EuthaNEWSia Editor

Friday, July 23, 2010

The Facts of Oregon’s experience are something the opponents of euthanasia don’t like to talk about — none of their hysterical warnings have panned out. Just dull respectability.

It is true that Canadians are ill-prepared for the inevitable, and we should be doing something about care for the terminally ill. Try to overlook the editors’ unreasoning hostility to euthanasia — the old CanWest editors all seem to have been selected for this.

And do read the accompanying item from LifeSiteNews about the Parliamentary Committee. This committee is an informal anti-euthanasia cabal of people who happen to be MPs. Their minds were made up before starting the committee.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The elderly couple in Wisconsin who ended their live together left explanations to their friend, Dr. Bruce Wilson. As he said: “But the question now is, what’s the quality of life?”

It is very true that there are a lot better places to die than Canada. Especially note Andre Picard’s point that “the wishes of patients are not respected nearly enough.” In patient/doctor relations, we’re often still living in British colonial times.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Britain’s Phase II begins: the story of completely paralysed Tony Nicklinson seeking the right to die is entirely sympathetic and reasonable. And everyone in authority will do their very best to stay far away from it, as they did with Debbie Purdy. Fortunately, Nicklinson has the same team of lawyers, who are a persistent lot.

And in New Zealand, Dying John Pollock’s wish to legalise euthanasia is equally sympathetic. Note the hard line of the official medical profession — in New Zealand and in Germany.

Monday, July 19, 2010

The German poll found that a third of doctors would help the terminally ill to die. The medical association commissioned the poll, and have been sitting on it for nine months while they absorbed the shock. German doctors were thought to be far more conservative.

Washingtonian Dan Treecraft would rather die than undergo the conventional course of cancer treatment. Fortunately, he knows how to die quickly and painlessly, so the main concern is timing — when to leave his wife behind.

Twenty years ago, this story would not have been published. Forty years ago, he may well have been put in protective custody and forced to undergo conventional medical treatment. Of course, those are the days that many anti-euthanasia people want to see return. They are big on force.

Friday, July 16, 2010

The Final Exit Network New Jersey Right-to-Die Billboard Campaign is sparking some reaction, even if Fox News is reporting it as a religion story. There’s a long way to go.

The Exit euthanasia blog is being very moderate and tactful about the palliative care and hospice people: “Euthanasia and hospices: the unexpected link” points out that there may be a convergence of interests.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The Worldwide Quality of Death is excellent baseline information from the Economist Intelligence Unit.

The South Korean Guidelines for “death with dignity” are a start. The Quality of Death paper outlines how difficult it is to deal with death in some cultures — Canada would certainly be one of those cultures.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Wesley Smith’s Tasmanian anti-euthanasia speeches are indeed “scare-mongering” —  but are also just business as usual, as North Americans can attest. He does the best he can with what anti-euthanasia material he has, but he’s not got much to work with.

Monday, July 12, 2010

New guidance on end-of-life care from the UK General Medical Council is always a nice thing to have, but as Ann McPherson said, “The guidelines need to address the issue of assisted dying.”

Friday, July 9, 2010

A very interesting study on Who supports euthanasia? It confirms the usually cited links with education, autonomy, religion and disability, but does not confirm the death-with-dignity link. I would have thought that link would have been one of the strongest.

And both sides are arming for the Montana battle, to be held in the legislature next year. Good luck to Democratic Representative Dick Barrett as he drafts his bill.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Dr. Smook’s story about the beginning’s of euthanewsia laws in the Netherlands is fascinating and inspiring. The recent death of Dutch prosecutor Adelbert Josephus Jitta prompted him to write this account.

Deputy Premier Lara Giddings appears to know what she is about in Tasmania, where two of the new parliamentary members look to be supportive of voluntary euthanasia. And Philip Nitschke gets a chance to rebut the misinformation about Exit International that Senator Conroy has been spreading about.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Things are looking up in Scotland, where the Royal Society implicitly approved assisted dying. As so did the editors of The Scotsman in a recent editorial. And the trusty EXIT (Scotland) blog covers a couple of recent bits of media sensationalism about euthanasia.

Friday, July 2, 2010

The review of dying patients’ charts in a premier U.S. health facility certainly shows that improvement is needed, and thoroughly demolishes the argument that we need not worry about end-of-life care because all is well.

The Economist’s review of the current state of the British Assisted suicide debate is short and clear. Now what?

Also note the Associated Press apology for the incorrect report about Germany. As well, Ludwig Minelli continues his headstrong performance. Minelli refuses to disclose Dignitas finances (always a bad sign) and goes for the headlines with the line that he’ll help anyone to die. A bright sign is the editorial by the Democrat Herald in Oregon recognizing that Oregon could use a place like Dignitas. Funny that Compassion & Choices can’t see it.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

It is no wonder that Philip Nitschke calls for changes after the Perth couple’s death. Robin Chapple’s private member bill is before the Western Australian state parliament.

The Minnesota online suicide case is both distasteful and tragic. But that hardly excuses the attempts by anti-euthanasia forces to use the case to justify the restriction of free speech. And, of course, our side is in there helping — with Barbara Coombs Lee, in her rush to protect her legislation, cheerfully condemning all assisted suicides, even those that the British would not prosecute.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Alan Cutkelvin Rees not only lost his partner, he has been awaiting trial for having helped him die. This is the end of a long story. Unusually, all the major players behaved well: Rees, Dr Michael Irwin and prosecutor Keir Starmer.

The German climate on the right to die seems to be extremely harsh. While it is a relief that the German Supreme Court finally came through with the right to refuse and terminate medical treatment, a Canadian can only wonder that the lower courts convicted the family’s lawyer of attempted homicide for advising them to remove the feeding tube from the mother.