A 26-year-old Canadian man with seasonal depression has been euthanised under the country’s highly controversial MAID programme. The doctor overseeing Kiano Vafaeian’s euthanasia has been instrumental in ending the lives of more than 400 of her patients.

Following a car accident at 17, Kiano lived with partial vision loss, Type 1 diabetes, and recurring mental health difficulties that worsened in winter months. His mother, Margaret Marsilla, said that after losing sight in one eye in 2022, he became preoccupied with seeking assisted suicide.

Ms Marsilla said her son did not need to die in the manner he did but instead needed treatment and support during the periods when his depression was most severe. She alleges that the doctor overseeing Kiano’s death was “coaching” him on how he might meet the eligibility criteria following an earlier refusal. She said: “Four years ago, here in Ontario, we were able to stop his euthanasia and get him some help. He was alive because people stepped in when he was vulnerable and not capable of making a final, irreversible decision”.

“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”, she added.

Kiano’s case has sparked renewed debate and criticism of Canada’s assisted-suicide framework, which has expanded significantly since its introduction in 2016. In 2024, legislation was passed to allow eligibility based solely on mental illness, with the change scheduled to take effect in March 2027.