Overview

• Recent coverage confirms the children’s author has authorization for medical assistance in dying but no date has been set.
• Munsch has dementia and, according to the New York Times profile cited by multiple outlets, he can no longer write stories or read books.
• He said he will act only if he can still ask for it, describing the trigger as when speaking and communicating become too difficult.
• His daughter has been quoted saying he is doing well and does not expect to die soon, as opinion pieces debate the ethical and social implications of publicizing his approval.
• Munsch’s consideration of MAID followed seeing his brother’s painful decline from ALS, and the discussion unfolds against Canada’s legal framework, in place since 2016, and his legacy as the author of more than 70 books.