A Canadian man is sounding the alarm after both of his grandmothers were killed by government-sanctioned euthanasia within weeks in a double tragedy, he says has left deep wounds that will never fully heal.
“We’re here because two of my four grandparents died through euthanasia within two months of each other,” said Benjamin Turland, opening a powerful new video.
Turland told his story in the new short film released through Dying to Meet You, a storytelling project run by Amanda Achtman.
Achtman’s work has spotlighted Canadians who have been pressured into “choosing” euthanasia instead of receiving more expensive care.
Those featured include Roger Foley, who was repeatedly offered MAiD while seeking help, and Christine, an elderly woman who tattooed “Don’t Euthanize Me” on her arm out of fear of the system.
Turland’s testimony adds another devastating layer.
He described the moment his parents told him that his first grandmother had been euthanized under the government’s MAiD program:
“I’ve never had that experience before where I felt like someone punched me in the gut,” he said.
“She was most likely going to die within a few days by natural causes… it just wrecked me.”
Two months later, the grandmother he was closest to was also euthanized by the government.
She wasn’t just a family member; she was his confidant, his friend, even his roommate while he attended university.
They called each other “Bestie.”
Losing her by lethal injection left him questioning everything.
“There’s a strong guilt of like, why didn’t I say something?” he told Achtman.
“The message [her choice of euthanasia] sends to me is, I’m like, did I not love you enough?
“Did I not love you the correct way?
“Did I not make you feel like you are not a burden?”
The questions haunt him.
“If I could have had two more days with you, would I take that?” he said.
“Yes. Over anything.
“Because now I don’t have you…
“Even if you can’t talk… even if I just get to hold your hand.”
For Turland, it wasn’t just the deaths; it was the method.
“It’s the choice of MAiD that hurts,” he said.
“With my grandfathers, I couldn’t have done anything about them passing…
“But when you choose it, I feel like there is something I could have done, and it impacts multiple generations.”
He pleaded with Canadians to talk openly with their elderly loved ones now, before they reach a vulnerable moment and feel pressured toward ending their lives.
According to Turland, these conversations may be difficult, but nothing compares to the pain of losing a grandparent through MAiD.
While supporters of euthanasia frame the procedure as compassionate relief, Turland says the reality is far more complicated: families are left confused, grieving, and wondering if they could have done more.
Activists, he noted, often tell them they aren’t “entitled” to their grief.
He rejects that entirely.
Life, he says, should be anchored in love and presence.
“You’re saying to them: I just want to be with you, for every moment, till every last breath,” he told Achtman.
“I don’t know why that would be a bad thing for them to hear, because they are going to feel so loved.”
WATCH:
As Canada prepares to expand euthanasia to include those with mental illness in 2027, stories like Turland’s are becoming increasingly urgent.
They serve as reminders that behind every MAiD statistic is a family left asking why.
READ MORE – Canadian Doctors Boast of Feeling ‘Energized’ After Euthanizing Patients
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