Canadian Senate Amends Assisted Dying Bill, Expands Access to Those With Mental Illness

A screen displays a patient's vital signs during open heart surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore on Nov. 28, 2016. Some experts fear that legislation intended to make it easier for intolerably suffering Canadians to receive medical assistance to end their lives might actually make it harder in some cases and will create confusion among doctors who provide the procedure. Patrick Semansky/The Canadian Press/AP

The Senate voted to give the Canadian government 18 months to expand access to medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to people suffering solely from mental illnesses.

On Tuesday, senators voted 57-21 to amend Bill C-7, which prohibits MAiD for people whose sole medical condition is a mental illness. The amendment would allow people suffering from mental illness to access medical assistance to end their lives..