Family Says Brigitte Stegemann Asked, “They’re Going to Kill Me Friday?” Before MAID Death
The story of Brigitte Stegemann is raising painful questions about Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying program, known as MAID.
Stegemann was an 83-year-old grandmother who died July 10 through the program. According to her family and a report from the Daily Mail, she had made clear that assisted suicide conflicted with her Christian faith.
Stegemann had been diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer five months before her death. She had also lived in an Ontario assisted-living facility for two years.
Her granddaughter, Brigitte Kranendonk, held power of attorney and served as “the primary contact for all medical and personal care decisions.”
About two months before Stegemann died, assisted suicide was discussed with the family. They said Stegemann rejected the idea at that time.
“At that time, GG [Stegemann] clearly stated that she did not wish to pursue it. As a devout Christian, she explicitly expressed that MAID conflicted with her personal beliefs and faith.”
Kranendonk and other relatives also said Stegemann’s condition appeared to change. Sometimes she seemed sedated. At other times, she was clear-minded and talkative. The family opposed MAID and said she “was not mentally capable of making such a significant decision independently.”
One physician reportedly asked Stegemann how many brothers and sisters she had. She had 13 siblings, but allegedly answered that she had one. Despite the family’s concerns, the physician told them, “I have deemed her capable of making her own decisions,”
What Stegemann said next was devastating. When Kranendonk asked her about the decision, Stegemann reportedly broke down.
“I’m going to die Friday? They’re going to kill me Friday?” she said, weeping and saying she had made a mistake.
Her family’s account describes a woman who did not believe assisted suicide was consistent with her faith and who may not have understood what was happening. Those are serious allegations. They also show why opponents of assisted-suicide laws warn that vulnerable patients can face pressure, confusion or manipulation.
The concerns come as New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act takes effect. The law says it allows “a terminally ill, mentally capable adult with a prognosis of 6 months or less to live to have the option to request, obtain and decide to ingest medication to die peacefully in their sleep if suffering is unbearable.”
Several Roman Catholic organizations that care for sick and elderly people are challenging the law in court. Bishop John Barres has warned that cases like Stegemann’s could happen under such a system.
“Assisted suicide is a grave moral failure that puts the elderly, the disabled, and those suffering from mental and emotional illness at risk of abuse and manipulation,” he said.
“Christ the Divine Physician calls us to accompany the sick and dying with compassion, not abandon them to death. The court should protect that millennia-old mission.”
Stegemann’s family says she was pushed toward a decision she had previously rejected. Whether every allegation is ultimately established or not, the account has become a stark warning about the consequences of treating death as a medical solution.
This article originally appeared on The Western Journal.