UK Archbishop: There's More To Death Than Assisted Suicide

A good piece by the good Archbishop about how assisted sucide is not the way to go.

The last taboo is denying us all a 'good death', warns Archbishop of York John Sentamu

Taboos about discussing mortality mean too many of us will be denied the basic dignity of spending our final moments with our loved ones, according to Dr John Sentamu.
In a highly personal intervention, he speaks about his own mother’s painful death from cancer and calls for dying to become an almost public moment, “accepted into our homes” rather than “shut away” in a lonely hospital ward. more

Washington State: Death Toll Keeps Rising

No surprise here – when you go the pro-death route, as Washington state has, more and more people will think killing themselves is just swell.

70 patients died under Washington state’s assisted-suicide law in 2011

The number of Washington state residents who died of physician-assisted suicide rose to 70 in 2011, up from 51 in 2010 and 36 in 2009, when the state’s Death With Dignity Act took effect. The Washington State Dept. of Health reported in May that 103 patients requested and received lethal doses of medications from 80 different physicians in 2011. more

Futile Care Coming To A Hospital Near You

Here’s a good take on medical futility and its implications.

‘Futile care’ duty to die may be coming to a hospital near you

When a Canadian man named Hassan Rasouli suffered complications after brain surgery, his doctors wanted to pull the plug. But his Muslim family said no. It was against Hassan’s values, and moreover, they believed he showed signs of improvement. In any event, they wanted him to be able to continue to fight for life.

But that didn’t end matters. The doctors claimed that continuing treatment was “futile” because he would never get better. Moreover, they announced they intended to stop all treatment except for comfort care — regardless of the family’s desires or their patient’s personal values — an example of what is known in bioethics as “Futile Care Theory” or “medical futility.” more

Jailed Indian Man Asks For Euthanasia

This is quite a novel request for euthanasia by an allegedly innocent man.

Maoist seeks permission to die

A Maoist undertrial languishing in Alipore Central Correctional Home wrote to the court seeking permission to allow him to die. Euthanasia is illegal in India.

Siddhartha Mandal, 34, who was arrested in June 2010, and was charged under several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, wrote to the court that he is unable to bear the agony of his family, therefore, he should be allowed to die. “He wrote a letter to the court saying that he is innocent and has been implicated falsely, and requested that he either be released or be allowed to die. We forwarded the letter to Mir Rashid Ali (judge, Alipore Fast Track Court),” C R Gorai, the jail superintendent, said. more

Thin End Of The Pro-Death Wedge In New Mexico

This is the thin end of the wedge. A while ago two New Mexico doctors challenged the state’s laws outlawing assisted suicide. Now, with alarming predictability, come the victims of life threatening illness joining in the clamor for eventual removal of the law.

Santa Fe woman joins lawsuit to clarify state law making assisted suicide a felony

When Aja Riggs first began experiencing what she thought were symptoms of early menopause last summer, she tried holistic remedies.

When they didn't help, she had an ultrasound exam, after which her doctor told her she should probably also have a biopsy. In August, her doctor called to tell her she had uterine cancer.

"I thought there must be a mistake," she said.

The doctor said the cancer was probably in an early stage and that if her uterus was removed, she would have about a 90 percent chance of survival. But when Riggs awoke after surgery, she learned that all her reproductive organs had been removed because the cancer had spread to her ovaries and lymph nodes.

On Wednesday, the 48-year-old announced she is joining a lawsuit filed by two Albuquerque doctors to clarify a state law that makes assisted suicide a felony. It seeks to clear the way for physicians to help terminally ill patients obtain prescription medication that would allow them to choose to end their own lives without the doctor having to fear prosecution. more

Argentina: More Patient Rights At The End Of Life

The article title is somewhat confusing. What the Argentinians have done is make clear in law patient’s rights at the end of life.

Argentine Senate approves 'dignified death' law

Argentina's senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a "dignified death" law giving terminally ill patients and their families more power to make end-of-life decisions.

The law passed by a vote of 55 to zero, with 17 senators declaring themselves absent. It passed the lower house last year.

Now Argentine families won't have to struggle to find judges to order doctors to end life-support for people who are dying or in a permanent vegetative state. Getting such approval can be very difficult in many countries, particularly in Latin America, where opposition from the Roman Catholic church still runs strong. more