Canadian Author Robert Munsch Granted Approval for Assisted Dying

Wed Sep 17 2025 23:14:30 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Renowned children's writer Robert Munsch, known for books like 'The Paper Bag Princess', has received approval for medically assisted dying due to his battle with dementia and Parkinson's disease.

Celebrated author Robert Munsch, whose beloved children's books have sold over 80 million copies, has been approved for medically assisted dying in Canada. Munsch, 80, was diagnosed with dementia and Parkinson's disease and has expressed that his decision is influenced by personal experiences with end-of-life care. He plans to choose a moment when he can still communicate.

Celebrated children's writer Robert Munsch has been approved for medically assisted dying in Canada.

Munsch, whose 85 published books include The Paper Bag Princess and Love You Forever, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 and also has Parkinson's disease.

The 80-year-old author told the New York Times Magazine that he had not decided a date for his death, but said he would go 'when I start having real trouble talking and communicating. Then I'll know.'

Canada first legalized euthanasia in 2016 for people with terminal illnesses. In 2021, the law was changed to include those with serious and chronic physical conditions, even in non-life threatening circumstances.

Munsch has sold more than 80 million copies of his books in North America alone and they have been translated into at least 20 languages - including Arabic, Spanish, and Anishinaabemowin, an indigenous North American language.

In 1999, Munsch was made a member of the Order of Canada. A decade later, he received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

In the interview with the New York Times Magazine, Munsch said his decision was influenced by watching his brother die from Lou Gehrig's disease, which is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

He stated: 'They kept him alive through all these interventions. I thought, let him die.'

In Canada, individuals over 18 must meet certain requirements to be eligible for assisted dying. They include having a 'serious and incurable illness', making a 'voluntary request that is not the result of external pressure' and being in an 'advanced state of irreversible decline in capability'.

Two independent doctors or nurse practitioners must then assess the patient to confirm that all the eligibility requirements are met.

Scholastic, Munsch's publisher, commented on Instagram that his decision to speak publicly about medically assisted dying 'reminds us, once again, why Robert's work continues to touch many generations'.

Munsch's daughter, Julie, clarified on Facebook that her father’s decision to pursue medically assisted dying was made five years ago and emphasized that he is not in immediate distress.

According to Canadian law, the person must be able to actively consent on the day of his death. 'I have to pick the moment when I can still ask for it,' he noted.

Medically assisted dying accounted for 4.7% of deaths in Canada in 2023, as per the latest government statistics.

Of the 15,300 people who underwent assisted dying that year, 96% had a diagnosis that made their death 'reasonably foreseeable' due to severe medical conditions like cancer.