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