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Well-known writer for young readers Robert Munsch has been approved for medically assisted dying in Canada.

Munsch, who has 85 published books include Love You Forever, was found to have memory loss in 2021 and also has Parkinson’s.

Munsch explained that he had not decided a final day, but shared he would proceed "when I start having significant difficulty speaking and expressing myself."

Canada began allowing euthanasia in 2016 for those diagnosed with life-ending conditions. Recently, the rules were amended to apply to those with severe and long-term health issues, also under non-life threatening situations.

Munsch has distributed in excess of 80 million books in North America alone and his works have been rendered in over 20 tongues—among them multiple global and local dialects.

Over twenty years ago, Munsch was inducted of the Order of Canada. In 2009, he earned a recognition along Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

Munsch revealed that his decision was influenced by watching his brother pass from ALS, referred to as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

He commented, "They kept him alive with extensive measures. I felt, he should be permitted to pass."

Throughout the country, people who are adults must meet several conditions to be eligible for medical assistance in dying.

Among them are having a "grave and untreatable condition", making a "unpressured decision" that is free from outside influence, and being in an "advanced state of permanent deterioration in capability".

Two independent healthcare providers must then assess the patient to verify that all eligibility requirements are satisfied.

Munsch's publishing house remarked that his move to share openly about medically assisted dying "reminds us why Robert's work continues to impact people of all ages."

Munsch's child, Julie, shared that her dad’s decision to opt for end-of-life care was determined in 2019.

Julie described the feature as "informative", but clarified that "it doesn’t mention does it say my dad is in poor health, nor that he's going to die anytime soon."

According to legal requirements, the individual must be able to give explicit agreement on the day of the procedure.

Munsch stated, "It’s essential I choose the time before I lose the ability for it."

Medically assisted dying represented almost five percent of fatalities in Canada in 2023, according to the newest public records.

Some 96 percent of the over 15,000 individuals who opted for the procedure in 2023 had a passing considered "reasonably foreseeable", because of critical diagnoses such as cancer.