Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Killing Yourself To Make A Point

Yes, folks, there are an increasing number of people stepping up to kill themselves and leave notes chastising the rest of us for not having convenient laws to help them do it. Read this, and see if at some level it doesn’t give you, as the Brits would say, “the creeps.” The "pain of old age," indeed.
Couple took own lives to end pain of old age
Dennis and Flora Milner commit suicide and send letters to the BBC and the Labour Party to highlight issues of euthanasia.
A couple who could no longer face old age gassed themselves in a suicide pact, an inquest heard today.
Dennis, 83, and Flora Milner, 81, pinned a note to the door of their home saying what they were ‘thinking of doing had been done’.
They also wrote letters to the Labour Party, the BBC and their local newspaper highlighting the issues of euthanasia, before taking their own lives. more

Earth To The Media: Palliative Care & Euthanasia Are NOT The Same

Here’s a perfect example of how the media don’t do their homework. First we have the standard tragic story of a terminally ill person. Then, that the person has decided to refuse further treatment (an absolute right recognized by all) and enter a hospice (a good thing). But then, palliative care gets mixed up with euthanasia. They’re not the same. Palliative care is making the dying patient comfortable via medication up to and including unconsciousness. Euthanasia is using meds to make someone unconscious in order to kill them (usually by withdrawing nutrition/hydration after they are unconscious.
Special Report: Last Wish
Sean Holland and his partner Robbie are embracing every moment they have left together, knowing the inevitable end is coming soon.
"I have metastatic renal cell carcinoma," said Holland. "This is kidney cancer."
. . ."They could resolve it by putting tubes in me, but that's one of my greatest fears, to be hooked up to a machine and to die that way," said Holland.
Difficult as it is, he is coming to grips with his death, by refusing cancer treatment and moving into the palliative care unit of the Montreal General Hospital.
It's not home, but Holland is comfortable knowing he will be able to sleep through the suffering that will come with his last breath.
"It relieves so much anxiety about it actually happening, about actually dying," said Holland. "I'm not caught worrying about the sort of horrible things that could go awry." more

Canadian Medicos Try To Tell Us That Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia Are “Settled” – Don’t Believe It

Now the next propaganda phase begins in Canada. Note that while a private bill related to assisted suicide has been introduced and has been debated, the law of the land is still that assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal. But here’s another propaganda tool – even though you haven’t won the day, start to make people think that the matter is already settled (in your favor, of course). Therefore, pretend that the debate is over, and while you’re at it, call, pompously, for a “measured debate.” Anytime you see something from the pro-deathers that sounds like they want to have a reasonable debate, know that you are being had, trust me.
Time to move on from the euthanasia debate
In living, suffering and dying, most of us want to extend the first, minimize the second and pass swiftly through the third. However, at the prospect of death, two views collide. The first holds that the length of our lives is in the hands of a higher power and that death can only be accepted as and when it comes. The second is that we have full autonomy over how we live and that we can choose when and how we die. We certainly live in a time when we have more potential control over our dying. But when it’s needed, the discussion about that control –– by whom and how much — seems to lead to enmeshed families at the bedside or to entrenched positions in public discourse. more

NZ Pro-deathers Spin Story To Call For Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia

As I predicted yesterday, New Zealander Margaret Page, who refused food and water and died yesterday, is already prompting howls from the pro-deathers that she shouldn’t have had to die so slowly. Solution? Why, assisted suicide and euthanasia, of course!!
Starvation death a tragedy - euthanasia advocates
Right to die advocates say it was a tragedy Margaret Page was forced to starve herself to death instead of being allowed a dignified end to her life. The 60-year-old Wellington woman died at a Wellington rest home last night after refusing food and water 16 days ago. more

Terri Schiavo Died 5 Years Ago today

Today is the fifth anniversary of the legal, medical execution of Terri Schiavo. June Maxam has a hard-hitting piece that should give us all pause.
The more things change
Five years ago today, March 31, 2005, Theresa Marie Schindler Schiavo died
Five years later, many are still trying to understand why and how America allowed it to happen but the more things change, the more they remain the same.
People die every day but seldom does the whole world watch, seldom does it impact the whole world as did the death of Terri Schiavo.
The world was stunned, in disbelief as a brain damaged, but otherwise healthy woman was dehydrated to death, publicly subjected to a slow, barbaric death over 13 days that her husband and the euthanasia sect called compassionate. more

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

NZ Woman Who Refused Food, Dies

Margaret Page’s decision to refuse food and only accept the tiniest bit of hydration so that she could die has been hijacked by the pro-deathers Down Under, somehow twisting her decision to calling for legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Woman who starved herself has died
The Wellington woman who made national headlines last week for attempting to starve herself to death has died.
Margaret Page's refusal to eat food sparked a vigorous ethical debate. She was 60. more

Pro-Deather Propaganda’s Darling: Debbie Purdy

If you’re around the pro-deathers for any length of time, you learn how they operate to shove their ideas down everyone else’s throats. Take Debbie Purdy, poster woman for the right to die movement in the UK. It was Purdy who eventually forced the Government to “clarify” UK laws on the books to prosecute people who assist others to kill themselves. The “clarification” actually ended up, arguably, condoning assisted suicide. But see, Purdy is now a hero – hence the love-fest from a Scottish piece a few days ago. It’s all here: The brave disabled woman, her loving husband, her valiant struggle, the big dab government and their pesky laws, and, I submit, propaganda thinly veiled as “news.”
Purdy, MS sufferer
DEBBIE PURDY lives in a traditional terraced street in Bradford, the stone houses all leaning into one another's shoulders on the hill, the front doors opening directly on to the street. The white front door is more gleaming than the rest, and opens with an electronic click, as if we've jumped suddenly from Hovis advert to James Bond movie. Disconcerting. Past the open door, a woman in a wheelchair becomes visible. Her face is instantly fascinating. Such animation. A nose that wrinkles with explosions of humour. A mobile, expressive mouth. Blue-grey eyes that suddenly light up like Christmas trees. It would be hard to find a more 'alive' face than this woman's. more

Ho Hum, They Euthanize Newborns In The Netherlands - What Else Is New?

Just in case some of you aren’t up to speed: Yes, in the Netherlands, doctors are allowed to kill (sorry, euthanize) newborns with severe disabilities. This article wonders why more killings haven’t been reported. Duh. What’s the point of reporting after the fact? Dead is dead, no?
More surprises in Dutch euthanasia of infants
For people outside the Netherlands, the most surprising thing about legally tolerated non-voluntary euthanasia of infants is that it happens at all. But for Dutch doctors, the surprise is that reports of it are far lower than the quota. more

Hey, Why Not Use Euthanasia To End Elder Abuse?

Given the serious push for assisted suicide and euthanasia Down Under, this report of a huge jump in elder abuse in Aussie care facilities is especially troubling. It’s bad enough that it’s happening, but trust me, sooner rather than later some pro-deather will say something along these lines: “Our elderly shouldn’t have to suffer elder abuse, and it definitely affects their quality of life in a negative way. They should have the right to assisted suicide or euthanasia so they don’t have to be subjected to abuse.” Sound far-fetched?? I wouldn’t bet on it.
Elder Abuse In and Out of Nursing Homes a Growing Problem
Australian Department of Health and Ageing has released a new report which shows an alarming rise in physical assaults on the elderly in nursing homes: physical assaults increased by more than 50% and sexual assaults by 36%. more

The Term Euthanasia Too Negative? Why, Change It To A More Palatable Word

Ah yes. The term euthanasia getting too negative a connotation? What’s a medical profession to do? Well, if you ask some Canadian physicians, you just need to (a) make learned noises about “having an honest debate” and (b) suggest that the negative term be changed to something more benign. It’s a simple propagandistic tool: They who control the language, control the debate.
Should Doctors Stop Saying "Euthanasia"?
Euthanasia is a polarizing term that confuses the debate about dying and should no longer be used by physicians, say the authors of an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
"The end of life debate seems particularly burdened by confusion over the term 'euthanasia'," the authors write. "Both sides use it to further their ideological views: one side says murder, the other mercy; the right to live versus the right to die with dignity; selfishness versus compassion." more

In Singapore, A Spirited Opposition To The Pro-Deathers

As the pro-deathers encroach on Singapore, they’re meeting with stiff resistance. Go! Go! Go!
Killing the Dying
Writing in a recent issue of the Singapore Academy of Law Journal, National University of Singapore law professor Stanley Yeo and DPP Toh Puay San had proposed that a terminally-ill patient be legally allowed to kill himself with the assistance of his doctor.
They even crafted a piece of draft legislation on this.
The article could have been just a piece of academic musing or it could have been a controversial kite flown to test the winds of public opinion. Whatever it is, a piece of legislation such as this would be an ill-conceived one. more

Let's Experiment On Alzheimer's Patients, Shall We?

Well, ethical guidelines around research on any subject, human or animal, are important and appropriate. But there are always bioethicists will in to push the envelope. We're now starting to see calls for redrawing ethical guidelines to include people who of their own volition cannot consent to participating in research. The commonsense answer, of course, is that if they can't consent (e.g., because of Alzheimer’s) they cannot participate. BUT some people are willing to change this. Read this about suggestions of rewriting the rules to experiment on people who can’t give their own consent.
New ethical guidelines needed for dementia research
How do we handle the ethical dilemmas of research on adults who can’t give their informed consent? In a recent article in the journal Bioethics, ethicist Stefan Eriksson proposes a new approach to the dilemma of including dementia patients and others with limited decision making capabilities in research. more

Monday, March 29, 2010

A Voice OF Reason In A Sea Of Canadian Pro-Deathers

Well, a voice of reason in Canada. Who knew?
End of life: Who should decide to stop treatment?
The doctor for a dying Jewish man at the heart of an emotional court battle has spoken out about the case for the first time, calling for a public inquiry to help clear up the growing debate over who should decide the care of gravely ill patients.
Dr. Joel Zivot suggests in a journal article that it is wrong to give physicians the final say over whether to halt life-extending treatment of such patients, and argues that ICU doctors are in a conflict of interest, since they both try to save people and provide palliative care when they consider treatment hopeless. more

Suffering? It's Always The Same - Die

The writer’s description of his wife’s last days is truly difficult to read. Nobody is for suffering, in whatever form. However, there are several things in the story that alarm me. For a start, if this woman was in a reputable palliative care program, then that program was not very effective, as it should have been. Then, having doctors advise on the most painless way to die is a concern. Why didn’t they send time informing about how to relieve her pain? Further, the story reads that in the end, medical personnel apparently euthanized his wife – a serious criminal; act. Predictably, the conclusion of the story is that we need to seriously begin considering legalizing euthanasia. Frightening.
Let’s get real about prohibitions against doctor assisted euthanasia
I stopped posting regular columns in November when my wife of forty years, Betty, was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Her condition deteriorated rapidly despite the best treatment in the world at the highest rated cancer center in New England. She was hospitalized twice in Boston but never left the hospital the second time. . . Her intention was not to opt for lifetime dialysis plus having terminal cancer being treat with drugs that made her feel life wasn’t worth living. She knew the odds that even with chemo living a year was unlikely. more

Just Like The UK, NZ Law Bows To The Pro-Deathers

Just like in the UK, NZ has laws against helping people kill themselves, but, sadly, just like the UK, they are not enforced because the rule of law bows to the pro-death lobby. It’s only going to get worse.
American charged with assisting suicide is safe from arrest
An American woman has been charged with assisting an Auckland woman to commit suicide - but she is unlikely to ever appear in a New Zealand court.
Susan Wilson was charged in the North Shore District Court yesterday in relation to the death of Audrey Wallis.
Ms Wallis was 49 when she killed herself in August 2007.
It is alleged Ms Wilson - who lives in North Carolina - assisted in her suicide, although police would not give details about her death. more

Depressed & Your Wheelchair Hurting? Time For Assisted Suicide!

Margaret Page, the NZ woman who is refusing food and almost all hydration, has become the poster person for why NZ should legalize assisted suicide. Of course, they quote a pro-death person who did jail time for trying to help someone else commit suicide a while ago. Great!! The thing that caught my attention is some insight into how flimsy the reasoning has become to want to die - Page had a wheelchair that was ill-fitting and caused her great discomfort and pain, and she was depressed. How about getting her a new wheelchair and taking care of the depression? Nah, might have reduced her discomfort to where she didn't want to die. Now, we don't want that, do we?
Starving woman 'tip of the iceberg'
Disabled woman Margaret Page, who has refused food in an attempt to end her life, represents "the tip of the iceberg'' in a country which has not adopted voluntary euthanasia, Dignity New Zealand founder Lesley Martin says.
Mrs Page, 60, suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1991 which severely limited her speech and mobility.
A patient at Wellington's St John of God care home since 2006, she has now gone 11 days without food and with only a small amount of water.
Euthanasia advocate Ms Martin, who was jailed for 7-1/2 months for the attempted murder of her terminally ill mother in Wanganui in 1999, said she often spoke to individuals and families of those who were planning to end their lives.
"We see cases like this surface all the time, but they really are the tip of the iceberg. They don't necessarily make the media in this way. more

NZ Media In The Tank For Assisted Suicide

The drumbeat in NZ continues, with the media breathlessly trumpeting that "most people in NZ" approve of assisted suicide for suffering people. Well, why not balance the story by saying that modern medical science can very effectively, in almost every instance, control pain? Nah, wouldn't want a fair debate, now would we?
Assisted Suicide or Euthanasia Gets Support in New Zealand
The notion of assisted suicide and euthanasia is soon gaining public acceptance in New Zealand. A study conducted by the University of Massey has revealed that 70% of the participants in the study gave their support to assisted suicide for someone who suffers from an incurable and painful disease. more

Healthcare Rationing - Ya Think?

Well yes, of course health care will be rationed – no way around it. Now it’s just a little more out in the open seeing that the healthcare “reform” has now enshrined entities that will make decisions abut what treatment you get, what treatment you don’t get. And you’d better like it.
End-Of-Life Patient Care Debate Tries To Balance Funding With Needs
Washington, DC, United States (AHN) - The healthcare debate on Wednesday, held at the National Press Club, on the cost and spending in the country on “end-of-life patient care” ended with a consensus that with finite level of resources there must be a pragmatic system in place to make sure all patients are given equal care. more

Friday, March 26, 2010

Terminally Ill Judged Fit To Work

Well, I know this isn't funny, but this is an exemplar of the madness of bureaucrats being in  charge of our lives. Ve hav vays und methods to make you work!!!!!
Flawed benefit system classifies terminally ill man 'fit for work'
A new system for assessing whether or not the sick and disabled are capable of working has been proven to be flawed, and is wrongly finding seriously ill people ready to work, a document published today reveals.
People with advanced Parkinson's Disease or Multiple Sclerosis, with severe mental illness, or awaiting open heart surgery have been registered as fit to work, according to the report by the Citizens Advice Bureau. more

Why Is The First Choice Always Death?

There's no doubt that terminal illness is a profoundly difficult situation. And, I agree that it's difficult to know what people are thinking in that circumstance. However, as this story relates, more and more people in difficult conditions are choosing assisted suicide over anything else. I don't know what Johnny Hinckleton's personal circumstance was. But I do know this - his loved ones and colleagues seem to find his decision to kill himself brave, rather than sad - it's part spin, and part, I think, the default position that death is preferable to life. Why are these people crowing about killing rather celebrating being around their loved one in care, love, and comfort. What am I missing????
Johnny Hicklenton dies at Swiss euthanasia clinic
A man who featured in a documentary about his battle against multiple sclerosis has died at a euthanasia clinic in Switzerland.
Renowned graphic artist Johnny Hicklenton, best known for his work on comic books Judge Dredd and 2000AD, visited the Dignitas assisted suicide clinic after a ten year fight against the disease.
Friend Adam Lavis, who co-directed the TV documentary, travelled with 42-year-old Mr Hicklenton to the clinic.
He described the Brighton artist as a “warrior.” more

Guess What? If People Think Pain Can Be Controlled, They Don't Want Assisted Suicide

Well, duh. . . . guess what, people in NZ are much more likely to favor assisted suicide if the subject is in terrible, excruciating pain. Take pain out of the equation, and favoring assisted suicide falls dramatically. Well the pain factor is something the pro-deathers prey on as mightily as they can. They're pretty quiet about the fact that expert palliative care can pretty much control almost every pain one can imagine.
Euthanasia Support Dependent On Circumstances
Public attitudes to euthanasia appear dependent on how much pain a person is suffering, according to findings from a University mail survey.
Nearly 70 percent of surveyed respondents to a School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing survey support assisted suicide for someone with a painful, incurable disease, provided a doctor gives the assistance.
Support drops to around 45 percent if the person is not in pain. That level of support is also recorded for a person neither in pain nor with an incurable disease but who is permanently and completely dependent on others for all their physical needs. more

Body Count in Washington and Oregon

Here's anther body count report about the assisted suicides in Washington state and Oregon. Note the spin - it's not assisted suicide anymore, it's "assisted death." Also, note that those who requested assisted suicide did so on the basis of fear - fear of of losing autonomy, etc. Yes, you got it right - it was not necessarily that they had lost their autonomy, etc., but that they were afraid of doing so. Dying now to avoid something in  one's future. There's something seriously awry here.
Assisted suicide laws cited in 95 deaths in Washington, Oregon
Ninety-five terminally ill patients died in 2009 after taking lethal doses of medications prescribed by their physicians under death-with-dignity laws in Washington and Oregon, according to health department reports released in March.
Thirty-six of those deaths occurred in Washington in the 10 months after the state's physician-assisted suicide law took effect March 5, 2009, said a report from the state health department. Nearly 60% of Washington voters approved a 2008 ballot measure that made physician-assisted suicide legal.
That state's law, like Oregon's, makes doctor-aided dying available to patients who have been judged terminally ill by two doctors. Patients must make an oral request and a witnessed written request. Another oral request must be made 15 days later.
The characteristics of the Washingtonians who used the death-with-dignity law were similar to their counterparts in Oregon, said Linda Ganzini, MD, MPH, who has extensively researched Oregon's experience with physician-assisted suicide, in describing statistics from the report. more

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Would Euthanasia Be An Option Were It Not For The Pro-Death crowd?

There's no doubt that watching someone decline due to alzheimer's disease isn't easy. It's equally true that the psychological toll on loved ones is significant. However, I can't help wondering after reading this story that perhaps this man wouldn't be suggesting euthanasia for his wife if the culture of death wasn't so prevalent, leading to suggesting it as another, previously unthinkable option.
‘It breaks my heart’
A Hampstead man whose wife is being cared for at a Jacksonville Alzheimer’s facility says he should have the right to help his wife end her suffering by ending her life.
Jack Barnes, 81, has been married to his 80-year-old wife Faye for 59 years. He said they have had a long, fulfilling life together and now his wife wants to “die with dignity,” but North Carolina law does not permit euthanasia.
“It doesn’t make sense to keep her alive,” he said. “She’s basically dead.” more

Fox TV: "The Family Man" Hate Speech About Terri Schiavo

A recent episode of Fox's The Family Man made nasty fun of Terri Schiavo - that she's a vegetable, the most expensive plant you'll ever see, and that she had mashed potato brains. Yeah, real funny. Ha-ha. What cowards - picking on someone who can't even fight back.
Schiavo relatives offended by 'Family Guy' episode
The family and supporters of the late Terri Schiavo are upset over a Fox animated show's parody of the controversy over her death nearly five years ago.
The Sunday episode of "Family Guy" opened with a satire "Terri Schiavo: The Musical," which lampooned the lengthy and often emotional legal battle to keep her alive.
"Where has our decency gone? How could anyone think this is funny?" says Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler, who runs the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation. more

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Pro-Deathers Never Saw a Tragedy They Wouldn't Exploit

The pro-death lobby in NZ has wasted no time in insisting that Margaret Page, who is refusing food and hydration in order to eventually die, is being abused because she is dying in such a difficult way. Hold on, I say: Margaret is not being deliberately deprived of food and water by others, as was the case with Terri Schiavo. She has invoked her right to refuse all medical treatment, including food and water. Of course, this isn't enough for the pro-deathers. They ague that dying of starvation and thirst is barbaric (um, where were they when this was exactly what happened to Schiavo??), so an easier way should be a "right," that is, quick, legal, painless assisted suicide or euthanasia. Trust me, they won't stop until euthanasia is a right for everyone everywhere at any time.
Lesley Martin: Time to engage with the issue of assisted death
Margaret Page's decision to end her life by refusing food and fluids once again raises the sensitive issue of assisted dying.
As a picture paints a thousand words, the image of Margaret obtained by the Dominion Post on the evening of Day 10 of this arduous process gives us an insight into the ordeal that she and her family now face.
Already thin and fragile from chronic disability, with face set solidly against any intervention, Margaret has chosen to invoke her right under the Bill of Rights 1990 to refuse or withdraw medical treatment and refuse food and fluids according to her wishes.
To deny Margaret this right amounts to assault. Margaret has been assessed psychiatrically as being of competent mind. She has endured years of disability and dependency. more

Aussie Pro-Deathers Roll On, Spin, Spin, Spin

If ever you wanted to read a story of selfishness masquerading as balanced argument, read this from Australia:
My mother was clear: she never wanted to live this way
LET me paint a picture. It is my mother's 91st birthday. She lives in an aged-care facility. When we were kids it was called a nursing home. It is a beautiful building surrounded by gardens and staffed by genuinely kind people who take great care of my mother.
She has broken both her hips and her pelvis in the past decade, as well as going blind from macular degeneration. She has not recognised or responded to her children for more than a year; her dementia started more than 15 years ago. She has been in dementia specific care for 10 years and high care for five years. more

Pro-Deathers Spin Every Sad Situation They Find To Their Nihilistic Ends

Here’s a great example from New Zealand of how the pro-deathers seize the high ground in a case where they should be minding their own business. They just can’t help it - they want people dead. Let’s be clear: If anyone wants to starve themselves to death, then that is their slow method of committing suicide. We can differ as to whether the woman should be force-fed assuming she is in her right mind. However, what the pro-deathers do here is hijack a very difficult situation to say: “See, you shouldn’t have to starve to death if you want to die, we should have assisted suicide or euthanasia available to help you. Yeah, right…
Support for woman starving herself
Pro-euthanasia groups are supporting a disabled Wellington woman who is trying to starve herself to death.
Margaret Page has been living at a care home since 2006. She has refused to eat any food for the past ten days and indicated to the Dominion Post that everybody supports her decision, except her estranged husband who wants her taken to hospital and forced to eat. more

Problems With Assisted Suicide In Washington State? I'm Shocked, I Tell You...

Well, many of us saw these problems coming before assisted suicide became legal in Washington state. There will be more problems, including the inevitable cases of abuse that the law allows for.
First-year complications with assisted suicide
There may need to be some tinkering with the machinery of death.
Opponents of Washington’s and Oregon’s physician-assisted suicide laws had warned that there would be botched procedures leading to drawn-out suffering of terminally ill patients ending their lives. Newly released annual reports on the use of the Death with Dignity laws in Washington and Oregon in 2009 show there were two or three complications in Washington and one in Oregon. It’s believed that one Washington patient accounted for two of the reported complications. more

Pro-Death Poster People Proliferate

The latest: Sweden, where assisted suicide is not (yet) legal. An assisted suicide campaigner with ALS, having not received an answer from authorities as to whether they would provide him with the lethal dose, committed suicide anyway. Too bad he didn't live in Oregon, where the state is happy to provide lethal drugs - ask Barbara Wagner.
Man Campaigning for Assisted Suicide Ends his Life
A 70 year old Swedish man, terminally ill with ALS, the commonest type of motor neurone disease, has ended his own life just days after sending a letter to the National Board of Health and Welfare asking to be given the right to a doctor-assisted suicide. more

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Grey's Anatomy Trumpets Episode on Assisted Suicide

Here we go, dramatization of assisted suicide in Washington State. I'll bet my last dollar that it'll be favorable. Judging from the trailer, where we get the "suicide is painless" treatment. So preparing the populace for pro-death/killing/assisted suicide/euthanasia begins.
Five Grey's Anatomy Sneak Previews: "Suicide is Painless"
"Suicide is Painless" is a foreboding episode title, and these sneak previews of Thursday's Grey's Anatomy certainly live up to that billing. This week, Teddy must treat a gravely patient requesting her help with - in case you haven't guessed - assisted suicide.
This ethically questionable procedure is a primary focal point of the episode. Here's the patient confessing her wishes to Dr. Altman in the first of five sneak preview clips ...

Anti-Assisted Suicide Protesters 1, Pro-Death Extremist 0

Well, at least in Galway they're hopping mad about being told to plan on kicking the bucket. A well known pro-deather canceled for "scheduling issues." Uh-huh. How about "I only speak where I can spout my extremism without contradiction?
CONTROVERSIAL EUTHANASIA ADVOCATE PULLS OUT OF NUIG DEBATE
A controversial pro-euthanasia professor has pulled out of an NUIG debate in the city later this week.
British Professor of Medical Ethics Len Doyal had been invited to speak at NUIG's debate on whether there is ever a right to allow someone to choose death.
The Euthanasia debate will still take place on Thursday [25/3] but Professor Doyal has cancelled his visit citing "scheduling issues". more

Death Secrets

Postsecret started as a series of books displaying anonymous postcards where people reveal some very personal information. It's now migrated to the web. This caught my eye, and reminded me that the pro-death lobby  have infiltrated the general psyche much more than we might realize:

cocktail.jpg

Here's the Reason Not to Kill Those in Unresponsive States - They Sometimes Wake Up!

This from Poland. The English is quaint, but the story's powerful nevertheless, about a man apparently in a permanently unresponsive state, presumed unconscious. Actually, (a) he recently recovered, and (b) he wasn't unconscious at all - he was aware of everything that was going on around him - including his doctors twisting his wife's hard to euthanize him.
A STRONG HIT FOR EUTHANASIA
Nineteen years in a coma. Jan Grzebski, the 65 year-old Polish man, occupied a distinguished role within the Media around the world. And, for an extraordinary fact he woke up from his long physical absence, other than spiritual. His profession was that of a rail worker, and in 1988 he suffered a serious labor related accident. And, he fell into a deep coma. However, he regained his consciousness back completely. He affirms that during all these passed years he was aware of all that was happening around him, even though he couldn’t move nor speak. more

Aussie Dr. Death Eggs on the Irish Elderly

As planned, Aussie Philip Nitschke had his Irish town meeting, and encouraged his aged audience to plan ahead for their assisted suicide while they were still in their right minds. (As we've seen in the Netherlands, that often doesn't matter, no reason to think Ireland will be any different).
‘Plan Now for Suicide’ Australia’s Dr. Death Encourages Elderly Irish
DUBLIN, March 23, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Euthanasia and atheist campaigner Dr. Philip Nitschke, Australia’s “Dr. Death,” told an audience in Dublin this week that he had traveled to the country after receiving “significant interest” from elderly Irish wanting information on how to end their lives.
Nitschke’s visit was opposed by pro-life groups, which have charged that his activities constitute a violation of the country's criminal code that warrants police investigation.
Speaking in Dublin in Thursday night, Nitschke encouraged his audience at the Seomra Spraoi social centre to confirm their plans to commit suicide before they become too infirm. “Don’t wait until it’s too late, plan ahead and put in place an end-of-life strategy,” he said. more

Monday, March 22, 2010

Anti-Assisted Suicide: Go Singapore!!!

Well, at least in Singapore they aren't folding to the pro-death crowd - good for them!
Gerard Ee – right in slamming physician assisted suicide
In April 2009, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan categorically stated that, “euthanasia, which means helping the patient to commit suicide, is not what Ministry of Health (MOH) is promoting” and that MOH is actually “promoting palliative care for the terminally ill so that they, and their family members, will be able to cope with terminal illness with the least pain and being cared for in the most appropriate setting, which usually means the home they live in.” more

It's Not the Selfishness of Suicide - It's the Pesky, Bad Law, Don't Ya Know?

Oh, puhleeeze..... The pro-death crowd will stop at nothing to make sure that assisted suicide (and in this case plain old suicide) and euthanasia will be available for everyone who, the very moment they decide it, should be able to die - IMMEDIATELY. Read this - and, well........ It's not the cold, narcissistic, self-centered, selfish act of committing suicide that is the problem, it's that if you want to deprive your loved ones of your company, you should have the legal right to do it with the blessing of the law in the comfort of your own home with the admiration and awe of those around you for doing such a loving thing.
Family claim Patrick Hearn left home to die because euthanasia is illegal
A FORMER police superintendent missing for almost three years wandered off from his family and lay under a bush in suburban Melbourne to die because euthanasia is illegal, his family claims. more

Voice of Reason in the Canadian Push for Assisted Suicide

Here's a welcome and reasoned dissent that is in stark contrast to the assisted suicide extremists currently trying to force their pro-death views on all other Canadians.
To kill or not to kill?
Palliative care is a viable alternative to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The philosophy of palliative care encourages each patient to live to the fullest as they confront their own unique dying. Palliative care demonstrates death is a communal event and not simply a private matter. Those working in palliative care bring specialized skills to respond to pain, psychological distress and the spiritual needs of patients and their families.
If we are to truly honour and respect those among us who are dying, or those whose hold on life is weakened by disease or suffering, then we must keep company with these people and respond in concrete ways that communicate faithfulness and attentiveness. more

Weirdo's Bad Luck - He Wasn't Living in the UK

Here's a guy who's going to be prosecuted because he liked to watch others commit suicide on the web, sometimes egging them on. Too bad he's not based out of the UK - I'm sure he would have been able to assure authorities that he had no malevolent intent, and would thereby be off the hook. I'm half-expecting his defense to be that he was actually campaigning for the rights of people to show off their deaths electronically via the web. Wouldn't surprise me at all.
Revealed: The suicide voyeur nurse who 'encouraged people to kill themselves online'
In June 2005, an IT technician named Mark Drybrough hanged himself at his Coventry home.
A coroner ruled the 32-year-old depressive had committed suicide because of his mental illness. But the truth behind Mr Drybrough’s tragic death is far more chilling.
For months before his death, he had been chatting online with a notorious ‘suicide voyeur’ who is alleged to have trawled the internet looking for people who would kill themselves while he watched online. more

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Take That, You Pro-Death Extremists!!!

So, my good friend and colleague Peter Saunders says it all ... take that pro-death extremists!!!

ObamaCare - I Told You So .....

Well, this is not a new theme, but after living in Alabama for several years, and railing against the healthcare bill that looks like it'll pass in the next few hours, with all its pro-death statutes, all I can say is, well, I TOLD You So.....  God help us all.....

Read & Barf (With Respect, of Course)

OK, so after cowing UK law into saying that, well, yes, the law says aiding and abetting assisted suicide really isn't law against aiding and abetting suicide, and being the heroine for offing yourself just, well, because, now Debbie Purdy wants to live life to the fullest. What a fraud. Pass the (largest) barf bag please. And, oh, yes, it just goes to show the hypocritical spin of the pro-death crowd. Hey Debbie, suck the lethal meds out of the glass will you?
Debbie Purdy: I suck the marrow out of life, I'm not ready to die
In a wallet on her kitchen table Debbie Purdy keeps the two pieces of plastic that will enable her to make her final journey. The Visa credit cards — one for her and one for her husband, Omar Puente — have a limit of £7,500. She has not spent a penny because she wants to keep them clear to pay for her death.“We don’t carry them with us because it’s only for use . . .” She stops short of referring specifically to the trip that she plans to make to the Dignitas assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland. “We haven’t really talked about the cards but we both have copies because I am worried that he will need it to get home and stuff like that.” more

Easy Death Drugs from Thailand Recommended

Do-it-yourself-killing guru, Aussie Phil Nitschke, is popping up everywhere as his momentum for death on demand increases. He's now recommending people in Aussie and that part of the world who wish to kick the bucket fly to Thailand, where they can get their lethal meds without too much trouble. Way easier than flying to those other helpful deathtraps, Mexico and Peru. Bangkok, anyone?
Cheap flight to Thailand for euthanasia drugs
THAI TRIP: Euthanasia advocate, Dr Philip Nitschke, is recommending trips to Thailand to purchase life-ending drugs.
DOZENS of West Australians who want to end their lives are jetting to Thailand as the country becomes the new destination of choice for buying euthanasia drugs.
Cheap flights and the ease of obtaining preferred suicide drug Nembutal from veterinary clinics in Bangkok means right-to-die group Exit International is recommending drug-buying missions to Thailand over Mexico or Peru. more

UK Assisted Suicide Laws - What a Joke

Gee, let's see - it's still illegal and punishable under UK law to aid and abet suicide. However, after the full-court press of Debbie Purdy, forcing the Director of Public Prosecution to issue a mealy-mothed "clarification" that essentially makes it easier to aid and abet suicide, that same Director of Public prosecution had no option, in the case of a son who took his parents to Dignitas in  Switzerland to die, to assure said son that he won't be prosecuted under the UK law. Not because what the son did wasn't illegal, it's because punishment for breaking this law is "not in the public interest." Can general lawlessness be far behind???
No charges for son over conductor's Swiss suicide
LONDON -- British prosecutors said Friday that they will not charge the son of conductor Edward Downes and his wife with assisting the couple's suicides at a Swiss clinic last year.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said it was not in the public interest to prosecute Caractacus Downes, who traveled to Zurich with his parents and booked them a hotel room. more

Do-It-Yourself-Killing Finally Lands In Ireland

Phil Nitschke is going ahead with bringing his do-it-yourself killing to Ireland. Lucky Irish!!
Assisted-suicide event to go ahead 
CONTROVERSIAL Australian assisted-suicide advocate Philip Nitschke will hold a meeting and workshop in Dublin today after receiving confirmation late last night that a social centre was willing to host the event.
The Outhouse, Buswells Hotel and the Macro centre had disassociated themselves from the planned event in recent days but last night the Seomra Spraoi centre in Dublin’s Belvedere Court accepted the booking from his group, Exit International. Dr Nitschke said he had never encountered such resistance to his meetings. more

Friday, March 19, 2010

The Aussie Drumbeat for Euthanasia Continues

Yes, yes, the pro-death crowd do their best to find those who are so very convinced that euthanasia is the way to go - always based on somebody's personal experience. Here's the problem: They want their personal experiences to shape your thinking too..
New fight for euthanasia
A GROUP of Tasmanians have vowed to continue to fight for changes to laws to allow death with dignity.
FARMER Allan Cameron has got a very clear idea of how he wants to die when the time comes and it doesn't involve hospital beds, doctors and feeding tubes.
Ever since his bedridden father-in-law starved himself to death and a good mate shot himself because he didn't want to die in a hospital bed, Mr Cameron, 76, of Ross, has been a passionate supporter of voluntary euthanasia. more

Setting the Story Straight on "Pulling the Plug"

Margaret Somerville is a deeply eloquent writer and philosopher opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia. Here she parses often misunderstood concepts that are very often hijacked by the pro-death crowd:
‘Pulling the plug’ isn’t euthanasia
Recently, I saw an illustration that accompanied an article about euthanasia. It showed the silhouette of a patient lying on a bed. There was an electrical outlet on the wall behind the bed and an unplugged connecting cord hanging down over the side of the bed.
Except in very rare circumstances — for instance, if the treatment were withdrawn without the necessary consent or against the patient’s wishes — withdrawal of life-support treatment is not euthanasia. Yet many people, including the artist who penned this illustration and many health-care professionals, mistakenly believe that it is. more

The Media Loves Assisted Suicide - Ya Think??

The Final Exit Network is an extremist pro-assisted suicide outfit that have just had 4 of its members indicted for contravening assisted suicide laws in GA. They're also been charged under racketeering statutes and for tampering with evidence. Of course, they couch their alleged criminal behavior in loving kindness, gentleness, and the sham that they are the do-gooders and the big bad law is oppressive and retrograde. Guess what? The media buys it. Read this sympathetic account from Newsweek:
The New Doctor Death
In 2006 John Celmer's body began to break down. He was diagnosed with oral cancer and had to undergo surgery to remove the tumor and then radiation therapy to kill off any remaining malignant cells. The radiation ravaged his jawbone and the surrounding tissue, leaving a hole in his chin. Fluid leaked onto his clothes. His teeth began falling out. He had difficulty eating and speaking. As Celmer's jaw began severing from his face, doctors attempted moderate treatments, but all of them failed. So in 2008, they sought to reconstruct his chin and jaw using tissue from his chest and bone from his lower leg. The procedures appeared successful, but five days after the final operation, he was discovered dead in his Cumming, Ga., home.
At first everyone assumed he'd died of natural causes. Yet as Celmer's wife, Susan, sifted through his belongings, she discovered several things that puzzled her: a receipt for two helium tanks, a handwritten note referring to his need to acquire a "hood," an entry on his calendar (May 7, 2008: "Claire here @ 1:30") that mentioned someone she didn't know. Susan also found paperwork referencing something called Final Exit Network (FEN). As she later learned, it was an organization that counseled people with serious ailments on how to commit suicide. She shared her findings with police, who launched an investigation and eventually concluded that the group had helped Celmer kill himself. Susan was devastated—and enraged. What right did FEN have to help usher her husband to his death? "We are not the Creator," she told NEWSWEEK. "We do not give life and don't have the option to take life." more

Thursday, March 18, 2010

An Outstanding Riposte to the Pro-Death Crowd

These stories, especially in the UK, are few and far between. Read  carefully, because it tells that while death is inevitable, we can do much to control suffering and celebrate the goodness of living before we die:
Mum wanted to die, but convincing her to live gave us both a gift beyond measure...
As she lay in the hospice, ghostly pale and apparently slipping away before my eyes, my mother was adamant. 'I just want to die,' had become her repeated refrain.
She was 84, suffering from advanced breast cancer and didn't want chemotherapy. As far as she was concerned, the end could not come soon enough.
'I've had a good life,' she would say. 'But I don't want to be dependent. I don't want to be a burden to anyone.' more

Telling College Kids That Killing’s OK

Ah yes, those malleable college kids. . . Read this editorial from the University of Connecticut and ask yourself where the balance of good reporting is. Clue: You won’t find it. It leaves impressionable readers with the clear idea that yes; we should have people killed off if they are suffering. The heck with killing the suffering – just kill the patient, and presto!! Problem solved!!
Editorial: CT's assisted suicide ban is unreasonable
Every year, numerous people are diagnosed with fatal illnesses that have the potential to cause excruciating pain in their later stages. These people may accept their impending deaths, but more difficult may be the pain that accompanies the period before it. Those that may feel at peace and are prepared to die can’t be assisted in passing peacefully by Connecticut doctors. It is a reasonable request of the patients and the act shouldn’t be illegal. more

Pesky Foreigners, Wanting the Dutch to Kill Them Off!

I guess the hesitation by the Dutch authorities to allow euthanasia of a foreigner is the hang-up here. Note the sympathetic spin from Radio Netherlands Worldwide:
Dutch man fights for Italian wife’s euthanasia
A Dutch man has been attempting in vain to arrange euthanasia for his Italian wife for months. Martien van der Burgt's wife Anna Busato suffered a brain haemorrhage in November and has been in a coma in hospital in Italy since. more

Spanish Region OKs Euthanasia

So the dominoes fall. Now parts of Spain will allow euthanasia. Of course, they’re not calling it that – instead it’s a “right to a dignified death.”
He who controls the language controls the debate.
Landmark euthanasia bill in Andalucia
ANDALUCIA has passed a landmark ruling allowing euthanasia.
The historical legislation – the first to be approved in Spain – obtained cross party support in Sevilla.
Called the Law Guaranteeing the Right to a Dignified Death, it allows the patient to refuse treatment which will artificially prolong his or her life. more

A New Swedish Poster Person for Euthanasia?

A Swedish woman is asking that she be euthanized while still in her right mind. This will be euthanasia, NOT assisted suicide, because the woman is completely paralyzed and therefore unable to commit suicide, assisted or otherwise. It is difficult cases like these that are commandeered by the pro-death crowd to justify their ghoulish ends
Swedish Woman Demands Euthanasia
A letter to the Swedish Social welfare board has rekindled the debate here on mercy killing – or euthanasia – at present banned by Swedish law.
The letter has come from a 31-year-old woman who has been tied to a respirator since the age of 6 – growing constantly worse from a neurological disease from birth. more

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

The Pro-Death Crowd are Working Hard Not Only in Canada, But Also Aussie

Ho hum. Just like the Netherlands a few years ago, just like the way Canada is tilting now about assisted suicide, an Aussie politician, who wishes euthanasia had been available for her late mother, is going to great pains to tell voters that she'd never ever support voluntary euthanasia. Riiiiiight. . .
Voluntary euthanasia 'never will be policy' says SA Liberal leader Isobel Redmond
LIBERAL Leader Isobel Redmond would have liked to have had the option to give her dying mum "a needle", but says voluntary euthanasia will "never become party policy". more

As Went the Netherlands, So Goes Canada: Killing is Good and Honorable

This piece from Canada, where Francine Lalonde, a member of parliament, has repeatedly introduced a private motion to legalize assisted suicide. Deja vu all over again. Lalonde is mimicking exactly the rationale that was used in the Netherlands some years ago - that assisted suicide will be only for very few, only the terminally ill, and only those who are in unrelievable pain. Good luck on that. The question to be asked is: Why wouldn't it deteriorate into the killing machine that the Netherlands medical system has become?
Assisted-suicide bill a 'slippery slope,' critic warns
OTTAWA–Parliament is being asked to give a hand to the dying – by an MP who has faced death herself.
Bloc Québécois MP Francine Lalonde is hoping against odds to succeed with a private member's bill to amend the Criminal Code and legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada.
It's an effort made personal by her own fights with cancer in recent years. The 69-year-old politician made no mention of her health struggles during a 15-minute address to the Commons Tuesday evening to launch the debate. Instead, she said it's time to legalize physician-assisted suicide to give comfort to those living their final days in "intolerable pain." more

Here's How Easily We Move From Consent to Burden

This is a very interesting read from a doctor's point of view, and it also shows how easily people can die because family, not the patient, thinks it's time. The family is obviously weary, and when offered at least a few good weeks for their loved one, they give up and elect to let him die
A patient's death prompts a doctor to assess 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders
The emergency department is always noisy, but sudden screams from a staffer still get attention. The triage nurse is yelling, "Not breathing, had vitals at triage and just croaked," as she runs toward us pushing a wheelchair. In it, a pale, thin man is slumped over and looking gray. I'm the attending physician in charge. Amid the usual strokes, heart attacks and bleeding ulcers, my day just became interesting.
"Anyone know of a DNR on him?" I ask. If there's a Do Not Resuscitate order, we won't prevent his impending death, which means no chest compressions or electric shock for a dangerous heart rhythm. If there's also a DNI (Do Not Intubate) order, we won't insert a tube to help him breathe.
Blank stares all around. "His daughter dropped him off with a chief complaint of weakness and went to park the car. I think he has cancer and is on chemo," the triage nurse says. Without concrete proof of a DNR or DNI, there's no hesitation. We resuscitate; we intubate. Click, klang, the laryngoscope snaps open and the patient has a tube down his throat within seconds. On the monitor, he is flat-lining -- no heartbeat -- and he has no pulse. I ask the nurse to start cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. The nurse has good technique, but even harder chest compressions would be better. more

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Immediately - Go Check Out Short From the Right Side


Truth in (semi) advertising: Charlie is a very dear friend. He's just started a killer blog about living with his disability, and what's it's meant for him. Sign up, now, to hear what it's like to be different (humor, I'm sure, will be a major feature of his blog!!), and for a good dose of reality in the flim-flam world of the pseudo-disability-hugger types. Short from the Right Side.

Eugenics Plain and Simple

The Aussies are following the UK off the deep end . . . Sterilizing an 11 year-old because she's disabled. Now, Angela will not ever get to make decisions about her sexual behavior for herself. But here's my concern: This harks back to Carrie Buck in Virginia, who was sterilized because society deemed her "feebleminded," and the even more concerning issue that whomever is in power, they will decide who gets to procreate and who will not. Heaven forbid that at some point in the future, if you have brown skin, or blue eyes, that you might be sterilized because we don't want any more of these people around:
Disabled girl can be sterilised: court 
Disability groups are split over a Family Court decision to approve the sterilisation of an 11-year-old girl.
Family Court judge Paul Cronin found that the performance of a hysterectomy on the child, identified only as Angela, was "in the child's best interests".
Angela has Rett syndrome, making her profoundly disabled and unable to talk or use sign language.
The court, sitting in Brisbane, heard Angela acted in a similar way to a three-month-old baby.
She has to be fed and cared for and has no bladder control. more

The Push for Assisted Suicide Without Justfication

Margaret Somerville is an eloquent defender of living. In this piece she comments on legislation that will be introduced this week seeking to legalize assisted suicide in Canada. Read what she says, it's perfectly sensible and exposes the pro-death crowd for what they are - extremists.
When is euthanasia justified? Its advocates have gone too far
For millennia, euthanasia (a word I use to include assisted suicide) has been considered morally and legally unjustifiable. People who oppose euthanasia still believe it's inherently wrong - it can't be morally justified and even compassionate motives don't make it ethically acceptable.
But what are the attitudes of pro-euthanasia advocates regarding whether its use needs to be justified, were it to be legalized? And, if justifications are required, what are they? more

UK Assisted Suicide Guidelines Make Getting Away With Murder Easier

Here's a short primer for those who haven't followed the recent developments in the UK, where the government's hand was forced by the pro-death crowd to issue guidelines around the UK law that criminalizes assisted suicide. What the guidelines unintentionally did, however, was clearly specify conditions under which assisted suicide would not be prosecuted. Read this and you'll get chills in understanding that it actually opens the door for killing, because the guidelines are completely subjective and will facilitate abuse of the elderly, the sick, and the disabled, trust me.
Whither Britain? Euthanasia rules slippery slope 
Anyone who wants to see where Britain is heading with its new guidelines for prosecuting cases of assisted suicide -- and where some Quebec doctors' support for euthanasia could lead -- needs only look at the slippery slope down which the Netherlands has tumbled. more

Assisted Suicide in Washington State Just As Ugly As We Said It Would Be

Legal assisted suicide in Washington state is less than two years old, and the numbers for the first full year have just been released. It's not pretty. As some of us said ahead of the 08 referendum, the law was vague and left open the possibility of all kinds of abuse and criminal activity. It's also reinforced the idea that assisted suicide is an alternative medical treatment. Remember, too, that the assisted suicide extremists hoot that legalized assisted suicide is necessary mostly for people who are in unbearable pain. The results show that requesting suicide, in Washington state, at least, puts that little lie to rest - very few people stated unbearable pain (or the possibility thereof) as reasons for wanting to die.
Problems accompany legal euthanasia 
Assisted suicide has been legal for a year in Washington, and the state health department has issued its first report. 
During the first year, 63 people requested and received lethal prescriptions to kill themselves. 47 have since died, while 36 are confirmed to have used the poison to accomplish it. Although 79 percent suffered from cancer, few cited pain as the reason for seeking end of life treatment as the main concern was the cost for alternate treatment. more

Monday, March 15, 2010

Couldn't Have Said it Better Myself

While this is a less than secular piece, it's a very powerful argument against the madness of attempts to legalize assisted suicide in the UK:

Well, We Have Do-It-Yourself Everything, Why Not Euthanasia?

That intrepid Aussie, Philip Nitschke, isn't called "Dr. Death" for nothing. For years he's been on an intense crusade to make assisted suicide and euthanasia more user-friendly. He's been rebuffed several times in the UK for trying to present his workshops, and is trying again. Given the near-collapse of opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia in the UK, he may well be allowed to peddle is special brand of nihilism this time around.
DIY Euthanasia: 'Dr Death' Allowed Into UK
Philip Nitschke used to be an ordinary GP, but 14 years ago he became an advocate for assisted suicide and now travels the world holding classes on how to end human life.
He estimates that in the last year around 5,000 people have attended his workshops.
His organisation, Exit International, also sells a do-it-yourself euthanasia kit, though Dr Nitschke stresses that he makes no profit from doing so. more

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Not Every Terminally Ill Person Seeks Out the Pro-Deathers

This isn't new, but gee, imagine that, someone who is terminally ill and who DOESN'T want to have people help him commit suicide. The pro-death crowd would have you believe that everyone in this situation craves euthanasia or assisted suicide. Let's set the record straight:

Drumbeat Continues Spinning the Need for Legalizing Assisted Suicide in the UK

Ah, yes, the UK needs to legalize assisted suicide so poor suffering people won't have to travel to Switzerland to do the deed. It's compassion I tell you . . .
Check out this letter to the editors of London's Guardian newspaper:
Forced to die alone and without dignity
As I read yet another news piece about someone travelling to Dignitas to die (Vicki Wood), I am consumed by sadness (Woman who attempted husband's mercy killing takes her own life in Dignitas clinic, 12 march). Nearly five years ago, my grandfather travelled to Zurich to die. Unable to face months of pain, coupled with physical and mental degradation, he elected to end his life while he could still make the journey. Alone. more

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Euthanasia Booths - Well, Sounds good to Me...

Well, yes, let's keep killing. Why not? It's love I tell you, love!!!

McCartney has it right in her piece First Do No Harm:
Martin Amis has called for “euthanasia booths” on every street corner. “There should be a way out for rational people,” he told the Sunday Times Magazine.
Sir Terry Pratchett, another bestselling author, who himself has early Alzheimer’s, campaigned in a recent lecture for the right to end life with medical assistance. He has offered to be a “test case” before a “euthanasia tribunal”, saying that no one should stand in the way of someone who has decided to die. “The tribunal would be acting for the good of society as well as that of the applicant,” he said. more

Death Begets Death

Well, she smothered her husband (in love, of course). What was left? Why offing herself in a cold, strange place... From the UK:

Dignitas death for wife who tried to murder her husband 
A woman who attempted to smother her seriously ill husband to death, despite his objections, has ended her life in a Swiss suicide clinic. more
 
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