Killing A Patient In Canada

For those who thought that Terri Schiavo being starved and dehydrated to death was some kind of sick anomaly (it’s not) here’s the latest case: A Canadian man who is not otherwise dying is being starved and dehydrated to death – in a hospital, no less. The pro-deathers are everywhere, including hospitals and hospices. From my good friend and colleague Alex Schadenberg: 

First: Joshua (48), who is not otherwise dying, is being dehydrated to death (euthanasia by omission). This is not a case when hydration and nutrition need to be withdrawn because he is actually dying and nearing death, but rather the decision appears to have been made to intentionally cause his death by withdrawing IV hydration and nutrition because he is unlikely to recover from his disability. . . .

Second: It is deplorable that the Consent and Capacity Board in Ontario, the hospital and the lawyer for the hospital, who are all paid by the government and have nearly unlimited resources to pressure people to consent to their will, appeared to appoint a Substitute Decision Maker (SDM) to make decisions on behalf of Joshua, based on that person’s willingness to agree to a non-treatment plan, even though there is no proof that the plan of non-treatment represented the values of the person. more