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submitted 11 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

The Canadian government says it is urgently trying to end the forced sterilization of Indigenous women, describing the practice as a human rights violation and a prosecutable offense. Yet police say they will not pursue a criminal investigation into a recent case in which a doctor apologized for his “unprofessional conduct” in sterilizing an Inuit woman.

In July, The Associated Press reported on the case of an Inuit woman in Yellowknife who had surgery in 2019 aimed at relieving her abdominal pain. The obstetrician-gynecologist, Dr. Andrew Kotaska, did not have the woman’s consent to sterilize her, and he did so over the objections of other medical personnel in the operating room. She is now suing him.

“This is a pivotal case for Canada because it shows that forced sterilization is still happening,” said Dr. Unjali Malhotra, of the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia. “It’s time that it be treated as a crime.”

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[-] reverendsteveii@lemm.ee 130 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I don't want to be controversial here, but if someone is forcibly destroying the internal organs of someone else without their knowledge or consent then maybe we should, and again I don't wanna overstep my bounds on this nuanced and multifaceted issue here but my instinct is that maybe we should, I don't know, maybe make them stop doing that. If that makes me a "no secretly wrecking someone else's innards" extremist then I guess I'll have to live with that.

[-] kameecoding@lemmy.world 51 points 11 months ago

woah dude, as a centrist this is why I vote far right, you woke leftists are taking things too far.

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[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 77 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Trying to end forced sterilization? Why has it not ended already?

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 30 points 11 months ago

But the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they would not be investigating Kotaska, because the woman hasn't filed a criminal complaint.

As if there aren't ample reasons for an indigenous woman to not trust the RCMP to protect her.

[-] pufferfischerpulver@feddit.de 20 points 11 months ago

Exactly my thoughts! WTF?!

[-] Datto@lemmy.ca 22 points 11 months ago

Because the Canadian federal government is just three resource companies in a trench coat.

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[-] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world 36 points 11 months ago
[-] Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 15 points 11 months ago

I know the word nazi gets thrown around a lot these days but this is some actual nazi type shit trying to stamp out an entire race. WTF indeed.

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 11 points 11 months ago

There's a long history of the RCMP not caring (at best) about Indigenous people

[-] kokuen@lemmynsfw.com 34 points 11 months ago

But the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they would not be investigating Kotaska, because the woman hasn't filed a criminal complaint.

[-] luthis@lemmy.nz 47 points 11 months ago

Thats the most insane thing I have read this week. What, so they don't investigate murders because the victim didnt file a complaint either??

[-] MicroWave@lemmy.world 48 points 11 months ago

Right. From the article:

Lisa Kelly, who teaches criminal law at Queen’s University in Ontario, said there is no requirement in Canada’s legal system for a victim to participate, if there is other compelling evidence.

“In this case, there is another doctor and nurse, and possibly others, who could provide credible and reliable evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the patient had not consented to the sterilization,” Kelly said.

While police and prosecutors have discretion, Kelly said, they "do not have the discretion to simply turn a blind eye to what appears to be evidence of a serious aggravated assault.”

[-] Zron@lemmy.world 15 points 11 months ago

I’m a true crime fan, and The RCMP always seem to crop up in “mystery” type shows. It usually turns out that they’ve been lazy as fuck, only showed up to the crime scene for 15 minutes or so, and wrote down some bullshit excuse before leaving.

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[-] cupcakezealot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 33 points 11 months ago

Canada go one day without being racist to indigenous people challenge.

[-] Datto@lemmy.ca 18 points 11 months ago

Over 400 years and still never managed to unlock this achievement.

[-] IvanOverdrive@lemm.ee 31 points 11 months ago

The primary reason for our horsey police is to detain and control the indigenous population. They fill the rest of their working hours writing speeding tickets, arresting addicts, and pretending to fulfill the social contract.

Police declined to investigate the forced sterilization of a native? Color me surprised

[-] bighatchester@lemmy.world 7 points 11 months ago

The police are 100% useless in Canada they exist just to harrass the public . Any real crimes they dont bother showing up .

[-] Pwnmode@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

Sounds familiar.

[-] PM_ME_FEET_PICS@sh.itjust.works 5 points 11 months ago

Police declined to investigate because there was no criminal complaint filed by the victim.

The victim won't file a complaint because of the history of the indigenous peoples history with the RMCP.

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[-] simulacra_simulacrum@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago

Oof, and with Truth and Reconciliation Day tomorrow.

[-] Aabbcc@lemm.ee 7 points 11 months ago

Wearing an orange shirt is the type of change we need

[-] dangblingus@lemmy.world 25 points 11 months ago

Newsflash: Canada doesn't give 2 flying fucks about its Indigenous population. We tried to kill them all off in the 20th century remember?

[-] FarraigePlaisteach@kbin.social 12 points 11 months ago

And Trudeau had the neck to say that Canada isn’t institutionally racist.

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[-] SchizoDenji@lemm.ee 12 points 11 months ago

The only reason people favourably view Canada is because USA's social and political climate is a dumpster fire in comparison. It's legit depressing to live there.

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[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 17 points 11 months ago

Between this and the euthanasia laws being deliberately abused by doctors pushing it onto patients, can we declare Canada genocidal yet?

[-] OminousOrange@lemmy.ca 11 points 11 months ago

Can you provide an example of MAID being abused?

[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 11 points 11 months ago

I absolutely can. Lemme give you an article about it, and not Fox News either.

https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-toronto-7c631558a457188d2bd2b5cfd360a867

It's actually a giant problem where doctors and hopsitals are actively pushing this onto the poor in order to "Free up a few beds", even going far as to shame people who refuse for being "selfish"

Nothing wrong with offering end of life care, I'm all for it, but when you're actively pushing it onto patients and even making commercials talking about "How glamorous suicide is!" (which they did, and it aired on Youtube, but it got pulled due to massive dislikes and violating Youtube's policies which forbid advocating self-harm).... It leaves me with the impression that you've got a problem you're looking for a "Final Solution" to.

Honestly more people need to know about this and just how.... well... blatantly genocidal Canada is acting.

[-] OminousOrange@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 months ago

While I agree that assistance in dying should not be used to offset a lack of other necessary care, like mental health, addictions (which I believe are disqualifiers for MAID), or disability, the article provided only examples of health care professionals offering the service to people who had severly diminished quality of life as an option of part of their care. I think it's a stretch to say these were examples of coersion. The decision is left solely to the patient, and I think their family's account can often cloud any reporting of what the patient's wishes actually are.

Anecdotally, the health professionals I know say there are far too many families, and ocassionally doctors who think they're superheros, who wish to prolong their relative's/patient's life for the sole purpose of delaying death. People, like Mr. Nichols' family, will say he's got a great quality of life, but picture yourself in his shoes. Deaf for most of your life, now vision loss, seizures, your body essentially withering away. He was suffering, and clearly, he wanted to end it. Several inquiries noted he fully qualified for and received MAID as he wished, even though it may not have been the wish of his family.

I do think it would be useful to have a review panel for more complex cases, like Dr Marmoreo suggests. But, I think the majority of cases where the family might raise concerns are cases where they are prioretizing their wishes above those of the patient actually seeking the care, rather than a professional wantonly pushing MAID for no particular reason.

[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 4 points 11 months ago

I dunno, it's a little sus that they had that one guy who claimed someone was sent to talk to him about "Seeing if he wanted to kill himself", when he hadn't said anything to staff about wanting it.

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[-] notatoad@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago

i'm not seeing the part of that article where there's any evidence at all of health care workers pushing anybody to take MAiD.

[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 5 points 11 months ago

So you missed this part then?

"In one recording obtained by the AP, the hospital’s director of ethics told Foley that for him to remain in the hospital, it would cost “north of $1,500 a day.” Foley replied that mentioning fees felt like coercion and asked what plan there was for his long-term care.

“Roger, this is not my show,” the ethicist responded. “My piece of this was to talk to you, (to see) if you had an interest in assisted dying.”

Foley said he had never previously mentioned euthanasia. The hospital says there is no prohibition on staff raising the issue.

Catherine Frazee, a professor emerita at Toronto’s Ryerson University, said cases like Foley’s were likely just the tip of the iceberg.

“It’s difficult to quantify it, because there is no easy way to track these cases, but I and other advocates are hearing regularly from disabled people every week who are considering (euthanasia),” she said.

Frazee cited the case of Candice Lewis, a 25-year-old woman who has cerebral palsy and spina bifida. Lewis’ mother, Sheila Elson, took her to an emergency room in Newfoundland five years ago. During her hospital stay, a doctor said Lewis was a candidate for euthanasia and that if her mother chose not to pursue it, that would be “selfish,” Elson told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "

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[-] GFY@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

"...the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they would not be investigating Kotaska, because the woman hasn't filed a criminal complaint"

[-] ComradeChairmanKGB@lemmygrad.ml 4 points 11 months ago

Can you feel the Truth and Reconciliation?

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this post was submitted on 29 Sep 2023
572 points (98.0% liked)

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