved his request to die and would not allow his family to have any say in the matter. They attempted to argue that he was not facing imminent death and he was not of a sound mind to request assisted-suicide, but the hospital would not release documents explaining its reasoning and said that only Alan could give permission to release them, which he did not. The family is now working with the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition to achieve justice for Alan's death. Click here for more.