Transgender indigenous woman decries Canada’s healthcare system over denied euthanasia request

Lois Cardinal, a First Nations transgender woman, has expressed severe disappointment with Canada’s healthcare system for refusing his euthanasia request due to his persistent pain from a constructed vagina.

Self-describing as a “sterilized First Nations post-op transsexual,” Cardinal took to social media to express his remorse over his medical transition and his consequent request for euthanasia earlier this year, the Daily Mail reported.

Residing on a native reserve near St. Paul, Alberta, Cardinal publicly shared his medical records this week to highlight the perilous consequences of extreme gender ideology. His case starkly illuminates the pitfalls of Canada’s healthcare system, notoriously liberal in both euthanasia and affirming self-proclaimed gender identities.

Cardinal, 35, lamented, “I’m in constant discomfort and pain. This psychological burden is too much. If I can’t access appropriate medical care, I don’t wish to continue this.”

After undergoing a vaginoplasty in 2009 and developing complications, he immediately regretted the surgery. Now, he contends with unrelenting pressure, pain, and discomfort, a common aftermath for many recipients of this invasive procedure, as per a University of Florida study.

In a show of defiance, Cardinal posted his official request under Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAiD) law. Despite consulting another physician and recommending Cardinal to a specialist, his doctor ultimately denied the MAiD request due to Cardinal not fulfilling the necessary criteria. While the doctor highlighted Cardinal’s potential eligibility for reassessment in the future, Cardinal was only prescribed a numbing cream for his neo-vagina, which, in his words, “doesn’t work.”

Cardinal accused his MAiD rejection of constituting a “human rights concern.” Cardinal voiced his frustration that doctors seemed more focused on using the correct pronouns than alleviating his agony. If his referred specialists fail to improve his condition, Cardinal intends to reapply for assisted suicide.

Expressing his disgruntlement with the current trans community’s rhetoric, Cardinal made several social media posts highlighting his regret over his surgery. He asserted that trans hate was fueled by the trans community’s resistance to honest and tough conversations.

Alex Schadenberg, head of Canada’s Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, noted that Cardinal’s situation reflects the absurdity of Canada’s MAiD law. Critics argue that the liberal regulations devalue disabled lives, prompt unnecessary suggestions of the procedure, and lack essential safeguards. The country is projected to record around 13,500 state-sanctioned suicides in 2022, a significant increase from 2021.