On December 30, 26-year-old Kiano Vafaeian was killed by euthanasia in a Vancouver funeral home. Vafaeian had diabetes and had been struggling with depression and vision loss. In 2022, he had been scheduled for euthanasia at Toronto’s MAiD House; a petition campaign by his mother, Margaret Marsilla, had successfully saved his life when the doctor withdrew under public pressure.
According to his family, who spoke at length to journalists in a virtual press conference attended by LifeSiteNews last month, Vafaeian was ineligible for euthanasia in Ontario, but he was able to “shop” around for a doctor willing to kill him. He found Dr. Ellen Wiebe, the infamous Vancouver abortionist-turned-euthanasia practitioner. By Wiebe’s own admission, she has ended the lives of over 430 people; Vafaeian’s parents made clear that they believe that to be a very low estimate.
Vafaeian had never stopped trying to find someone willing to euthanize him. In November 2023, his request was refused at a Toronto hospital, with doctors stating that he did not qualify because he was not terminally ill and was not nearing a natural death. “We don’t have all the records yet,” said his stepfather, Joseph Caprara. “We know this by his own account, saying to his mother that anyone that he would go see for MAID declined him.”
In fact, even though he was turned down for euthanasia in Ontario, he was told that he could try other provinces and was even emailed a link to help him search. Eventually, he succeeded. “If I knew what I know now, that you can go from province to province to shop for MAID doctors, I would have had a closer eye on my son,” she said. “I wouldn’t think other provinces would have entertained my son.”
“If people persist long enough, they can often find a way to get MAID. You can have eight out of 10 people that think you’re not acceptable for medical assistance in dying, but if you find two out of 10 it’s going to be okay,” University of Toronto bioethicist Kerry Bowman told the National Post. “You can fly across this massive country of ours and get reassessed on the other side of the country.”
“Regardless, he wasn’t able to get MAID here in Ontario after 2022,” Marsilla told journalists. Her son’s death has attracted international attention, but what is most shocking about it is that it was very likely legal. This, Marsilla emphasized, is simply how the Canadian euthanasia regime works. “We lost a son because of the Canadian system. The Canadian system is wrong.”
According to the medical certificate of death, his qualifying medical conditions for euthanasia were his partial blindness (a consequence of his diabetes) and “severe peripheral neuropathy,” which constitutes nerve damage outside the brain and can cause burning sensations, muscle weakness, and pain in the hands and feet. His mother insists that her son’s condition was not debilitating.
“Anybody that knows Kiano or has been following him on TikTok or Instagram or other social media outlets would know he was independently walking; he was able to stand, walk, travel, carry on with his activities of daily living without any signs of suffering whatsoever,” his stepfather stated. “None of the medical records in Ontario ever mentioned anything about nerve problems with any of his extremities.”
Marsilla believes that her son was told what to say to qualify for euthanasia because he had never mentioned the pain described in his death certificate to her. “For these reasons, I strongly believe that Kiano was coached, whether directly or indirectly, on how to frame his symptoms in a way that would meet MAID eligibility criteria,” she said. “He was clearly on a mission. He knew MAID was there and was an easy way out for him. It was very evident that he was obsessed with getting MAID, he had such an obsessive type of personality.”
At the press conference, his family detailed Vafaeian’s struggle with mental illness that was exacerbated by drug use and substance abuse; he started using marijuana daily after a car accident at age 17. Through everything, his family adored him, sought to help him. “When Kiano was on a high, he felt like, ‘I can live life,’” Marsilla said. “When he was on a low, he would close himself up in his room, in his home. He didn’t want to talk to people. He was miserable. He would fight with everyone.”
Vafaeian did not tell his family that his search for a euthanasia practitioner had succeeded at first. He traveled to Mexico in December and sent them pictures. Then, on December 17, he told them he was scheduled to die on December 18. His mother and stepfather were in shock and called the police. The next information they received was a phone call on January 3 telling them that he was dead. Marsilla believed it was a “prank” at first, but soon the nightmare became real.
The family is asking that Canadians share his story and are calling on MPs to vote for MP Tamara Jansen’s Bill C-218, which would ban euthanasia for those suffering solely from a mental illness. Marsilla says that the family is both devastated and traumatized. When they reached out to Wiebe’s office for answers, the receptionist said that Wiebe was in the next room “doing a procedure,” but if the call was about “MAiD,” she could interrupt. Vafaeian’s parents hung up instead.
“Hopefully, our loss and our suffering will wake up all individuals across not just this country but in every country that’s considering this awful type of legislation,” Caprara said. Marsilla’s conclusion was simple. “If MAiD wasn’t available in Canada, Kiano would still be here.”
