In this report, we outline findings from a SSHRC Insight Development project on Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in rural Southern Alberta. Although there are many definitions of “rural,” this project operationalizes the concept in a broad way. In the eyes of Alberta Health Services, all of AHS’ South Zone of the province is considered rural, so we collected data from a range of South Zone communities (without exclusion based on factors such as population size or postal code).

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Our main objective was to hear from South Zone residents (i.e., related health care professionals, patients pursuing MAiD, and their family members) about their lived experiences of the MAiD inquiry, provision, and caring processes. This work enabled us to situate ethical and procedural debates about MAiD within a rural context and avoid stereotypical assumptions about rurality or rural homogeneity, as well as about MAiD itself.