Mini-Series: The Politics of Medical Expertise

December 23, 2022

EP71: MAID in Canada (ft. Nipa Chauhan, Trudo Lemmens & Dr. Derryk Smith)

The Canadian government has recently instituted an expansive Medical Assistance in Dying regime (MAID). But many patients are seeking MAID to address poverty, not just illness. Is MAID letting the government off the hook from providing care and social services?
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This episode was part of a mini-series on the politics of medicine, which you can find in full here.

There is a health influencer of every political valence, from the new age-y self-care guru, to the tech bro micro-doser, the manly bro scientist, and more. Like, uh, the ball-tanners and urine-drinkers (seriously). What is this all about? We are not exactly sure, but it probably has something to do with eroding trust in the traditional medical institutions. It might be misinformation, but it might just be that the institutions of health and medicine are failing to respond to the concerns, issues, and anxieties of the public. Further, if you ask racialized communities, they will also tell you that medicine has historically harmed them. So, maybe it’s time to get past the fact-checking and get to the real heart of the matter; maybe we need to have a serious debate about medical values and interests, what our medical system is for, and who it might serve. That’s what we do here. On this series, we examine emerging medical controversies, and reveal how they speak to deep theoretical and political tensions about medical authority in a democratic society.

These episodes received funding from the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada. Dr. Maya Goldenberg and Dr. Maxwell J. Smith were the scholarly leads and editorial advisors, with research from Yoshiyuki Miyasaka.

Mini-Series: The Politics of Medical Expertise

EP71: MAID in Canada (ft. Nipa Chauhan, Trudo Lemmens & Dr. Derryk Smith)