What happened
An 83-year-old Christian grandmother, Brigitte Stegemann, was allegedly killed by lethal injection without proper consent in a medically assisted dying (MAID) procedure in Ontario, Canada. Her family claims that she had explicitly declined MAID, citing her Christian faith, but was approached again while her granddaughter was on vacation.
According to the family, Stegemann was assessed by a physician, Catherine Koester, on July 7, despite showing signs of disorientation and distress. The physician allegedly found her fit to make the MAID decision, and the procedure was carried out just days later.
The family has filed a complaint with the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario, alleging a severe failure of statutory safeguards, procedural requirements, and patient consent protocols. They claim that care home staff initiated private MAID discussions and facilitated the completion of official application paperwork in secret, bypassing Stegemann's legal power of attorney.
The incident has sparked outrage and attracted international attention, with some critics calling it
