Grandmother Allegedly Euthanized Without Consent in Canada; Dutch Panel Finds Due Care in Toddler’s Death

Two controversial cases of euthanasia and ‘active termination of death’ in Canada and the Netherlands are attracting attention as similar Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) programs are popping up in various states across the United States. In one case, a Canadian grandmother was allegedly euthanized against her will in Ontario. In another case, a recent report describes a toddler of nearly two years old whose life was ended as part of the protocol expansion in the Netherlands. The toddler died in late 2025, but the recent report concludes the physician acted with due care.

Brigitte Kranendonk told the Daily Mail that her grandmother, Brigitte Stegemann, was euthanized without giving her consent or understanding the description by the medical team about the MAID procedure. Kranendonk said her grandmother was bawling at the concept of being killed as part of the MAID program and told her granddaughter that she “made a mistake.”

The granddaughter said she talked with Stegemann about all options following her diagnosis of stage 4 stomach cancer, including MAID, but Stegemann clearly stated that she didn’t want to do that. Kranendonk explained that her grandmother’s Christian faith was one primary reason why she opposed dying from the euthanasia procedure – that she didn’t want to displease God.

Kranendonk had been caring for Stegemann for 12 years and had medical power of attorney for the last six years. Stegemann was placed in the residential care facility a year and a half prior to her death and the staff would regularly give Kranendonk updates on her health while she was out of town. Toward the end of Kranendonk’s 10-day road trip with her husband, she was notified on July 3 that her grandmother was being scheduled for a MAID assessment. One week later on July 10, her grandmother would take her final breath.

Staff had already spoken with Stegemann about MAID while her granddaughter was out of town and the physician capacity assessment was held on July 7. Kranendonk said the doctor did not say the words “death” or “dying” when speaking with her grandmother about the procedure. The doctor said “we’re going to give you medicine, you’re going to feel at peace” and “we’re going to make sure you won’t have any more pain.”

Stegemann could not understand what the doctor was saying according to her granddaughter who sat with her during the first portion of the assessment. She was born in Germany and English is her second language. Stegemann was 83 years old with a hearing impairment.

Kranendonk sat with her grandmother for the first portion of the cognitive assessment, which included questions about Stegemann’s family that are not verifiable by the medical team. Stegemann had 13 siblings, but told the doctor she had none. Two of her siblings were still alive and she had seen one of them just a month and a half before the assessment. Kranendonk was asked to leave the room while the doctor completed the cognitive test and Stegemann was declared competent enough to consent to the procedure just minutes after finishing the assessment. The procedure was scheduled just three days later.

The medical team attempted to “fast track” the procedure to a day earlier because there was an opening, but ended up keeping the originally scheduled date due to objections from Kranendonk that her grandmother’s pastor and son wouldn’t be able to come. Kranendonk went to the manager of the facility and demanded to see the paperwork her grandmother allegedly signed to consent to the procedure while no family members were present. The manager did not provide the paperwork or evidence to show Stegemann consented to being euthanized.

According to Kranendonk, the nurse failed multiple times to insert the IV, which resulted in “copious amounts of blood.” When the doctor arrived, she told Stegemann she was going to provide the medicine and asked if it was okay. Kranendonk said her grandmother did not open her eyes, nod, or say anything in response, but the doctor said she was going to proceed.

Stegemann was pronounced dead 10 minutes later while allegedly covered in blood with her hands clasped in prayer. Kranendonk said the medical team saw an opportunity and took advantage of a vulnerable person. According to the Daily Mail report, the medical team maintains that there was legal consent from Stegemann to conduct the procedure, although they have not yet commented publicly on the matter.

The Belleville Police told the Daily Mail “This incident is currently open and under investigation with our Criminal Investigations Division. We are unable to provide any additional information at this time.”

Dutch Panel Clears ‘Active Termination’ of a Toddler’s Life

Details have emerged surrounding the first reported death in late 2025 as part of an expanded active termination of life protocol in the Netherlands including children aged 1-12. The child was nearly two years old when pronounced dead through the Dutch protocol that was expanded in 2024. Children can qualify for death under the protocol if termination of life is deemed to be the “only reasonable solution to alleviate the child’s hopeless and unbearable suffering.” An official report was released on September 9 providing details about the case.

There was “general consensus” on the child’s multidisciplinary treatment team regarding the diagnosis, prognosis, and the decision to end life, but there was disagreement when the team consulted independent doctors for a second opinion. The independent doctors said the child was not experiencing “continuous unbearable suffering” and that there were alternative solutions to potentially lead to better control of the epileptic seizures that were causing significant discomfort for the child. The independent doctors did agree that there was no realistic chance of improvement for the irreversible condition, but said there are palliative options and pharmacological alternatives that could be considered.

The Dutch government previously allowed for active termination of life for newborn babies under one year old who are experiencing hopeless and unbearable suffering. This child was the first approved for active termination of life under the expanded protocol and the child’s life was taken at the end of 2025 with the full consent of the parents.

There are no guidelines in place for performing the euthanasia procedure for children under 12. The physician, based upon the wishes of the parents, chose the option of gradually placing the child under sedation with increasing doses of midazolam and morphine through an IV cannula. That was followed with coma-inducing substances, propofol and thiopental. The child “reached a state of very deep sedation, and died.”

The committee report concluded after reviewing the facts, circumstances and considerations that the physician “acted with due care.”

The child was born prematurely at 26 weeks and three days with extensive brain injury, including periventricular leukomalacia and damage to the occipital cortex. The child had severe cerebral palsy, a cerebral visual impairment, and profound developmental delay with an estimated developmental age of six weeks. At eight months old, the child developed infantile epileptic spasm syndrome that causes seizures, sleep disruption, coughing, and worsening swallow dysfunction with high aspiration risk.

13 states and Washington DC currently have some form of MAID or “Death With Dignity” programs. The HighWire reported about a woman with terminal anorexia who was allegedly coerced into euthanasia in Colorado.