Friday, April 29, 2011

The Pro-Deathers Make Money From People Killing Themselves


Pro-deathers are big on telling us that they are compassionate and caring. However, as with Switzerland death clinic Dignitas, it's also big business. Here's an old lady who's making a tidy living at 91 selling death kits, the same death kits that Oregon is currently looking to outlaw.
91-Year-Old Woman Sells Suicide Kits
A 91-year-old woman from California is selling suicide kits, and making a tidy sum doing it. Sharlotte Hydorn is so busy putting her kits together that she hasn't had time to cash many of the checks coming in to her estimated $98,000 a year business. more

In Aussie: Murder Is OK As Long As It Was "Selfless Love"


This is what things have come to:  man murders his partner. However, the court decides he did it out of love. Yes, murder is now considered and act of love. Heaven help us.
'Selfless love' motivated suffocation of partner
A RETIRED teacher who suffocated his chronically ill partner of 22 years will not go to jail after a Supreme Court judge found he acted out of ''selfless love'' and ordered his two-year prison sentence be suspended.
David Scott Mathers, 66, placed a pillow, then a towel and finally a plastic bag over the head of Eva Griffith, 78, after she twice unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide by an overdose of antidepressant medication. more

UK: Pro-Deathers Want An Assisted Killing Hotline

Here we go again -in the UK pressure builds as the pro-deathers continue to push the envelope - here to implement an assisted suicide hotline. Not to help people avoid dying, but actually to help them commit assisted suicide.
Outrage as 'how-to-die helpline' is launched by euthanasia charity
A right-to-die pressure group provoked outrage yesterday over plans to sponsor the UK's first helpline aimed at speeding the terminally ill towards 'a good death'.
The free phone line, to be set up by a  charity called Compassion in Dying, will 'promote greater patient choice and control where possible'. more

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Elderly Dutch Carry "No Euthanasia" Cards - Just in case


This is hardly news, as the elderly in the Netherlands have, for several years, used these cards to provide at least some protection of being euthanized against their will. What a sad state of affairs.
Fearful elderly people carry 'anti-euthanasia cards'
Elderly people in the Netherlands are so fearful of being killed by doctors that they carry cards saying they do not want euthanasia, according to a campaigner who says allowing assistant suicide in Britain would put the vulnerable at risk. more

Canadian Pro-Deathers At It Again


Here's the poster child for the new move in Canada by the prodeathers to make assisted killing leg. They’re using the exact same tactics that have been seen in the UK and elsewhere. Note how sympathetic this media report is - can we say n the tank for legalizing killing?
B.C. couple joins challenge of Canada's ban on doctor-assisted suicide
A husband and wife who went to Switzerland to help an aged parent end her life have joined with the B.C. Civil Liberties Association in challenging Canada's ban on doctor-assisted suicide.
The civil liberties group, Lee Carter, Hollis Johnson and Victoria Dr. William Shoichet on Tuesday asked the B.C. Supreme Court to overturn the Criminal Code provisions against assisted suicide because they are unconstitutional. more

Canadian Pro-Deathers At It Again

Canadian pro-deathers are at it again in trying to make assisted killing legal in Canada.
Watchdog launches challenge to assisted suicide laws
B.C.'s civil liberties watchdog is suing the Canadian government in an attempt to reverse laws banning doctor-assisted suicide for seriously ill people.
The BC Civil Liberties Association lawsuit, filed in B.C. Supreme Court Tuesday, contends that laws prohibiting assisted dying deny people the right to make choices about their physical and emotional dignity. more



The Coming Commercialization Of Assisted Kiling


What's next? Let me predict, and I'm only half-joking: We'll see (a) assisted suicide deaths broadcast live (as opposed to broadcasting one that has already happened, see below), (b) an assisted suicide live show called "The UK's Greatest Loser," (c) a "Race to the Death" competition among several patients committing assisted suicide, and (d) ersatz "discussions" among medical types about the desirability of helping people kick the bucket. I hope I'm terribly wrong.
BBC to screen man's final moments
The death of an 84-year-old man is to be broadcast on BBC One next month as part of a new series about the life cycle of the human body.
Science presenter Michael Mosley told the Radio Times it was important not to "shy away from talking about death and, when it's warranted, showing it".
"There is a case to be made for filming a peaceful, natural death," he added. more

Swiss Death Clinic Attempting To Organize In The UK?


I can’t verify this ad campaign fro Swiss death clinic Dignitas, but apparently it's aimed at establishing a Dignitas beachhead in the UK. It's pretty slick.
Dignitas  - Now in Manchester To die a peaceful death


Problem: To design a launch campaign for Dignitas arriving in Manchester
Strategy: To reach out to all those thinking of suicide.

Product Truth: Dignitas ensures a peaceful death

Human Truth: Everyone wants to die a peaceful death. more

Monday, April 25, 2011

Much Needed Push-Back Against The Final Exit Network


At last: Some pushback to the antics of the pro-deather Final Exit Network.
Religious Leaders Counter 'Die With Dignity' Ad
“Die with dignity” is the controversial message being given to East Boston residents this month, garnering criticism from many religious leaders.
Part of a nationwide campaign to legalize physician-assisted suicide, the message is plastered on a billboard, purchased by the Final Exit Network – a national, volunteer-run nonprofit organization. more

Medical Journal Questions Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide "Safeguards"


Here's a piece from the medical journal Oncology shedding light on assisted suicide/ euthanasia's alleged "safeguards." Guess what? They're smoke and mirrors.
Legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide: the illusion of safeguards and controls
ABSTRACT
Euthanasia or assisted suicide—and sometimes both— have been legalized in a small number of countries and states. In all jurisdictions, laws and safeguards were put in place to prevent abuse and misuse of these practices. Prevention measures have included, among others, explicit consent by the person requesting eutha- nasia, mandatory reporting of all cases, administration only by physicians (with the exception of Switzerland), and consultation by a second physician.
The present paper provides evidence that these laws and safeguards are regularly ignored and transgressed in all the jurisdictions and that transgres- sions are not prosecuted. more

Oregon Moves Forward To Ban Suicide Kits


Oregon seems hell-bent on banning the suicide kits like one which had helped an Oregon woman commit assisted suicide. Why? Oregon wants the state to be the sole killer, that's why.
Bill outlawing ‘suicide kits’ clears committee
Intentionally selling or transferring “any substance or an object” to another, knowing that the person intends to use it to commit suicide, would be illegal under Senate Bill 376, which cleared the state Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday and could reach the Senate floor sometime next week. more

Final Exit Network Partially Off The Hook In Arizona


The Final Exit Network trial in Phoenix ended in an acquittal for one of te defendants. Sad, but not surprising seeing that the jury did not get to ear that the woman in question was NOT terminally ill.
Jury acquits Phoenix doctor in assisted-suicide case
It's not illegal to commit suicide in Arizona, but it is illegal to help someone else commit suicide.
The question before a Maricopa County Superior Court jury Thursday was whether two members of a national organization had conspired to commit manslaughter in the death of a Phoenix woman who took her own life.
It was the first time a jury pondered the question, and they split their decision. more

Sunday, April 24, 2011

More Aussie Push-back To Euthanasia


It's good to see Aussie opposition to euthanaisa becoming more vocal - thsi is what we need - push-back, push-back, push-back.
Archbishop criticises euthanasia in Easter address
The Sydney Anglican Archbishop has used his Easter message to indirectly criticise campaigners for euthanasia. more

Good News: Russians Move To Ban Euthanasia


Good for the Russian Federation, which is moving to ban euthanasia. There are many reasons for this, chief among them being that Russia is unable to replace its dying population, so they look askance at anything that might not support life.
Russian healthcare bill would formally ban euthanasia
The Russian government submitted a bill to the lower house of parliament on Thursday that would officially ban euthanasia, preempting any attempt to introduce the practice into Russian law. more

Using Convicts' Organs: The Pro-Deather Double Standard


This debate has been going on under the radar for quite a while now - whether to use the organs of executed prisoners for donation. Several ethicists are throwing up their hands in horror, but I don't think they should be, because this is a logical extension of the culture of death. In fact, I don't see the difference between killing a patient in a hospital by, for example, withdrawing food and water and using their organs or what’s been proposed about using convicts' organs.
Killer's quest: Allow organ donation after execution
An Oregon death row inmate is mounting an aggressive behind-bars campaign to donate his organs after he’s executed, in part to repay society for the gruesome murders of his wife and three young children. more

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The UK War On Children With Disabilities

You may not know that unborn children with disabilities are routinely aborted in the UK - even for minor and easily correctable "imperfections" like cleft palate. Of course, the pro-deathers in the British Government want to keep under wraps how many children with disabilities are killed (hint: many more than anyone could guess). However, they have just lost in the British High Court, and presumably must now make those figures public. Prediction: There'll be much more effort from the pro-deathers to keep this quiet. Why? because this is eugenics that even Hitler would have been proud of.
Release the figures on late abortions, orders High Court
Figures on late abortions of ‘less than perfect’ foetuses must be released to the public, the High Court has ruled.
Campaigners claimed victory last night in a long-running secrecy row with the Government over terminations of embryos diagnosed with conditions such as club foot and cleft palate. more

The Truth About Vermont's Assisted Suicide Bill


Here's a good, clear analysis of the Vermont assisted suicide bill now being debated. It shows, effectively I think, how the language of the bill spins what is obviously legalized killing.
My Turn: Assisted suicide bad idea, bad bill
When we discard the euphemism "death with dignity" and replace it with plain English, we see that the Vermont Legislature proposes to endorse and enable suicide for qualifying citizens. The idea is bad, and the bill is bad. more

Aussie Northern Territory Slaps Down Intro Of Euthanasia Debate


Good for Aussie's Northern Territory (where euthanasia was briefly legal several years ago) Chief Minister who has ruled out introducing debate on an new euthanasia law. For now. The Aussie debate over assisted suicide and euthanasia is in full swing. We'll see what happens.
No euthanasia laws for Top End, says Northern Territory Chief Minister Paul Henderson
CHIEF Minister Paul Henderson yesterday ruled out introducing euthanasia laws in the Northern Territory. more

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Final Exit Network 0, Law 2


Final Exit Network is at it again. Some of their members have just had a case in Arizona go to jury and now the case in Georgia is going forward. The judge didn’t buy their defense that assisting suicide is free speech. Don’t worry, the network, which I've called the Baghdad Bob of the pro-deather movement, will carry on as if assisted sucide is legal and accepted by all. Trust me.
Ga. judge allows charges against assisted suicide group to go forward
A Georgia judge rejected a free-speech challenge to the state's law against assisted suicide, allowing a high-profile case to proceed against four members of a suicide group charged with helping a cancer-stricken man kill himself.
Forsyth County Superior Court Judge David Dickinson said in the opinion released Wednesday that "pure speech is in no way chilled or limited" by the law, siding with prosecutors in the state's case against four Final Exit Network members.
"The court understands that defendants contend that the statute criminalizes only speech," the judge wrote in the 13-page ruling. "However, the court finds that the statute requires both speech and an overt act in furtherance of assisting in the suicide." more

When Medical Care Fails, Pro-Deathers Win


These are the kinds of horror stories that fuel the pro-deathers' wish for death on demand. Here is a seriously medically disabled woman who is clearly not getting adequate medical care, psychological help, and pain management. Note that the doctors keep making all the decisions for her - a classic case of doctor power. Also, correction: This woman did NOT try to "euthanize" herself - she tried to commit suicide.
Chronic fatigue victim Theda Myint locked up at Fremantle Hospital after euthanasia attempt
A Perth woman battling chronic fatigue syndrome was committed to the locked ward of Fremantle Hospital after an attempt to euthanise herself in a desperate bid to address her crippling condition.
Theda Myint, 34, has grappled with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) – better known as chronic fatigue syndrome – for 11 years. The condition has left her bedridden with crippling migraines, severe body pain and an extremely low tolerance to light and noise.
She and her mother, Carol Adams, have campaigned to raise awareness of the condition, which they say is commonly misunderstood in the medical world.
The pair have also lobbied the state government to subsidise her medical treatments, which they say must be administered in the home due to the debilitating nature of her condition, but their requests have so far been rebuffed. more

Pro-Deather Case Goes To Jury - But Is Missing Crucial Info


The Baghdad Bob of the pro-deather movement, the Final Exit Network, has two of its members charged with aiding and abetting a suicide. The case has just gone to the jury - but without a crucial piece of information: The woman who died was not terminally ill. So much for justice.
Final Exit Network
Superior Court Judge Paul McMurdie is presiding at the manslaughter trial of co-defendants Larry Egbert and Frank Langsner, who are charged in the 2007 assisted suicide of 58-year-old Jana Van Voorhis.
The defendants, who are both in their 80s, are members of the Final Exit Network, known as the most radical of the current "right to die" organizations. more

Monday, April 18, 2011

Here's Why We Don't Want To Legalize Assisted Suicide Or Euthanasia


This is a fairly long read, but it's an excellent piece delving into why assisted suicide and euthanasia are not the answer to anything.
Is euthanasia really an act of love to help the suffering?
The debate about euthanasia has been prominent in recent times, particularly in light of efforts to decriminalise it in South Australia.
One of the repeated justifications for euthanasia claimed by the pro-euthanasia side is that it relieves the burden of the suffering as an act of compassion and love.
Yet, this “compassion” or “love” is largely left undefined in modern discourse, including by those who advocate for euthanasia. When it is discussed by these advocates, love and compassion are often equated with feelings. more

UK Sports Star Supports legalizing Assisted Suicide


More worms come out of the woodwork to chime in about suicide being dandy - at least if it's the law of the land. This from a sports hero in the UK.
Chris Broad: 'I'd back assisted suicide law change'
Chris Broad, the former England cricketer, called for a change in the law to legalise assisted suicide yesterday as he described the pain of discovering that his terminally ill wife had taken her own life alone in her room.
Mr Broad, father of current England fast bowler Stuart, disclosed that an "incredibly brave" friend helped supply his late wife Michelle, who suffered from motor neurone disease, with the drugs she needed to end her life. more

Britons Heading To Die In Switzerland In Record Numbers


No shock here - the moment you allow assisted suicide, more people will use it. That does not, however, mean that it's a solution to difficult end-of-life and other relevant issues. What it means is that as society slides down the steep slope towards total depravity, more and more people will think the depravity is OK and even take advantage of it. 
Britons die at Dignitas suicide clinic in record numbers
Britons are travelling in record numbers to kill themselves at the Dignitas suicide clinic in Switzerland, figures revealed yesterday.
The number of British suicides at the Zurich clinic has risen from an average of 14 a year between 2002 and 2007 to a total of 76 – about 25 a year – from 2008-2010. more

Good Argument Against The Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Madness In The UK


Here's an excellent piece from the UK pushing back against the pro-deathers of the moment, Terry Pratchett and Philip Nitschke. This is a good piece to convince your pro-death friends to change their minds.
Why are the Left (and the BBC) so keen to promote this ghoulish culture of death?
Spring, when the trees are in bud and green shoots are thrusting up from the earth, is the season when life robustly reasserts itself.
Yet in the past few weeks we have been assailed by a relentless stream of stories about people wanting to be helped to die. 
First, we learned that the BBC plans to screen a documentary this summer in which novelist and Alzheimer’s sufferer Terry Pratchett advocates assisted suicide.
The programme features footage of a man with motor neurone disease travelling to the Swiss euthanasia clinic Dignitas and being shown dying on screen.
Hard on the heels of this snuff movie came the sickening news that a video featuring notorious assisted suicide campaigner Dr Philip Nitschke, in which he demonstrates how to help people kill themselves, is being shown to schoolchildren in British classrooms. more

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Another Actor In The Tank For Assisted Killing


The woodwork has just produced another actor who thinks assisted suicide is just dandy. Aren’t we ever so lucky???
Star Trek actor Stewart joins assisted suicide debate
Actor Sir Patrick Stewart has spoken about his decision to become a patron of an organisation campaigning to legalise assisted suicide in the UK.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, the 70-year-old said the choice to have an assisted death "should be a right".
"Should the time come for me... I would like there to be a choice I might make about how I die," he continued. more

Assisted Suicide Advocate Targets The Young


Aussie Dr. Death Philip Nitschke has overreached again. A few weeks ago he suggested opening the first euthanasia clinic in Aussie and was soundly criticized. He's at it again, this time getting youngsters to view an assisted suicide in the hopes that the next generation will more easily accept this evil than their parents.
Dr Death suicide film being shown in schools: Euthanasia fanatic gives workshop on how to kill yourself in educational video for 14-year-olds
Pupils are being taught about euthanasia with a video featuring a notorious assisted suicide campaigner nicknamed Dr Death.
Dr Philip Nitschke is shown demonstrating his machine that delivers lethal injections in the film, which is already being shown to pupils as young as 14 across the country. more

Popular Pro-Deather Suicide Hood Draws Criticism


This report looks at the pro-deathers marketing the "suicide hood" that Oregon is currently trying to ban.
Local senior's "suicide kit" business ignites controversy
Controversy is brewing over a so-called "suicide kit" you can buy by mail, and a 91-year-old San Diego County woman is at the heart of it.
For the past four years, she has sold "helium hoods": a service that has generated considerable opposition. That opposition is continuing to grow, following the death of a young man who purchased one of those kits from an El Cajon senior to help take his own life.
But the woman behind this growing business says she is providing a valuable service. more

More Push-Back To BBC Assisted Suicide Documentary


Here's the latest push-back to the BBC documentary filming an assisted suicide from my colleague and friend Peter Saunders. Note the spin in the title - it's not "assisted suicide" or "assisted killing," but "assisted death."
Terry Pratchett film to show an assisted death
Viewers of the BBC2 show will see the writer, whose Discworld series of books have sold millions of copies worldwide, at the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland with the 71 year–old motor neurone disease sufferer, named only as Peter.
Sir Terry, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2008, also reveals that he is "a believer in assisted death".
In 2008, a documentary on Sky Television called Right To Die? showed 59–yearold Craig Ewert ending his life. He also suffered from motor neurone disease. more

BBC Bias In Assisted Suicide Documentary Has Proponents On The Defense


Here's more on the proposed BBC documentary that will include a filmed asisted sucide. Given that the documentary's chief mover is a pro-deather, of course it's not going to be balanced. Assisted suicide supporters are getting pretty defensive over charges of bias likely in the documentary. A good sign.
BBC backed on assisted suicide
Right-to-die campaigners have backed the BBC after it was accused of "acting like a
cheerleader" for assisted suicide.
A BBC2 documentary, presented by best-selling author Sir Terry Pratchett, will show the last moments of a terminally ill man who travelled to an assisted suicide clinic to end his life. more

BBC Documentary In The Tank For Euthanasia


I've mentioned Terry Pratchett several times before. He first gained notoriety by suggesting that there should be "euthanasia booths" on many street corners kick the bucket more conveniently. Now he's getting into the spotlight again, having conned the BBC into a documentary filming a "live" assisted sucide at Swiss death clinic Dignitas. Of course, Pratchett is a little late to the game, this precedent having already been set by Craig Ewert a while ago. What's different here is that it's being sponsored by the BBC.
Pratchett presents film on Dignitas
The author Sir Terry Pratchett is to present a documentary about the last moments of a terminally ill man who travelled to the Dignitas assisted suicide clinic to end his life. more

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Now The Swiss Want Assisted Suicide In Nursing Homes


Forgive many macabre chortle. A Swiss region, pushed by the prodeathers, is set to allow assisted suicide in nursing homes which will (ahem) be "strictly controlled." Uh-huh. That's what the Dutch and the Belgians said, and those "safeguards" very quickly faded away. Death, death, we want death!!
Assisted suicide set to be legalised in Swiss old peoples' homes
A Swiss region is poised to give old people in state-subsidised care homes the right to die via assisted suicide if that is their wish.
The assisted suicide organisation Exit, which already helps terminally ill patients in a number of nursing homes, forced a poll on the issue in Vaud – a Swiss first - back in 2009 and garnered the required number of signatures to make it law.
Now there will be one more referendum to decide if the local government's proposals, which slightly water down the Exit plans, become law. more

Good Piece Supporting Idaho's Criminalization Of Assisted Suicide


Here's a good piece by my friend and colleague Bill Saunders supporting Idaho’s recent criminalizing of assisted sucide.
Idaho Assisted Suicide Ban Helps Elderly, Disabled, Patients
During the ongoing debate over the federal budget, abortion policy has taken front and center stage.  While this development is positive for the battle to protect new life, developments in the law to protect life at its twilight have largely gone noticed.
Nonetheless, an event of great significance occurred on Tuesday, April 5th, when Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter signed a bill to prohibit assisted suicide in Idaho.   Idaho joined 36 states that have statutorily criminalized assisted suicide.  While assisted suicide had previously been a “common law” crime in Idaho, pro-assisted suicide organizations recently launched an effort in the state to garner acceptance for “aid in dying,” a euphemism for physician-assisted suicide. more

Oregon Wants To Control ALL Assisted Killing


This is hilarious - Oregon, where assisted sucide is legal, wants to ban one method of, well . . . assisting suicide. What's at the heart of this is that the state wants to control all assisted killing - not via some pesky for-profit suicide kit.
Proposed Suicide Kit Ban
Oregon lawmakers are considering banning suicide kits. more

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Kudos To Aruna's Caregivers


A welcome commentary on India's Terri Schiavo, Aruna Shanbaug, focusing on the wonderful care she gets, and that it's not a waste of resources.
Keeping Aruna Alive
Over the past 37 years, Aruna Shanbaug has come to symbolise different things to different people. To her fellow nurses of Mumbai’s KEM Hospital she is a symbol of sheer human spirit. And why not, she has put them in national, nay international spotlight, for their service and perseverance. After all, the hospital has kept Aruna alive for the last 37 years.
Which begs the question, is it right that a Government hospital, the only and sometimes, the last hope, of many of the metro’s ailing poor, allocate scare resources to one patient? Are we keeping Aruna alive merely to make a point? Is it time, as Pinky Virani would have us believe, to let her have some peace? more

Ernest Borgnine Tells Off Pro-Deathers


Given the plethora of actor-activists that think assisted sucide and euthanasia are just dandy, it's good to see one of Hollywood's own taking such strong a stand against the pro-deather madness.
Assisted suicide: Uncle Sam should just butt out
At 94, the legendary actor has developed some definitive views on life -- the decision to end it being one of them.
And though Ernest Borgnine plays an elderly widower flirting with thoughts of suicide in his latest film, the Oscar winner makes it clear he was just acting. He no more believes in suicide as an option, even in the darkest of hours, than in the growing push to make assisted suicide legal, as it is in three U.S. states.
"I think it's the most terrible thing in the world," Borgnine yelled into the cell phone during a stop last week in Fort Lauderdale to promote his new indie drama, Another Harvest Moon now playing in select theaters around the country. "You just have to stick it out. I don't care how bad it gets, there's always a little sunshine." more

Monday, April 11, 2011

Canadian Government Tries To Keep Medical Decisions Under Wraps


Hardly surprising, but significant nevertheless. Canadian hospitals are fighting for the right to keep certain medical decisions under covers. Gee, one wonders what they are afraid of.
Liberals quietly push hospital secrecy bill
After its $1-billion e-health scandal, Ontario vowed to allow greater access to
hospital records to improve public transparency. But the ruling Liberals are now backing off that pledge before legislation that was to take effect in 2012.
Midway through the province’s recent 328-page budget, a single line pointed to a change that nurses and a patient advocate say would cripple any move toward greater accountability.
The change would allow hospitals to continue to hide records used to assess patient safety or services — from medical mistakes, to changes needed to improve patient care. more

Push-back To Euthanasia Talk In Australia


Here's some expert pushback against the pro-deather euthanasia push in Aussie.
Expert urges caution before 'jumping on euthanasia bandwagon'
An internationally renowned bioethics expert has said there are reasonable concerns why health advocacy organisations should not take a definitive position on euthanasia.
Professional organisations, representing both consumers and health workers, risk polarising the debate and alienating their broad constituencies if they formalise critical discussion into a clearly articulated position statement.
Professor Megan-Jane Johnstone, chair of Nursing at Deakin University and an expert in healthcare ethics, said it is not in the interests, or the role of peak bodies, to lobby on this issue. more

Euthanasia Chic In The UK


UK provocateur Terry Pritchett is at it again. He's got early stage Alzheimer's and he likes the idea of euthanasia. That means instant celebrity and credibility. Go figure. His previous claim to pro-deather fame was suggesting that "euthanasia booths" should be placed on street corners to cater to members of the public who wish to kick the bucket. Now he's back expanding his argument. The press, of course, reports his insights every-so-breathlessly.
A fantastic voyage
TERRY PRATCHETT is trying to catch a mouse. "Right down there, the bugger!" he urges Rob, his assistant. "Oh!" he yelps, "I'm going to get him chucked out."
We'd been on the phone for most of an hour, and before the rodent scampered into view Pratchett had been explaining why assisted deaths for the terminally ill will eventually become widely accepted.
"It will happen because people die. Generations die. Once upon a time, and well within my lifetime, [some thought] homosexuals, ooh what nasty people. Now they are all over the bloody place." A comic writer's pause. "And jolly good job too!" You're stuffed if you're in the entertainment industry and don't like gays, he says, in his breathy, slightly pinched voice, the pronunciation something like David Bellamy's, in which the "r" in "very" and "round" sometimes approaches a "w".
"When I was a boy, people still got hanged. What happens is the next generation looks down at the stupidity of the last few generations and says, `You're bloody stupid, how can you possibly sit still for that?"'
What we are sitting still for, he says, is prolonging our lives in the face of needless pain, patchy old-age care and being told we have to hang around "because God wants you to". There's a punitive feeling to the whole thing, he says, as if we were atoning for something. "Not really, I just got Alzheimer's." more

British Columbia Group Seeks Constitutional "Right" To Assisted Suicide


We'll see more of this - the pro-deathers challenging laws against assisted sucide as a constitutional rights issue - in this case in Canada. Coming soon to a country near you . . .
B.C. group trying to legalize assisted suicide files constitutional challenge
A B.C. group fighting to legalize assisted suicide has filed a constitutional challenge in B.C. Supreme Court.
The directors of the Farewell Foundation for the Right to Die are challenging a section of the Criminal Code which makes aiding and abetting suicide an offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
The group argues that the Charter infringes on people’s freedom to choose how they want to die by punishing those who help them end their lives. more

UK's Laws Against Assisted Suicide Approaching The Farcical


The issue of assisted suicide in the UK is approaching farce. The authorities, understandably, investigate assisted sucide as a crime - which it still is. However, after "clarifications" by the Crown Prosecutor's Office, it's clear that there's no even going to be a slap on the wrist for those who help kill others.
Daughter arrested for 'assisted suicide' after mother killed herself... because she KNEW 90-year-old wanted to die
A woman allowed her 90-year-old mother to kill herself because the pensioner could not bear the thought of dementia destroying her final years.
Olwen Green was in the early stages of the condition but was distraught after forgetting her late husband’s name for the first time.
Her daughter Megan, 60, sat with her as she took an overdose of painkillers, and then waited for her to die. more

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Scottish MP Fights Again To Legalize Assisted Suicide


Scottish MP Margo MacDonald has twice before had her batty idea of legalizing assisted suicide voted down. Guess what: She's baaaccckkk!! This is how the pro-deathers work: Persist, persist, persist. We should all learn from that.
Margo MacDonald vows to fight on for assisted suicide law
VETERAN politician Margo MacDonald today vowed to continue her bid to legalise assisted suicide if she is re-elected to the Scottish Parliament.
The independent candidate for the Lothians region insisted she has public support on her side and would pursue attempts to re-ignite the issue at Holyrood. more

Idaho: Assisted Suicide Now A felony


Finally, a US state with a backbone. For all intents and purposes, assisted suicide is now a felony in Idaho. Way to go, Idaho!!
Idaho Governor Otter Signs Bill Banning Assisted Suicide
Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has signed SB 1070, a measure prohibiting assisted suicide in Idaho. The bill comes as Oregon and Washington has approved assisted suicides and Montana has opened the door slightly.
The Idaho House and Senate voted overwhelmingly  to support the bill, which would revoke licenses from physicians who prescribe a lethal cocktail of drugs for patients to use to kill themselves. The law also allows people to get injunctions to prevent others from killing themselves with a doctor’s help. If it becomes law, those found guilty face five years in prison. more

How Pro-Deathers Spin A "Good" Death


Here's a good piece about the assisted suicide of 84 year-old Nan Maitland, who said she wanted to die to "avoid old age." It shows how she was influenced by the pro-deathers and otherwise might not have chosen to get people to help kill her.
Assisted suicide case exposes agenda
A SCOTTISH pro-euthanasia group’s involvement in the death of a pensioner—who ended her life despite not being terminally ill—was exposed this week in a case pro-life campaigners said showed the true nature of the pro-euthanasia agenda.
Nan Maitland (above), an active member of Glasgow-based Friends at the End (Fate), had campaigned for change in the law over doctor-assisted death for years before travelling to a Swiss suicide clinic and ending her life last month. more

Unfortunate Truth: Many Hospices Support Euthanasia


I have no way of verifying the claims made by the nurse in this story. However, if true, I would not be surprised. Hospice killing patients? Yes, unfortunately, it happens regularly. If you or a loved one considers hospice, ask many questions and be very careful to make sure they support life and not killing.
Catholic nurse recounts hospice horror, says doctor euthanized priest
Some will recall that March 31 was the sixth anniversary of the court-ordered murder of Terri Schiavo.
Terri's execution was, according to Ron Panzer, president of Hospice Patients Alliance, "accomplished at The Hospice of the Florida Suncoast." He notes that the hospice's CEO, Mary Labyak, "has been a member of the board of directors of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization as well as Partnership for Caring, a successor to the Euthanasia Society of America."
Panzer also notes that Michael Schiavo's attorney, George Felos, a euthanasia advocate, was chairman of Suncoast's board when Terri was brought there for the purpose of killing her. more

Naked Doctor Power In The Netherlands


Just in case you've missed this in other stories, here's a perfect example of what I have long called "Doctor Power." Doctor Power is that authoritarian, arrogant air that many medicos display in telling everyone, patient and loved ones included, that they, the doctors will do what they like and others' wishes be damned. This story is from the Netherlands, but it happens thousands of times all over the world, including here in the US.
Netherlands: Debate over euthanasia resurrected after court rules to cease a patient's artificial respiration
A terminally ill 67-year-old man interned at the Máxima Medisch Centrum – a hospital facility in the southern Dutch town of Veldhoven died last week after doctors stopped artificial respiration despite his wife’s protests. According to Radio Netherlands Worldwide news service, a day before the physicians ended the respiration support, a court in Den Bosch had rejected his wife’s request for an injunction which would have forced the hospital to continue treatment. more

Friday, April 8, 2011

Sick Russian Convict Asks For Euthanasia


Everyone’s getting on the request-for-euthanasia bandwagon these days, even convicted criminals. Here's a Russian convict who is basically asking to be put out of his misery. My question, however, is how come his diabetes hasn't been controlled medically to avoid the circumstances in which the prisoner now finds himself?
Convicted Murderer, Slowly Dying, Demands Euthanasia
A convicted murderer who is dying of diabetes has asked to be put to death rather than to slowly waste away in prison.
The request for euthanasia, which cannot legally be granted in Russia, comes after judges have persistently refused to free the bed-ridden veteran of the Chechen war — even though the law gives courts the discretion to release terminally ill inmates. A third request for release was thrown out Monday.
Gennady Uminsky, who is serving an 18-year sentence for killing two businessmen in an extortion attempt, asked for euthanasia in an open letter last month. more

Assisted Suicide Seeps Into The Entertainment Industry


A popular UK soap has decided to mix in a story about an assisted sucide. It's this kind of thing that will desensitize the general public to the horrors of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Assisted Suicide in Emmerdale
A PARALYSED character in Emmerdale is to die in a controversial assisted suicide storyline, The Sun can reveal. Jackson Walsh's mother and his lover crush a lethal dose of tablets in a drink.
The ITV1 soap, watched by eight million viewers, was slammed last night by campaign groups who fear the producers are using the plot just to "chase ratings".
Jackson, played by Mark Silcock, 22, was injured in a road smash last year. He will ask boyfriend Aaron Livesy (Danny Miller) and mum Hazel (Pauline Quirke) to help end his life.
An Emmerdale insider last night said: "Jackson will start discussing plans to end his life in the next few weeks. more

Chilling Tape Of Retired UK Assisted Suicide Doctor


Here's an audio interview with the retired UK doctor who accompanied Nan Maitland, the UK woman who wanted to die to "avoid old age," to Swiss death clinic Dignitas. Listen to the cold, matter-of-fact retelling of how he watched her die without any feelings of sadness - which he reiterates to the astonished interviewer. Evil, pure evil.
Retired GP admits to helping people to die in the past
An 84-year-old British woman has taken her life at a Dignitas assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland.
With her was retired GP Dr Michael Irwin. He co-founded the Society for Old Age Rational Suicide with Nan Maitland and told the BBC that he had "helped people to die in the past". more

Aussie Nurse Union Boss In Bed With Pro-Deathers


Shocked I tell you, just shocked . . . .  (not really, this is all so predictable): First, that an Aussie nurses' union endorses euthanasia, and second, lo and behold, their stance is from the pro-deather talking point list.
Nurses union boss endorses euthanasia
Nurses are the front line of health care so their views on euthanasia matter a lot. That’s why it was so surprising to read an editorial in the Australian Nursing Journal by the president of the Australian Nursing Federation, Coral Levett, which endorses it wholeheartedly. It is a personal endorsement, but since her union has 200,000 members, her personal views are likely to influence policy-making within the Australian Labor Party, and even in the Gillard government. more

Aussie Disability Community Opposes Legalized Euthanasia

It's good to see the Aussie disability community pushing back against the insanity of the pro-deathers who are trying to legalize euthanasia.
Disabilities advocates slam SA euthanasia Bill
A PERTH-based disability advocate with quadriplegia has founded a new online blog to unite people with disabilities or chronic illness against euthanasia legislation that could put such people at risk. more

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Bobby Schindler On The Baby Joseph Case


Here's an excellent piece by my dear friend and colleague Bobby Schindler, brother of Terri Schiavo commenting on the "Baby Joseph" saga.
Killing More Than Just the Patient
I recently read an article in the London Free Press (March 22nd) about the highly publicized Joseph Maraachli situation titled, Baby Joseph Case Becomes Political Issue in U.S.
As the Executive Director the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, I was personally involved in helping Baby Joseph’s parents keep control of the medical treatment decisions that were being made for their son.
Joseph was diagnosed with a brain condition that doctors believe will eventually cause his untimely death. Joseph's parents, Moe and Sana, understood that their son’s case was terminal. Their only request was for a simple procedure to be performed that would enable Joseph to spend his remaining days at home. more

Australia Punishes Woman For Assisting Suicide - Good!


Well at least for now, Australia is holding up the standard against assisted killing - for now. However, I think in the next few years it'll head down the same path as the UK.
Woman pleads guilty ahead of euthanasia retrial
A Sydney woman who was to face a manslaughter retrial after her partner took a euthanasia drug has instead pleaded guilty to aiding or abetting suicide. more

Pro-Death Group Aided/Abetted Elderly Non-Terminal Suicide


Now the details emerge: The elderly, non-terminal woman who died at Swiss death clinic Dignitas was aided and abetted by a Scottish pro-death group. I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you.
Suicide group in ‘old age’ euthanasia row
A SCOTTISH euthanasia group has defended its role in the death of a pensioner who decided to end her life despite not being terminally ill.
Nan Maitland, an active member of Glasgow-based Friends at the End (Fate), had campaigned for a law change over doctor-assisted death for years before travelling to a Swiss suicide clinic. more

A Good response To Casual Assisted Suicide


Here's a very good piece opposing the pro-deather mindset in the UK.
Why end it all just as we enter a golden age?
As Nan Maitland, 84, prepared for suicide in a Swiss apartment, she had one concern: could someone file her nail, please, as there was an uncomfortable rough edge? The night before, she had enjoyed a gourmet dinner at a top restaurant with friends; earlier, she had taken leave of her three children in Britain calmly and cheerfully.
Suicide has never been so low-key. Like Nan Maitland, many of those opting to orchestrate their final goodbye do not suffer from a cruel neurological disorder or limb-wasting disease; do not find life impossible after their beloved spouse’s death. No, like Mrs Maitland, the new breed of suicides are active and healthy but reluctant to live through “the prolonged dwindling” of those last 10 or 15 years. more

Pro-Deather Truth: Death On Demand For All, Anytime


Slippery slope, anyone?? The "debate" over a non-terminal person dying at the Swiss death clinic Dignitas is bogus - of course the pro-deathers want death on demand, anytime, anywhere, and for any reason - the heck with terminal illness. Also, why was this poor woman in so much pain from arthritis? Can we say poor pain management??????
Assisted dying campaigners split over right to die for those not terminally ill
A leading campaigner for assisted dying, who opted to die in Switzerland despite having no terminal illness, has reignited debate between supporters and opponents of the right to die.
Nan Maitland, 84, who suffered from agonising arthritis, travelled to Switzerland to end her life on 1 March. She said she didn't want to suffer a "long period of decline, sometimes called 'prolonged dwindling', that so many people unfortunately experience before they die". more

Sunday, April 3, 2011

More Pro-Death Poster People: This Time In The UK


Yes, folks, the pro-death poster people keep on coming - here from the UK. I did get a chuckle out of the article header - seeing that the victim was 84.
Woman kills herself to avoid old age
A BRITISH woman aged 84 has triggered new controversy over assisted suicide after taking her life at a Swiss clinic because she did not want to die of old age.
Nan Maitland, who suffered from arthritis but was active and not terminally ill, left a note saying she wished to escape the “long period of decline, sometimes called 'prolonged dwindling', that so many people unfortunately experience before they die”.
Ms Maitland, who was separated with three children, was a founder of an organisation that campaigns to allow elderly people who are not terminally ill to commit suicide with medical aid. more

Aussie Pro-Deathers Using The Usual Propaganda Tricks


A favorite pro-deather ploy - poster people for death, in this case to influence the current Aussie euthanasia debate.
Ailing ex-Lib boss backs voluntary euthanasia
FORMER Liberal leader Dale Baker, who has motor neurone disease, wants the right to end his own life.
The ex-Liberal leader has to use a whiteboard to converse.
As State Parliament considers legalising euthanasia, the 72-year-old believes it should be sufferers, not politicians, who make the final decision.
Mr Baker, who is unable to speak because of his condition and is forced to communicate with a whiteboard, was diagnosed with MND 18 months ago. more

Pro-Deather Spin On Euthanasia At Its Finest

If ever you wanted to see the chilling underbelly of pro-deather propaganda, watch this report about a "double euthanasia," and how peachy people seem to think it is.

Aussies Debate Euthanasia

Here's part of a debate on the proposed euthanasia bill in South Australia:

Such Fun: Starving & Dehydrating People To Death As Medical "Care"


Here we go - Canadian medicos pontificating that it's actually OK to starve and dehydrate patients to death. Note the spin: "Artificial nutrition and hydration." That is, getting food and water by other means than swallowing. Be afraid, very afraid.
Withholding and withdrawing artificial nutrition ethically acceptable, advise paediatricians
The Canadian Paediatric Society wants to help health care providers faced with difficult end-of-life decisions, with a new paper on withholding or withdrawing artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH). The CPS says that withholding or withdrawing ANH is both legally and ethically acceptable as part of a palliative care plan. more

Pro-Deathers Drive Debate On Isle Of Man


The pro-deathers gear up on the Isle of Man. They say they welcome debate - we'll see . . .
Euthanasia debate in the spotlight
The sensitive issue of 'assisted dying' or euthanasia is back in the spotlight again.
The chance to revisit the debate is being welcomed by people on both sides of the argument. more
 
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