UK: Murder OK If It's "Merciful"

The opposition to assisted suicide, or in this case, I think, plain ol’ murder, is crumbling again. Husband kills wife, says it was what she asked for and for her own good. Goes to jail. Released when he challenges. Pro-deathers in full support. And, by the way, when you hear the pro-deathers squawking that they’re not for “mercy killing” don’t believe it, not for a second. That’s exactly what they want – just without the “mercy” part, if necessary.

Mercy killing ‘so sad’

A CHARITY campaigning for a change in the law to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill has described a Sheffield ‘mercy killing’ case as “terribly sad”.

The organisation Dignity in Dying spoke out after 73-year-old George Webb, of Luke Lane, Wadsley, was freed from prison after challenging the two-year jail term imposed when he was found guilty of the manslaughter of his wife Beryl, 75, on the grounds of diminished responsibility. more

Pro-Death Documentary Wins At Sundance

Predictably, How to Die in Oregon carries off best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. We need an equally eloquent response from our side.

Aussie Dr. Death Back At It In Ireland

Here’s the perfect example of pro-death persistence. When Aussie Dr. Death Philip Nitschke tried to peddle his brand of death in Ireland last year, he got smacked down by the opposition. Guess what? He’s baaaccckk!!! Lesson to learn: Every time we think we’ve got a small victory, keep going, they’re just regrouping.

Euthanasia association founder to visit Ireland in two weeks

The founder of Exit International, the controversial euthanasia association, is scheduled to visit Dublin in two weeks.

Dr Philip Nitschke came to Ireland last year, but a campaign by anti-euthanasia groups resulted in four venues cancelling Exit International’s bookings. Nitschke plans to participate in a debate on euthanasia at University College Dublin (UCD) on February 16 and is also due to address the group’s 60 members in Ireland - many of whom have terminal illnesses. more

Sundance Movie About Assisted Suicide Swallows The Pro-Death Line

Here’s a brief clip of Peter Richardson who directed How to Die in Oregon. I think he means well but he’s swallowed the pro-deather potion – notice he doesn’t talk about “killing” or assisted sucide – he talks about “using the law.” Smooth, very smooth.

Netherlands Moves Closer To Death On Demand For Any Reason

So goes the Netherlands. It’s not enough that euthanasia is legal for the Dutch, now the pro-deathers want private clinics to kill whomever wants to be killed – no holds barred. This is the ultimate for the pro-deathers - death on demand, at any time, for any reason, anywhere. Awful, just awful.

Dutch activists planning euthanasia clinic

The Dutch voluntary euthanasia society (NVVE) is planning to open an eight-person clinic in 2012 where people can go to end their lives. It estimates that about 1,000 people a year would take advantage of its facilities.  It would cater for people whose doctors have refused to euthanase them. Not only people with an incurable illness, but also people with chronic psychiatric conditions and dementia would be welcome. more

Assisted Suicide Drug To Be Used For Executions

I’m sure this will cause a stir in some circles, but I don’t think there needs to be. These drugs are very effective at killing – the innocent and the guilty alike.

Ohio to use assisted-suicide drug in executions

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio is set to become the first state to execute condemned inmates with a surgical sedative sometimes used in assisted suicides, a switch made as the shortage of the drug normally used for executions has worsened. more

Movie Review: How To Die In Oregon

Here’s an in-depth review of “How to Die in Oregon.” I haven’t seen it, but any documentary that features the pro-deathers prominently says it all, I guess.

Sundance 2011: HOW TO DIE IN OREGON Review

I don’t have an opinion on the euthanasia debate.  The issue is simply too personal to each individual for me to weigh in and tell complete strangers that they shouldn’t take their own lives or that they shouldn’t have to endure more pain.  Peter D. Richardson’s documentary How to Die in Oregon supports the “death with dignity” argument by showing how some people in Oregon, which has legalized euthanasia, are taking advantage of the new law. more

More On India's Terri Schiavo

The Brit press has picked up the story of Aruna Shanbaug, India’s Terri Schiavo. Here’s an in-depth look at the story.

India agonises over a nurse in vegetative state

India is being forced to confront the issue of euthanasia after the country's highest court ordered a panel of doctors to examine a woman who has been in a vegetative state for almost 40 years.

A lawsuit filed by a writer seeks to have the Supreme Court order hospital staff to stop feeding Aruna Shanbaug, a former nurse who suffered serious brain damage when she was strangled and raped in 1973. Lawyers acting for Pinki Virani, who wrote a book about Ms Shanbaug, argue that the former nurse's condition means she does not have the standard of life guaranteed by the Indian constitution. more

Oregon: Legalize Death And More Will Die

Duh, legalized assisted sucide means ever-rising numbers of people will take advantage of it. Really? I’m shocked, I tell you . . .

Oregon Report Shows Assisted Suicide Deaths Increase Again

Every year the number of people who kill themselves under the Oregon first-in-the-nation law allows assisted suicide increases and the new report containing 2010 figures proves to be no exception.

The Oregon Public Health Division released the 2010 “Death With Dignity” report and it found 59 reported deaths from the 96 lethal prescriptions that were written with an additional six deaths from lethal prescriptions written in previous years. With the exception of 2009, the number of people dying has gone up every year as has the number of lethal prescriptions written. more

Good For Azerbaijan For Emphasizing Palliative Care

Good for Azerbaijan – they’re looking to put a national effort into palliative care, as opposed to what the pro-deathers all over the workd want – euthanasia anytime for any reason.

Necessary to adopt law on palliative assistance , bioethics – Rabiyyat Aslanova

It is already time in Azerbaijan to adopt a law on palliative assistance and bioethics.

The statement came from chairman of the human rights committee of Milli Majlis Rabiyyat Aslanova speaking Tuesday at the practical seminar “Program of palliative assistance in Azerbaijan and main bioethics principles” at the Human Rights Institute of the National Academy of Science of Azerbaijan. more

Nebraska Gets It Right: Assisting A Killing Is A Crime

Good, at least in Nebraska assisting in a suicide is considered a crime – would this were the case in places like Washington state, Oregon, the Netherlands, etc.

Guilty plea in assisted suicide

COLUMBUS, Neb. — A Columbus woman has pleaded guilty to assisting in the suicide of her boyfriend last summer when they consumed a toxic cocktail of medications and vodka. more

French Protest Possible Legalization Of Euthanasia

Good on the French again (see below). Right after the French Government came out opposing euthanasia, there was a large anti-euthanasia protest. Nice to see a protest against euthanasia rather than all the protests we see seeking to legalize it.

700 anti-euthanasia protestors ‘die’ in front of French Senate

While the French Senate was debating the legalization of euthanasia in Paris today, the “Alliance pour les droits de la vie” (ADV, Alliance for the rights of life) organized a theatrical demonstration to attract media attention to the realities of so-called “mercy-killing.” more

Belgium: Kill Them First, Then Snatch Their Organs

Nah, say it ain’t so!! Patients killed by euthanasia are now having their organs harvested. Once you start down the pro-deather slope, there’s no turning back. Macabre, sick, banal, nihilistic.

Belgian doctors harvest high quality organs from euthanased patients

A group of Belgian doctors are harvesting “high quality” organs from patients who have been euthanased. This is not a secret project, but one which they described openly at a conference organised by the Belgian Royal Medical Academy in December. more

French Government Pro-Deather Smack-Down

Good for the French Government, who have taken a stand against the French pro-deathers. Hopefully they won’t begin to fold as easily as the UK seems to be doing.

French government opposes bill to legalize assisted suicide

The French government is opposing two bills under consideration in the country’s Senate to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. more

India's Terri Schiavo: Hospital Staff Want Her To Live

While the legal eagles and doctors seek to establish whether India’s Terri Schiavo should be euthanized, the hospital staff who work with her are absolutely for her continuing to live. Should tell the politicos a lot, but I doubt that it will really matter in the end.

KEM Hospital staff wants Aruna Shanbaug to live

While the debate on euthanasia is back in the spotlight with the apex court’s directive, staff at KEM Hospital is resisting mercy killing of Aruna Shanbaug, who has been admitted to ward no 4 of the hospital since 38 years. more

New Poll Shows Pro-Deather Influence In US Debate

If this is an accurate poll, it’s pretty discouraging to see how much the pro-deathers have influenced the national debate around assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Large Majorities Support Doctor Assisted Suicide for Terminally Ill Patients in Great Pain

A new Harris/BBC World News America poll finds that large majorities of Americans now favor physician assisted suicide and euthanasia for terminally ill patients in great pain who wish to end their lives. It also finds that a majority of people over 65 now have written directives regarding the type of care they would like to receive, or not to receive, at the end stages of their lives. more

Suicide A Human Right? Really?

In an era when everything seems to be a “human right” aren’t we oh-so-lucky that the European Court considers suicide a “human right?” As long as you do it yourself, of course.

Suicide a ‘human right,’ but not state assisted suicide: European Court of Human Rights

In a high-profile assisted suicide case, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that while there is a “human right” to suicide, the state has no obligation to provide citizens with the means to commit suicide. more

Sundance Movie About Suicide Appears To Touch All The Pro-Death Stereotypes

There was quite a buzz several months ago when the Sundance Film Festival announced “How to Die in Oregon,” a documentary about assisted suicide. It’s being screened now at the festival and is apparently pretty gritty. Guess what? It’s framed as a “dignity” issue, and that the subject of the film (this from her son) killed herself because she didn’t want to be a burden to anyone. Oh, aren’t we so lucky to once again have the privilege of listening to the pro-death whine?

Unflinching End-of-Life Moments

PARK CITY, Utah — Most screenings at the Sundance Film Festival here are mob scenes — half-frozen film lovers in a mad dash for limited seating, reporters skittering around in search of news nuggets, agents pacing the aisles.

None of that hubbub was on display at the Sunday premiere of what is without question one of the most difficult-to-watch movies of the festival, this year or any year: “How to Die in Oregon,” a documentary from Peter D. Richardson about physician-assisted suicide. The film opens with a man dying of cancer on camera. more

India's Terri Schiavo To Be Examined - Euthanasia To Follow?

I posted yesterday about India’s Terri Schiavo. She’s been in a persistent unresponsive state for many years, but now some are pushing for her to be euthanized. We’ll see what happens after the panel of 3 medical experts has examined her.

SC sends medical team to nurse over euthanasia

New Delhi, Jan. 24: The Supreme Court today directed a three-member medical team to examine a Mumbai nurse, who has been in a coma for 36 years after a murderous rape attempt, following a plea to take her off life support so she could die peacefully.

A two-judge bench of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyansudha Mishra said it felt “like a ship in an uncharted sea” and also sought the attorney-general’s response even as it appointed an amicus curiae to help it with the “delicate” issue. more

India's Terri Schiavo Case

So, it looks like India has it’s own Terri Schiavo to deal with.

Euthanasia debate: Panel to probe Aruna's state

New Delhi: The euthanasia debate is back with the Supreme Court on Monday directing a three-member committee of doctors to look into the physical and mental status of nurse Aruna Shanbaug who has been lying comatose for the past 38 years in Mumbai's King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital. more

Now A Pro-Death Poster Boy From South Africa

So it goes: Son, respected South African professor, travels to New Zealand to help his mom kick the bucket. Gets nabbed by Kiwi authorities. No he’s the subject of a South Africa documentary on assisted sucide. Wanna bet that the conclusion will be pro-death?

TV tackles controversial mercy killing

TOMORROW night Special Assignment tackles the controversial issue of euthanasia.

Called A Time to Die, the show will be broadcast at 8.30pm on SABC3.

Euthanasia or mercy killing is an issue that most people do not feel comfortable to talk about. more

For Once, A Euthanasia Art Exhibit That's Worthy

When I firth saw this heading, I thought it was another sicko exhibit in praise of death and organized by pro-deathers. I was wrong. Read on:

"Cause of Death: Euthanasia" art exhibit held in Athens

A visitor looks at a painting by Gertrud Fleck at the "Cause of Death: Euthanasia" exhibition at Benaki museum in Athens January 20, 2011. The 96 works on display from the Prinzhorn collection were created by 18 artists who were mental patients and victims of the Nazis euthanasia programme in 1939-1944. more

Alive and Kicking: Disabled And Medically Vulerable Will Be The First...

Alive and Kicking: Disabled And Medically Vulerable Will Be The First...: "Yes, it’s true, the medically vulnerable and disabled will, indeed, be targets if assisted sucide or euthanasia are legalized. That’s wha..."

Dutch Move Closer To Death On Demand For Any Reason

So goes the slippery slope in the Netherlands. After a survey last year found that many elderly Dutch, even if in perfectly good health, wanted a mechanism to kill themselves just because they were “tired of living,” they’re actually going ahead, as this piece points out.

Euthanasia society calls for clinic to help people end their lives

The Dutch voluntary euthanasia society is looking for a partner to open a special clinic later next year where people can go to end their lives, the Volkskrant reports.

The NVVE says its research shows some hospitals and hospices are prepared to back a clinic, which would help around 1,000 people a year to die. People suffering incurable physical complaints, chronic psychiatric conditions and dementia could turn to the centre if their own doctors are not responsive to their wish to end their lives. more

Assisted Suicide & The Elderly In Switzerland: Take Out The Trash

Here's a fairly balanced spotlight on the Swiss and assisted suicide. Whichever side you come down on, it's clear that if you are old, you're dispensable, just like the trash. Heart breaking.

European Court: Swiss Right To Refuse Killing Drugs

Talk a out mixed messages: the Swiss want closer regulation of assisted suicide while the European Court of Human Rights says that the Swiss are OK for refusing to give someone the drugs that would help him die.

Suicide appeal dismissed by European court

Switzerland did not violate any human rights when it refused to give a mentally ill man over-the-counter access to a drug in order to end his life.

In a ruling on Thursday, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg dismissed an appeal by the 58-year-old man, who after two suicide attempts in 2004 turned to Dignitas, a Swiss assisted suicide organisation. more

The Swiss: Regulate Killing, Don't Ban It

Ah yes, the good ol’ Swiss, they who are getting a little uncomfortable with the increasing numbers of foreigners coming to their pristine shores to kick the bucket. The answer? Why, more rules, policy, and bureaucracy, of course. Would never occur to them to think about outlawing assisted sucide.

Swiss official seeks crackdown on 'suicide tourists'

And in recent years, foreigners have been coming in larger numbers to die. A report by the Bloomberg news service says that Switzerland is the only country that allows doctors to help foreigners die (often via a large dose of barbituates). And it says that more than 25% of 380 assisted suicides in 2009 involved non-Swiss.

Now, former Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf wants to make assisted suicide more difficult by requiring the process be supervised by doctors who aren't affiliated with one of the country's four right-to-die organizations. And Zurich voters are due to decide in May whether to ban assisted suicide, the article says. more

Aussie Euthanasia Bill Dead - For Now

Looks like attempts for legalized euthanasia in Aussie’s Northern Territory are stifled – for now. Remember, never relax around the pro-deathers. They’re already working on something for next year in Aussie, trust me.

Euthanasia bill 'will not pass'

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope says a Greens bill to restore the Territory's right to make euthanasia laws will not pass.

In 1997 the Federal Parliament banned the ACT and the Northern Territory from debating euthanasia laws.

Late last year Greens Leader Bob Brown introduced a private member's bill to overturn the ban.

Mr Stanhope has written to all Federal MPs urging them to support the bill, saying it is about the democratic rights of ACT voters and not euthanasia.

He says he has received responses from around three dozen Federal MPs so far, with only a few indicating their support for the bill. more

More UK Calls For Medicalized Killing

That old Brit pro-deather bat Baroness Warnock is chattering again about how the assisted sucide/euthanasia law in the UK should be changed so that only “professionals” are allowed to do the killing, seeing that poor amateur pro-deathers might screw up the job. Just what we need, a new generation of Doctor Deaths just waiting to get the hands and needles on you.

Warning over 'assisted suicide' law

The law on assisted suicide could lead to the worst possible "botched" death and must be changed, an inquiry has heard.

Current guidelines, issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) last year, are "particularly bad", creating confusion and uncertainty, Baroness Warnock said.

While amateurs are allowed to help someone to die, she argued the complex procedure of mercy killing should only be carried out by qualified medical professionals. more

Doctors Don't Always Respect Patients' Last Wishes!! What A Shock!!

Well, yes, we’d expect the medicos to respect or final wishes, wouldn’t we? Too bad in many places, including in this piece from Malta, that’s not nearly as accurate as you’d think.

Organ donors’ wishes to be respected even after death

Relatives would soon lose the right to revoke the wish of a deceased family member to donate body organs, Health Minister Joe Cassar said.

“An organ donor card doesn’t really mean much other than my wish when I am declared clinically dead,” Dr Cassar said, pointing out that, as things stood, any relative or next of kin could order the hospital not to abide by the deceased person’s wish. more

Disabled And Medically Vulerable Will Be The First To Die

Yes, it’s true, the medically vulnerable and disabled will, indeed, be targets if assisted sucide or euthanasia are legalized. That’s what this piece argues. Also, if you want a slice of how the general population sees this issue, read the comments section after the article – chilling.

Don't allow deaths 'under cloak of assisted suicide'

Vulnerable people could be pressured into ending their own lives under laws on assisted suicide, a peer warned today.

Onora Sylvia O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve, said any future legislation could never carry enough safeguards to stop people being exploited.

Speaking ahead of her appearance at the Commission on Assisted Dying today, Baroness O'Neill said she believed there is "no way that we can pass safe legislation that could sufficiently protect vulnerable people". more

Killing Not Wrong, It's The Silly Law That's Wrong, You Simpletons!!

This is how the pro-deathers drags us down the slippery slope – see, assisted sucide and euthanasia are not morally wrong, they just need to be “regulated. Ahem . . . like in the Netherlands, where medicalized killing is out of control and on the rise.

Group wants 'right-to-die' changes

The law on helping people to die must be changed because current guidelines have led to an "unregulated situation" where anyone can be assisted to die, campaigners have claimed.

Dignity in Dying chief executive Sarah Wootton said the 1961 suicide act was "no longer fit for purpose" and new guidelines brought in after the case of right-to-die campaigner Debbie Purdy should be replaced with an updated law that clearly states which acts are criminal and which are not. more

Israelis Smack Down Euthanasia Proposal

Good for the Israelis – lawmakers have just slapped down a proposal to legalize euthanasia.

Knesset rejects euthanasia law proposal

In a preliminary reading, the Knesset has rejected a law proposal that would have allowed terminally ill patients to take drugs that would cause them to die. more

Minnesota Hospital Tries To Usurp Patient's Medical Proxy

You don’t think pro-deathers lurk among our medical types? Read this – a Minnesota hospital, on doctors’ advice, suing a wife who is demanding care for her husband that the doctors don’t want to give and think is useless. See? Even if you’re the designated, legal proxy for someone else, the medicos are so hell-bent on death that they may sue to rid you of your obligations. We’re s lucky, aren’t we?

Wrenching court case: Doctors vs. patient's wife

Al Barnes has been in eight hospitals in the past 10 months. His diagnoses include end-stage respiratory distress, renal failure, dementia and other maladies.

Now the 85-year-old from Scandia, Minn., is at the center of a wrenching and unusual court struggle over who will control his medical care.

A doctor at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park will go to court Wednesday, seeking to replace Barnes' wife with a substitute decision-maker and arguing that she is making futile and reckless decisions to prolong her husband's life. more

Clarification: Refusal Of Treatment Vs. Suicide

Everyone already has the right to refuse any and all medical care. Deliberately stopping eating and drinking is suicide, just as surely if they had put guns to their head and pulled the trigger.

12 Days Into Fast, Couple Die

An elderly Albuquerque couple who began refusing food and water on Jan. 2 have died. Armond Rudolph, 93, died Thursday and his wife, Dorothy Rudolph, 90, died Friday. more

Beware The Pro-Death Poster People

Let me be clear: Chronic and terminal illness is hardly easy. However, beware the poster-people who use their medical disability to foster death. It’s not on.

Parkinson's disease holds former Wash. governor prisoner: 'It's a long battle'

SEATTLE – He was Washington's most popular governor. Today, he's a much different Booth Gardner, ravaged for almost 20 years by Parkinson's disease.

The former governor is no longer able to read. He spends most of his time in a wheelchair and has a full time caregiver at his Tacoma condominium.

His devoted daughter, Gail Gant, manages his care and affairs. He looks to her to help him find the words that won't come. more

Legal Assisted Suicide Means Abuse By Family Members - Trust Me

Ah, yes, let’s make killing people a “family matter.” You know, all those “family members who can’t wait to get their hands on the inheritance, checks for which are nowhere to be found in any assisted suicide statutes.

Right-To-Die Should Be Law Of The Land — It Should Be A Family Matter

The morning of March 11, 1997, Denise Oquisanti Kiernan told Harry, her husband of three years, that she was going to take a ride.

They'd been discussing that ride for some time. Denise, a 42-year-old East Hartford native, had lived for a decade with multiple sclerosis. She'd written a letter to Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the controversial right-to-die proponent, in which she said, "I am in constant, unbearable pain. This has been a very slow death to me. Please help me."

What happened next was the focus of two trials in which a jury and two judges tried to decide whether Harry had aided Denise in her death, which she accomplished by asphyxiating while sitting in an idling van in the couple's Glastonbury garage. more

Quebec Euthanasia Debate Pro/Con

Here’s a half-decent pro-con related to the euthanasia debate in Quebec, Canada.

Euthanasia laws in Quebec: a debate

Looking at both sides of what could change the way medicine is practiced in the province. more

Swiss Getting Uneasy About Foreigners Who Come To Be Killed

OK, this is a joke, right? The Swiss are now, suddenly, getting worried about all those foreigners who line up at Swiss death clinic Dignitas to be killed? Such hypocrisy, such arrogance, such slef-centernedness.

Suicide Tourists Make Swiss Minister Uneasy as Terminally Ill Seek Escape

Switzerland is the destination of choice for people from abroad who want to die. The office of the country’s top legal official is pushing to change that.

While assisted suicide is permitted in the Netherlands, Belgium and the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington and Montana, only Switzerland allows doctors to help foreigners end their lives. More than 25 percent of the 380 assisted suicides in Switzerland during 2009 involved foreigners, most of whom died after drinking water laced with a lethal dose of barbiturates.

Former Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, who was replaced by Simonetta Sommaruga in November, has proposed making the practice more difficult by demanding oversight by doctors who aren’t connected with one of the country’s four right-to-die organizations. Assisted suicide has been legal in Switzerland since 1942. more

Now In Canada: Murder People, Claim It Was "Compassionate"

We’re starting to see this more and more in the US and now in Canada: Murder your parents, then say it was “compassionate” so that you’ll get a lesser charge or even the admiration of the pro-deathers, who might actually come to your defense, make you a hero, and dare the authorities to convict you. Gee, I wonder where all these murderers are getting their ideas???????

Man faces murder charges in case involving 'elements of compassion'

 A 47-year-old man is facing two charges of first-degree murder in a family-death case his lawyer suggested might involve "elements of compassion" akin to those raised by the Robert Latimer conviction.

Sylvain Guidi did not enter any plea Monday in a brief Joliette, Que., court appearance following the weekend shootings of both his parents. The trio shared the family home in the small town of St.-Jean-de-Matha, about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

Guidi was charged with premeditated homicide after the bodies of Claude Guidi, 75, a retired Longueuil police officer, and his 71-year-old wife, Denise Cloutier-Guidi, were found Saturday evening. more

Golden Globe Rewards Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia - Shame On Them

Yawn. Hollywood rewarding an actor playing a killer – what else is new? Well, it’s Pacino’s portrayal of killer jack Kevorkian. Note the media spin – he wasn’t a killer, he was a “helper.” Excuse me, time to barf . . .

Al Pacino Wins Golden Globe for ‘You Don’t Know Jack’

Al Pacino won a Golden Globe for best actor in a mini-series or television movie during the 68th Golden Globe Awards.

Mr. Pacino plays Dr. Jack Kevorkian in the HBO Films biopic entitled “You Don’t Know Jack,” a doctor who helps people with assisted suicide. more

Dueling Montana Assisted Suicide Bills Head for Debate

Here’s the latest context on the dueling assisted suicide bills being debated in Montana.

State Legislature to take up assisted suicide bills

HELENA — The Legislature has been out of session in the year since the Montana Supreme Court ruled that nothing in state law prevents physician-assisted suicide, leaving doctors and terminally ill patients to operate without regulations or oversight.

Now that lawmakers have convened in Helena, they are being asked to consider two competing measures: one that would create rules for doctors who are asked to write a prescription for a lethal dose of medication and another that would ban assisted suicide altogether. more

Brit Writer Thinks Euthanasia Progressive & Opponents "Primitive"

So, another writer/celebrity says medicalized killing is just fine. Ya know, I wish these so-called eminent lights o society would shut up. Stick to writing, Mr. Amis. Oh yes, and I love the part that if you believe in the specialness, the uniqueness of life, well, you just a primitive Neanderthal. Such arrogance, such (as the Brits would say) a toffee-nose.

Martin Amis says euthanasia is 'an evolutionary inevitability'

Mandrake has cheering news for the nation: Martin Amis is to campaign for the laws on assisted suicide to be reformed.

The author, who caused an outcry last year when he called for euthanasia booths to be installed on every street corner, says that he now regards euthanasia as nothing less than "an evolutionary inevitability". more

Those Creepy Dutch Pro-Death Doctors . . .

This is the beginning of a long address by a Dutch doctor about how peachy everything is in the Netherlands regarding assisted suicide and euthanasia. It’s persuasive enough that if you didn’t know the truth of what’s happening in the Netherlands, this guy sounds perfectly reasonable. Creepy, just creepy.

The Dutch Way. The solution in the Netherlands.

Mister Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen.

To start with:

“Euthanasia, if allowed by the law, should never become an answer to failing care or fear of loneliness”!

Gerrit Kimsma told me once that to him the real value of euthanasia comes not from the act itself, but from the ability for the doctor and the patient to speak openly about it.

I am very honoured to be asked to contribute to this meeting of the French National Ethical Committee. more

Watch The Assisted Suicide Debate in Montana - Very Important

Watch Montana very closely – this might turn into a bigger battle than anyone thinks.

Legislature to take up assisted suicide bills

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The Legislature had been out of session in the year since the Montana Supreme Court ruled that nothing in state law prevents physician-assisted suicide, leaving doctors and terminally ill patients to operate without regulations or oversight. more

Coming Soon: Doctors To Be In trouble If They Won't Kill Their Patients

Yes, folks, this is where we are: The pro-deathers are pushing the idea that if a patient wants euthanasia, then who the hell are doctors to disagree? In other words, if you’re a doctor and you conscience determines that you shouldn’t kill your patients, you will have no choice but to listen to your patient - or get in trouble.

Does the Health Care Bill Violate 'Rights of Conscience'?

Now that there's a new Congress in session, there is renewed concern whether 'Rights of Conscience' of health care workers will continue to be protected under the new Health Care Bill. more

UK's Channel 4 Sets Up Euthanasia Debate

This is being promoted as a media “debate” about whether euthanasia should be legalized in the UK. This innovative branch of Channel 4 poses serious questions about current cultural issues. Debate? Well see . . . Although I’m not too hopeful.

4thought.tv asks if euthanasia should be legalised in Britain. more

Canadian Pro-Deather Under Fire

This is an excellent piece by my colleague and friend Alex Schadenberg exposing a prominent Canadian pro-deather.

Jocelyn Downie is planning to spin the truth about euthanasia at McGill University

An article written by Olivia D’Orazio and published in the Canadian Lawyer Magazine on December 29, 2010; explains that Jocelyn Downie will once again be spinning her false arguments concerning the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada.

Downie, a long-time advocate for the legalization of euthanasia, who published the book: Dying Justice: A Case for Decriminalizing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in Canada and who has been working with a one-sided committee on behalf of the Royal Society of Canada to produce a document that will promote the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide, will be speaking on January 13, 2011 at McGill University.

Downie is quoted as stating in the article:

“My ideal [situation] would be that it, euthanasia and assisted suicide, be taken out of the Criminal Code and be handled through a commission that oversees what’s going on and sets out very clear standards under which euthanasia or assisted suicide can be practised.” more

Aussie Couple Who Wanted To Euthanize Their Daughter Make Excuses

Predictable: The Aussie couple who inquired about euthanasia for their disabled child (who was then found dead in a swimming pool) didn’t really think about euthanasia, it’s all just a misunderstanding. Uh-huh.

Talk of euthanasia just distress, inquest hears

TALK of euthanasia and murder-suicide by a couple whose daughter showed signs of disability was only ''an extreme reaction'' to distressing news, not evidence they wanted to harm the girl, their lawyer told an inquest yesterday.

Two-year-old Maia Comas drowned in a blow-up pool at her family's Curl Curl home on December 3, 2007. Three months earlier she was tentatively diagnosed with Rett syndrome, a severe developmental disorder that leaves patients requiring full-time care. more

The Nation: Hit-Piece In Favor Of The Pro-Deathers

This is a long piece posing as balanced debate, but really is just another, albeit fairly sophisticated, pro-deather rant.

Anti-Choice at the End of Life

Last week a regulation to provide Medicare coverage for advance care planning counseling—that is, offer reimbursement to doctors for time spent talking to patients about end of life care—was abandoned … for the second time.

. . . A collective American reticence to frankly discuss death enables organizations like the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network and NRLC to misinform the public about existing government programs like hospice, Medicare, and other legal tools for the elderly, like advanced directives and medical proxies, which can provide more control over how they age and die.  Combined with a paternalistic medical profession that’s only recently begun training new doctors on how to talk to patients about how to plan their end of life care and a Republican party dependent on the support of anti-choice groups, “pro-life” groups have been able to fundamentally shape state and federal legislation. more

There's No Way To Stop Abuse When Legalizing Assisted Suicide

In the current dust-up “assisted suicide” case in Connecticut, this piece makes an excellent point – there’s almost no way to prevent abuse of the person to be killed. They’ll be dead, and their murderer/helpers will be able to spin whatever story they want, in their best interests, of course.

Assisted Suicide In West Hartford Shows Need For Law On Difficult Decision

According to West Hartford police, Bruce Brodigan appears to have followed all the grim rules of suicide, including consulting a how-to manual, when he allegedly assisted in his father's death last Sept. 14.

On the table beside the bed where George Brodigan took his last breath, there was a bottle of Mount Gay rum and a glass of ice, a Tupperware container full of pills, a suicide note and a copy of "Final Exit," a best-selling guide to killing yourself. more

Tennessee Tells It Like It Is: Assisted Suicide Is Murder

Here’s a state that actually gets it right. In Tennessee, Husband gives wife the pills she uses to commit suicide – he’s arrested on murder AND assisted suicide charges. Yes, at least in Tennessee, and at least for now, assisted suicide is killing. Good for Tennessee!!

Husband indicted for assisted suicide of wife

Posted: Thursday, January 13, 2011 4:28 pm

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation today arrested a Middle Tennessee man for killing his wife after her body was found decomposing in the woods off of highway 452 in Wilson County on Aug. 20, 2009. more

Montana Democrat Moves To Legalize Medicalized Killing

Things are hot in Montana. After a judge decided from the bench last year that patients could ask for assisted suicide, here’s a bill introduced by the pro-deathers. How do I know it’s from the pro-deathers? The euphemism “aid in dying” rather than what it really is, medicalized murder.

MT lawmaker sponsors bill to address "aid in dying"

MT State Senator Anders Blewett (D-Great Falls) introduced a bill on Wednesday in the Montana Legislature which would allow terminally ill patients to choose aid in dying. more

France Gets In On The Assisted Suicide Slippery Slope

Here we go again, now in France. This “debate” is just te beginning. It will quickly go down the slippery slope of the Netherlands and Belgium unless opposition to the pro-deathers stiffens up.

France prepares to debate legalization of assisted suicide

The French Senate is preparing to debate the legalization of assisted suicide for patients suffering from an “advanced” stage of a serious illness, according to La Croix, a national Catholic newspaper. more

Aussie Parents Wanted A Lethal Jab For Disabled Daughter

Here’s another report on the Aussie parents who wanted their 2 year-old killed. Disgusting, but we’ll see more of this as euthanasia becomes more accepted by society.

Witnesses: Mom wanted disabled girl dead

GLEBE, Australia, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- An Australian inquest is trying to determine if a toddler with a devastating neurological disease died accidentally in a swimming pool drowning.

Kathryn Element, a caseworker with the Department of Children's Services, testified the 2-year-old girl's parents seemed desperate about her diagnosis with Rett's syndrome, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. The inquest is being held in Glebe, a Sydney suburb.

''I want to get an injection to put her to sleep,'' the mother said, adding she would not kill her daughter but wanted lethal euthanasia. more

Did Aussie Parents Kill Daughter Because Euthanasia Was refused?

Ah, yes, loving parents. More from the Aussie inquest into the death of a 2 year-old whose parents had asked doctors if she could be euthanatized. They refused, and then the girl turns up dead in a swimming pool. An accident, I’m sure.

She's not a dog, father seeking euthanasia of disabled girl told

Maia Comas was two years old when her neighbour noticed something unusual about her behaviour.

Believing the girl might be autistic, Laura Flower suggested the toddler's father, Pablo Comas, have her checked by a doctor.

An inquest at the Coroner's Court in Glebe has heard that, in September 2007, Maia was tentatively diagnosed with Rett syndrome, a developmental disorder that affects speech, movement and intellectual function. more

New York Times Creates "Right" To Assisted Suicide From Thin Air

This is a hit-piece against US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (predictable from this source). What really caught my eye was this paragraph where the oh-so-informed media hack insists that assisted suicide is a right. Really? Where is this in the Constitution? No matter, everything’s a “right” these days, so why stop at lying about the “right” of assisted suicide?

If Scalia Had His Way

. . . For starters, Justice Scalia said a return to the founders’ vision means states could impose the death penalty on anyone — including juveniles or the mentally retarded, for example — and there would be no abortion rights or rights of assisted suicide for the terminally ill. more

Brit Attitudes Begin To Slide Toward Murder As Love

Yup, they keep on coming, these stories that murder is a loving act for putting people out of their misery. This from the soon-to-be UK where medicalized and legalized killing is just around the corner.

Children of suicide husband criticise mercy killing laws

The children of a retired chartered surveyor who committed suicide after being charged with his arthritic wife's murder have criticised the legal system for punishing their father's "act of love". more

Connecticut Media In The Tank For The Pro-Deathers

Oh please, spare me . . . Ya know, sometimes I think the media should just butt out and go investigate the latest “man bites dog” story, because they are so transparently biased around assisted suicide and euthanasia. If you think I’m exaggerating, read on.

Assisted Suicide In West Hartford Shows Need For Law On Difficult Decision

According to West Hartford police, Bruce Brodigan appears to have followed all the grim rules of suicide, including consulting a how-to manual, when he allegedly assisted in his father's death last Sept. 14.

On the table beside the bed where George Brodigan took his last breath, there was a bottle of Mount Gay rum and a glass of ice, a Tupperware container full of pills, a suicide note and a copy of "Final Exit," a best-selling guide to killing yourself.

There were "do not resuscitate" orders laid out on the kitchen table, along with various other financial and personal papers, including an obituary. George Brodigan, a widely known local lawyer, had been suffering from Alzheimer's for years and, according to his son, had planned to take his own life before he became too incapacitated.

To help the toxic mix of pills and rum go down, police say that Bruce Brodigan prepared a bread-and-butter snack for the elder Brodigan, one of the recommendations in Derek Humphry's "Final Exit."

It took Brodigan, 82, about 40 minutes to die from an overdose of alcohol and Amitriptyline, an anti-depressant prescribed to his son. Bruce Brodigan told police that it was "the most beautiful, loving moment I had with my father." more

Scots Push-Back To Elder Care Rationing - Good!!

Yes, the bone-headed suggestion by a Scots surgeon yesterday that medical care for the elderly be rationed, is, indeed horrifying, as noted in this piece.

Proposal to rein in treatment for elderly ‘horrifying’

Proposals to rein in aggressive therapies and treatments for older people in the final stages of life have been compared to “euthanasia for the elderly” by one of Scotland’s foremost patient advocates.

Dr Jean Turner said she had been horrified by suggestions put forward in The Herald yesterday by Professor Phil Hanlon, a former adviser to the Scottish Executive, that the elderly should be prescribed far fewer drugs and given fewer tests and procedures as they enter physical decline. more

Spaniard Gets In On The Assisted Suicide Bandwagon

Here’s another example about how swell it is to go to Swiss killing clinic Dignitas and get some help kicking the bucket. If you’ve read some other posts on this site, you’ll know that it’s the missing obvious that concerns me: Where was the medical care? Where was the palliative care? Where was the depression exam? Nah, too difficult. Just kill him off.

Barcelona man commits "assisted suicide" in Switzerland

An 80-year-old Barcelona man with severe respiratory problems has perished in Switzerland in an "assisted suicide" overseen by the Dignitas association and with the help of his two daughters.

Núria, one of the daughters, told journalists from "El Periódico de  Catalunya" today that her Her dad had perished on October 18th in a house in a little village to and from Basel and Zürich. more

Easy Explanation: Disabled Aussie Child's Mom (And Dad) Wanted Her dead

I’ve posted the details of this story below, and it’s vaguely amusing to read the Aussie media tut-tutting about why the mother, who was trained in CPR, didn’t use it after discovering her disabled child in a swimming pool. Simple answer: She didn’t ant to, because she wanted the child dead, ads did her husband. No mystery here.

‘CPR-Trained Mom Did Not Try To Revive Child Rescued from Home Pool’

An Australian mother trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) did not try to revive her two-year-old girl rescued from the backyard inflatable pool, an inquest was told Monday. The ‘drowning death’ happened in a Sydney Northern Beaches home in December 2007. more

So It begins: UK Doctor Wants Limited Treatments For Elderly

So it continues in the UK: Now the medicos are calling for discriminating against the elderly by suggesting the NHS give them less care (cost cutting, anyone??). Can making a similar argument for people with disabilities be far behind?

Call for less aggressive treatment for elderly

A leading public health expert has called for the NHS to give elderly people less treatment as they approach the end of their lives.

Professor Phil Hanlon, a former adviser to the Scottish Executive, believes the health service is in danger of collapse unless drastic action is taken to halt its soaring costs.

In a controversial new book, he argues the elderly should be prescribed far fewer drugs and given fewer tests and procedures as they reach serious physical decline. more

Loving Dad: "Why do they keep children with these disabilities alive?"

Heer's al you need to know about how the pro-deathers are succeeding in the public mind. I reported yesterday that an Aussie child with Rhett Syndrome was seen as worthless by her parents, and that her disability had ruined their lives. (Nothing like loving parents, eh??). read this piece and see all the pro-deather arguments - quality of life, ending suffering (the kid's & the parents'), the inconvenience of having to care for a child with a disability, etc. Sick.

Drowned toddler's father asked about euthanasia, inquest told

Months before a sick two-year-old girl drowned in an inflatable pool, her father asked authorities about euthanasia options for children suffering from her disease, an inquest has been told. more

Kill Your Kid After Asking About Euthanasia - Why Not?

Oh, I’m shocked, I tell you. Severely disabled toddler drowns. Uh-oh parents had enquired about euthanasia beforehand . . . I’m sure that, on their art, it was simply an academic exercise . . . Not.

Parents of drowned toddler 'asked about euthanasia', inquest hears

THE PARENTS of a severely disabled toddler who drowned in an inflatable pool made inquiries about euthanasia, an inquest has been told.

The two-year-old girl, who cannot be named, was discovered face down in the pool at her Curl Curl home in December 2007.

In the months before her death, she had been diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, a neurological condition that occurs almost exclusively in girls and results in a deterioration in speech, balance and co-ordination. more

No, Helping Someone Kill Themselves Is NOT, EVER, A Loving Act

Well, I posted this story yesterday, and, predictably, the hair-splitting begins. See, the media can always find someone who will say, well, yeah, helping someone kill themselves can actually be a loving act. I don’t buy it, never will. Love is all about care, cherishing, commitment, and the preciousness and uniqueness of human life.

In Alleged Assisted Suicide, A Question Of Ethics

Stephen Latham can understand why Bruce Brodigan might have been motivated to help his father end his life, as police have alleged, but said George D. Brodigan's suicide raises ethical questions

Helping someone commit suicide can be a selfish act, or it can be done out of love, said Latham, a medical ethicist at Yale University. And helping someone with a mentally disabling condition like Alzheimer's disease, as in George Brodigan's death, creates those complex ethical issues.

George Brodigan, a prominent retired lawyer, died Sept. 14 at his Timberwood Road home with a half-filled bottle of Mount Gay rum and a copy of Derek Humphry's "Final Exit," a guide to ending one's life, at his bedside. Yellow pills were found underneath his body. more

Connecticut: Another Pro-Deather Will Become A Hero, Trust Me

OK, son helps his father kick the bucket. Now he’s in trouble, because this is against the law. Wait for it: The pro-death crowd will make the son a hero, and take the case as an opportunity to call for legalizing assisted suicide. Yawn. So utterly predictable.

Son Charged In Father's Suicide

Police have charged a Massachusetts man with second-degree manslaughter in connection with the suicide last September of his 82-year-old father, former attorney George D. Brodigan. more

Obamacare Pro-Deather Emanuel Exits - Good!!

So, Obamacare pro-deather Zeke Emanuel has left the White House. Good. Not that his policies have, however . . .

Another Emanuel leaves the W.H.

Zeke Emanuel, a health adviser in the Office of Budget Management, left his White House post this week, a senior administration confirms to POLITICO. more

UCLA Shame: Calling Kevorkian a "Prominent Physician" - Sick, Very Sick

Even some of my colleagues take me to task from time to time for being alarmist – oh well. But here’s a perfect example of why I keep sounding the alarm, especially about how the pro-death sentiment is creeping into popular culture, thereby being increasingly seen as viable. Jack Kevorkian is not, by anyone’s stretch of the imagination (except for the spinmeister who write this) a “prominent physician.” He’s a murderer, a convicted felon, and outright creep (go back and look at the sick experiments he did as a young pathologist). This, of course, is His Deathness’ speaking tour to cash in on the HBO movie made about him, “You Don’t Know Jack.” Well, actually, I do, and so should you – know the Jack Kevorkian truth, that is.

An Evening with Dr. Jack Kevorkian at UCLA Saturday, January 15, 2011

Los Angeles, CA - Dr. Jack Kevorkian, one of America’s most prominent physicians, and widely considered a leading expert on Euthanasia, will be the guest of honor at a lecture at University of California, Los Angeles’s Royce Hall on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 7:00 PM. more

It's The Palliative Care, Stupid . . .

We need many more articles like tihs that educate and lay bare the pro-deather lie of unbearable suffering. It’s the palliative care, stupid . . .

Arab: Watching my grandmother die taught me lessons about living

Anyone who has watched a loved one die knows all too well that throat-catching sense of feeling helpless.

My grandmother held on for another eight days after doctor's predicted she wouldn't live past 24 hours.

It was brutal because at first she still felt hunger and thirst; however, the nurses cautioned us against feeding her. They said she could choke. We wouldn't want this; that's a painful way to go.

It's a kind of death that's extremely traumatic for loved ones to witness. It bears the added burden of guilt, upon the giver. more

Obamacare "End Of Life Counseling" Smack-Down

See, when you shine the light on the pro-deathers, they roll over and play dead. The Obamacare provision for “end of life counseling,” dropped from the law passed last year after strenuous opposition, was sneaked back in as a regulation by Democrat lawmakers who made a point to tell their cronies to keep the matter quiet. Too bad for them, word got out and forced the withdrawal of the regulation. Remember: I said these pro-death types play dead – they’ll be back with more lies and deceit before you can say ‘possum.”

Obama administration drops 'death panel' provision after controversy

After enacting a Medicare regulation on Jan. 1 that would reimburse doctors for holding end-of-life planning consults with patients, the Obama administration swiftly reversed the move just three days later, after intense controversy swirled around the issue. more

Pro-Deathers Teach That Death Is The Solution To Suffering

Poor Simone’s mother is trying to comprehend why when Simone announced on Facebook that she was committing suicide nobody thought to help. Here’s at least a partial answer: We’ve already decided in many places, including the UK, where this happened, that a good way to deal with suffering is to die. We’ve also decided that people have a right to kill themselves if they want, and we shouldn’t interfere. Sad, I know, but getting more true everyday as the pro-deathers spread their poison.

'Took all my pills, bye bye': Woman commits suicide on Facebook... and none of her 1,048 online friends help

Tragic: Simone Back posted a message on Facebook but no-one helped

A woman posted a chilling suicide note on Facebook - prompting sickening messages from her online friends.

Before taking her life on Christmas Day, Simone Back, 42, updated her status saying: 'Took all my pills be dead soon bye bye everyone.' more

Aussie Media In The Tank For Pro-Deather Lies About Pain & Suffering

OK, this stuff is going to make me pull my hair out, really. If you ask people “Would you rather die than experience excruciating pain at the end of your life?” guess what they're likely to say: “Yes, yes!! Nobody wants to suffer.” Nobody asks this question: “If your terrible suffering could be significantly controlled or eliminated, would you choose euthanasia or assisted suicide over a natural death?” Why isn’t the question asked this way? Because the pro-deathers would lose a major weapon I their arsenal, that’s why.

Support steadfast for death to ease pain

THREE out of four Australians believe voluntary euthanasia should be legal, a poll has found.

But despite levels of endorsement that have hovered between 75 and 85 per cent for many years, pro-euthanasia reformers admit to having been consistently outgunned by their opponents, resulting in five failed attempts to pass legislation in two years.

The latest poll by The Australia Institute found 75 per cent of people agreed that if someone with a terminal illness who is experiencing unrelievable suffering asks to die, a doctor should be allowed to assist them to die. Thirteen per cent did not agree and 12 per cent were not sure. more

Canadian Pro-Deather: Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Two interesting points about this Canadian story. First, the woman who died (naturally) was a pro-deather who was charged a while back with aiding and abetting two suicides. Why didn’t she choose that for herself? Second, it’s another case of people becoming pro-death after watching someone “suffer horribly.” Do dying people sometimes suffer horribly? Well yes, some do, but that’s because the boneheaded medicos aren’t up to speed on state-of-the-art palliative care. Blame the medicos if you will, but don’t use these difficult circumstances to justify killing.

B.C. woman acquitted in assisted suicides has died

VICTORIA • Evelyn Martens, the Vancouver Island woman who made national headlines when she was charged in 2002 — and later acquitted — of aiding in the suicide of two women, has died. She was 79.

Ms. Martens’ son, Les Poelzer, said his mother died late Sunday in Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton from complications likely from a gall bladder infection.

She had been visiting another son in Hinton, Alta., during the previous week when she began to feel ill, he said.

In October 2004, Ms. Martens went on trial for helping two women to kill themselves. Both offences carry a maximum sentence of 14 years. She was acquitted after 14 days. more