How One Woman Is Promoting Cultural Renewal by Preventing Euthanasia and Encouraging Hope: GIVEN Alumna Amanda Achtman

“In this way the undestroyed dignity and majesty of woman are expressed. She preserves the mystery of life, the power opposed to death.” 

– Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Daughter Zion: Meditations on the Church’s Marian Belief

As of 2024, the BBC reported that 1/20 deaths are due to euthanasia in Canada. This pervasive evil is why Amanda Achtman, a GIVEN ’24 alumna, devotes her time and talent to defending the inherent dignity of human life through her initiative, Dying to Meet You. 

Amanda explains, “It all started when I was working with a member of the Canadian parliament, seeking to prevent the expansion of euthanasia to persons living with disabilities or mental illness. I realized then that we do not so much have a culture of death as we seem to have death without culture.” Based in Ottawa, Canada, she began “Dying to Meet You” in 2021 initially as a daily blog where she wrote about death and dying to promote culture renewal. The GIVEN Institute enhanced Amanda’s scope for this noble endeavor to support the Church’s pro-life teaching to protect life from “womb to tomb” with a particular focus on the latter end of a person’s life. 

Amanda attended the 2024 GIVEN Forum at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC to receive support and resources to continue expanding her mission. At the GIVEN Forum, Amanda learned new strategies to expand “Dying to Meet You.” She explains, “I built new relationships with dioceses and other large organizations that invited me to speak, give workshops, provide formation, and orchestrate creative spiritual activities all across Canada.” After attending the GIVEN Forum, Amanda organized a “Signs of Hope” event to bring together seniors and elementary students for a Day of Recollection.For this event, Amanda arranged for Mass, lunch, and a Eucharistic procession through a retirement residence involving local Grade 4 students as well. She reflects, “This was an incredibly moving event and the inspiration to infuse my euthanasia prevention activities with such a Catholic and sacramental character was definitely enhanced through GIVEN.” 

As the legal use of euthanasia continues to rise in Canada, Amanda observed the emotional devastation it inflicts on surviving friends and family. She says, “Almost not a day goes by that I do not hear a story about how euthanasia is affecting someone personally. People are continually speaking to me about their grief upon losing loved ones to euthanasia or they are seeking counsel for how to accompany and speak to someone who is tempted to request euthanasia. I was motivated to tackle this issue and devote myself to it completely because of the tremendous need for pro-life entrepreneurship in this area.” For her work, Amanda finds inspiration from courageous 20th-century figures – each in some way linked to the tragedies of World War Two – including: Corrie Ten Boom, a Righteous Among the Nations;  the renowned philosopher couple, Dietrich and Alice von Hildebrand; Sophie Scholl of the White Rose Resistance; and, many others. Years before launching “Dying to Meet You,”  Amanda stayed at St. Edith Stein’s house for one month during the summer of 2016.

The GIVEN Institute helps women discover God’s love, to illuminate ‘the feminine genius’ that women contribute to families, society, the Church, and the world. Amanda is an example of an alumna who is utilizing her gifts to fulfill her personal mission to promote cultural renewal and support the dignity of life for Christ and His Church.