Family Alleges Lack Of Consent In Ontario MAiD Death

An 83-year-old Christian grandmother with stage 4 stomach cancer was euthanized under Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program in Ontario on July 10, following an assessment process her family alleges she lacked the mental capacity to consent to, according to reporting from the Daily Mail and GB News.

Brigitte Stegemann, affectionately known as “GG” or “Oma,” underwent the procedure at The Pearl care home in Cannifton, Ontario. Her granddaughter and primary caregiver of 12 years, Brigitte Kranendonk, stated that two days prior to the procedure, she sat her grandmother down and asked directly if she knew she was going to die. According to Kranendonk’s account to the Daily Mail, Stegemann went into visible disbelief, crying inconsolably for 45 minutes and wailing that she had made a mistake.

During a cognitive test designed to evaluate her soundness of mind for MAiD consent, Stegemann reportedly answered every question incorrectly, mistakenly believing her two surviving siblings were dead. Kranendonk noted that her German-born grandmother possessed deep religious beliefs that made her instinctually oppose the procedure when it was first raised following her February cancer diagnosis.

Assessment and Care Home Circumstances

Upon her return, she discovered her grandmother had already completed a first assessment arranged by the facility. When Kranendonk sat in on the second assessment, she observed the doctor explaining MAiD in loose terms without explicitly using the words death or dying, telling Stegemann she would receive medicine to feel at peace and would not have a bowel movement or further pain. Kranendonk stated that her grandmother struggled to understand the explanations due to severe hearing impairment and because English was not her first language. Furthermore, Kranendonk claimed that this was the very first MAiD procedure ever performed at The Pearl care home, raising questions about whether facility staff lacked experience with the protocol. While the care home and practitioners have maintained that Stegemann legally consented, Kranendonk asserted that neither she nor any other family members have been allowed to view the signed paperwork.

The Procedure and Family Investigation

The morning of July 10 brought additional trauma for the family when the procedure did not go as planned. According to Kranendonk’s statements reported by the Daily Mail, a nurse failed an initial attempt to connect the intravenous line, poking Stegemann three or four times before switching arms. Kranendonk alleged that the nurse was not wearing gloves and that a phenomenal amount of blood soaked the patient’s arm, nightie, pillow, and sheets. Stegemann ultimately died within 10 minutes with her hands clasped in prayer.

In response to the sequence of events, Kranendonk has launched formal appeals with the Chief Coroner’s Office in Ontario, the Patient Ombudsman, and Belleville Police to determine whether the procedure was legally executed and if practitioners took advantage of a vulnerable individual.