Autonomy, Safety, and Social Suffering: Disrupting Death with Dr. Ramona Coelho

 But for a lot of people, especially my patients, and I'm not just talking about MAiD, I'm talking about in life in general, the concept of autonomy is highly limited by what is actually available to them, right? So in terms of what are my options for life might be very different for what my patients' options are. This month, Kathy and Keri-Lyn are grateful to sit down with Dr. Ramona Coelho to talk about the necessity for safeguards, regarding MAiD and across healthcare systems in general.  Dr. Ramona Coelho is a family physician based in London, Ontario, and an Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. She began her career providing home-based care in Montreal, working closely with patients facing serious illness, disability, addictions, and end-of-life needs. Her clinical practice now focuses on people with complex medical, mental health, and social vulnerabilities.  Dr. Coelho is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. She has served as an expert witness before federal and international parliamentary committees on assisted dying and currently sits on Ontario’s Chief Coroner’s MAiD Death Review Committee. She is the co-editor of Unravelling MAiD in Canada: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide as Medical Care (MQUP, 2025), and her most recent co-authored work appears in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care (https://spcare.bmj.com/content/early/2026/01/27/spcare-2025-006046).  A recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal, she is recognized for her contributions to medicine and public service. In this conversation, she speaks in a personal capacity. Links to works cited in episode:  Article - Safeguard failures in Canada’s MAiD system https://spcare.bmj.com/content/16/2/333 Book – Unravelling MAiD in Canada: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide as Medical Care https://www.mqup.ca/Books/U/Unravelling-MAiD-in-Canada2 Music for Disrupting Death was created by the ever-lovely Sarah McInnis. Sarah is a music therapist, a songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and End-of-Life Doula. In 2021, Sarah began The Legacy Song Project, writing original songs for folks at the end-of-life, and for folks who have lost loved ones. To learn more about Sarah, visit her website https://sarahmcinnis.com. This episode of Disrupting Death was produced by Keri-Lyn Durant.