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Beloved Children’s Author Robert Munsch Chooses Medically Assisted Dying After Dementia and Parkinson’s Diagnosis

Beloved Children’s Author Robert Munsch Chooses Medically Assisted Dying After Dementia and Parkinson’s Diagnosis
  • Robert Munsch, author of The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, approved for medically assisted dying in Canada.
  • Diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and also has Parkinson’s disease.
  • Canada’s euthanasia laws now include serious, chronic conditions, not just terminal illnesses.
  • Munsch plans to proceed when communication becomes significantly difficult.
  • His decision was influenced by witnessing his brother’s struggle with ALS.
  • Munsch’s daughter confirmed the decision was made years ago and he is currently relatively well.
  • Medically assisted dying accounted for 4.7% of Canadian deaths in 2023.

Renowned children’s author Robert Munsch, whose beloved books include The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, has received approval for medically assisted dying in Canada. Munsch, celebrated for over 85 published works and more than 80 million copies sold in North America alone, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and also battles Parkinson’s disease. His books have been translated into at least 20 languages, including Arabic, Spanish, and the indigenous North American language Anishinaabemowin.

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Canada first legalized euthanasia in 2016 for individuals with terminal illnesses and expanded the law in 2021 to include those with serious, chronic conditions that are not necessarily life-threatening. Eligibility requires a serious and incurable illness, voluntary consent without external pressure, and an advanced stage of irreversible decline, with confirmation by two independent medical practitioners. The individual must also be capable of actively consenting on the day the procedure is carried out.

Munsch has indicated that he plans to proceed when he experiences significant difficulty communicating. His decision was influenced by witnessing his brother’s prolonged struggle with ALS, the most common form of motor neurone disease, which shaped his perspective on quality of life and end-of-life choices.

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His daughter, Julie, shared that Munsch had considered medically assisted dying for several years and clarified that he remains relatively well at present. Munsch’s publisher, Scholastic, praised his openness for highlighting why his stories continue to resonate across generations.

In Canada, medically assisted dying accounted for nearly 5% of all deaths in 2023, with the majority of cases involving conditions where death was deemed reasonably foreseeable, such as cancer.

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