‘Nothing I Could Do’: A Mother Recounts How Her Mentally Ill Son Was Given Access to Assisted Suicide

Sharon Danley holds a photo of her son, Matthew, as a boy, at her apartment in Toronto on Sept. 27, 2022. Peter Wilson/The Epoch Times

TORONTO—It was just a few weeks before Christmas 2021 when Matthew spoke to his mother, Sharon Danley, about a holiday he wanted to take in New York City. Being on disability and unable to afford to pay for the trip himself, he asked her for some money, Danley says.

She agreed, and just before Matthew left on his trip, they met for coffee in downtown Toronto, where they both lived. An argument arose between them, she says, and Matthew got up and stormed out of the cafe.