tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15569670059947254272024-03-16T11:35:15.841-07:00CanadaA non-profit corporation opposed to assisted suicide, euthanasia and other forms of imposed death, worldwideUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-48898706286297076042024-03-16T11:35:00.000-07:002024-03-16T11:35:14.713-07:00Jurisdictions That Legalize Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Will Regret It. Just Look at Canada. <h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px; font-weight: normal;">By Alex Schadenberg </span></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5718831926486998659" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieRgWi4cYG62sTRnU3k-uAFpW1_h7rTXuJBUbH4rToK-4teiPi1g6QWO5lCtvbPloR-R3p9oIjWcDDYZxlPpvCd_haGGvlTJMPlhtUotW-FLkMJa7knkGl38-WtuoSpktuAGWLB_N7EtPFdh3-_YvN1QhDDk1DpVtquizIZPm_M_9w-DTv80cDg5YzkwQ" style="clear: right; color: #5b84ed; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="265" height="92" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieRgWi4cYG62sTRnU3k-uAFpW1_h7rTXuJBUbH4rToK-4teiPi1g6QWO5lCtvbPloR-R3p9oIjWcDDYZxlPpvCd_haGGvlTJMPlhtUotW-FLkMJa7knkGl38-WtuoSpktuAGWLB_N7EtPFdh3-_YvN1QhDDk1DpVtquizIZPm_M_9w-DTv80cDg5YzkwQ=w163-h92" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(157, 184, 78); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="163" /></a></div><p></p><p>Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition</p><p>I am just returning from a speaking tour which included meetings with elected representatives in Scotland and the Isle of Man. Both jurisdictions are debating the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide. While in Scotland, a news story was published concerning Keir Starmer, the leader of the UK Labour party, who promised that if elected he would bring forth a bill to legalize assisted dying.</p><p>At the same time the French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced that an "assisted dying" bill would be introduced on May 27. As horrific as Canada's experience with euthanasia has been, the terrible euthanasia stories out of Canada is creating a hesitancy in other countries when they debate legalizing poisoning by doctors.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><a name="more"></a><p>The recent article by Michael Deacon that was published in the Daily Telegraph is titled: If Starmer legalises assisted dying, we’ll live to regret it... Euthanasia may start off as being for those with terminal illnesses, but its justification would soon blur – just look at Canada.</p><p>Deacon writes:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>“I’m personally in favour of changing the law,” Sir Keir Starmer told Dame Esther in a personal phone call – before promising her that a Labour government would give MPs a vote on it. “Esther,” he declared, “I can give you that commitment right now.”</p><p>Admittedly, Sir Keir has a less than 100 per cent record on honouring his “commitments”. In the past, I’ve often criticised him for it. In this particular case, though, I hope he performs another of his famous U-turns. Because, if he does legalise assisted suicide, I fear we’ll live to regret it.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Deacon continues:</p><p>Have they really managed to miss all the horror stories coming out of Canada?</p><p></p><blockquote>Assisted suicide was legalised there in 2016. And ever since, there have been numerous cases showing how humane intentions can lead to chilling consequences. Take the 61-year-old man who was euthanised in 2019, even though the only health problem he’d listed on his application form was hearing loss. Or the 41-year-old woman who was euthanised in 2021 after telling doctors she wanted to end the suffering caused by her fibromyalgia. In private, however, she’d told friends that she actually wanted to die because she was so poor</blockquote><p></p><p>Deacon makes it clear, Canada's experience will also happen in the UK:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>We may tell ourselves that we’d never let that happen here. But I wouldn’t be so sure. After all, Canadians have long held a well-deserved reputation for being the nicest people on earth. And yet all of a sudden, here they are, eagerly clamouring to bump off the poor. Forget helping them find a decent home and a solid job. Just slip them a lovely, lethal dose of propofol. Well, it’s an awful lot cheaper.</p><p>This is the trouble with assisted dying. You start off legalising it solely for people suffering from terminal illness. But then there’s pressure to legalise it for other health conditions, and depression, and eating disorders, and drug addiction – until before you know it, you daren’t even visit your GP any more, for fear of what he might prescribe.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Deacon ends his article with some cautious leavity:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>“Good morning, doctor. I think I’ve sprained my ankle.”</p><p>“Not to worry. There’s a wonderful new treatment that’s guaranteed to end your pain. And not just in your ankle, either.”</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Such a scenario may sound far-fetched. Not least because getting a GP appointment in this country is next to impossible. But even so, it’s as well not to grant the state too much power – because it may well end up using that power in ways we never intended.</p><p>Think how often we’re warned that the future of our very society is imperilled by our rapidly ageing population. Back in 2010, Martin Amis proposed a solution. On each citizen’s 70th birthday, he or she would be handed “a martini and a medal”, and then marched to a street corner “euthanasia booth”.</p><p>Amis was of course joking. At least, he thought he was.</p><p>Deacon is correct. When Canada legalized euthanasia we were told that we wouldn't follow the Netherlands and Belgium experience. In fact, we are surpassing them. </p><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(157, 184, 78); color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.8px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px -2px 0px; padding: 5px 10px;"></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-60300440257125973112024-03-04T09:33:00.000-08:002024-03-04T09:41:59.062-08:0024 Years Ago, Jeanette Hall Had Terminal Cancer and Wanted Assisted Suicide<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.2px;">By Alex Schadenberg , material contributed by Margaret Dore</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7483023069783805089" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 17.6px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvMd2f8W7n3HrLfJjaluhZtMQX6DXwxX7cYlL_bc0hsqh6oT1PoGhhzA5u0WrfHDpqKkWtK8-h-bhDIwQLPfyr7mBpwSEIEzfyIm7a8LJofFgr8-kDhA6G0jVYOgi3MWxnreBZiFe4sOpg70Iska3w-OpEJJag6FnWcuYO5DTJOAdBmowiMNm_UwHfqdc/s320/Jeanette%20Hall%20and%20group%202.jpg" style="clear: right; color: blue; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="320" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvMd2f8W7n3HrLfJjaluhZtMQX6DXwxX7cYlL_bc0hsqh6oT1PoGhhzA5u0WrfHDpqKkWtK8-h-bhDIwQLPfyr7mBpwSEIEzfyIm7a8LJofFgr8-kDhA6G0jVYOgi3MWxnreBZiFe4sOpg70Iska3w-OpEJJag6FnWcuYO5DTJOAdBmowiMNm_UwHfqdc/w194-h133/Jeanette%20Hall%20and%20group%202.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(236, 236, 236); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="194" /></a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was speaking this weekend in Oregon and Dr Kenneth Stevens gave us an incredible gift by bring Jeanette Hall to the event.<br /><br />(Picture: Alex Schadenberg, Jeanette Hall, Kenneth Stevens, Wesley Smith)</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oregon's assisted suicide law came into effect in 1998. In 2000, Jeanette Hall had cancer and she was give six to 12 months to live. Jeanette made a settled decision to use Oregon's assisted suicide law in lieu of being treated for cancer. Her doctor, Kenneth Stevens, who opposed assisted suicide, thought that her chances with treatment were good. Over several weeks, he stalled her request for assisted suicide and finally convinced her to be treated for cancer.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><a name="more"></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, Dr Stevens was against assisted suicide, but he also thought that Jeanette was a good candidate for treatment and indeed she was. She has been cancer free for 24 years. In a previous article, <a href="https://www.choiceillusion.org/p/jeanette-her-son-scott-in-2000-by.html" style="color: blue; text-decoration-line: none;">Jeanette stated</a>:<br /></span></p><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wanted to do our law and I wanted Dr. Stevens to help me. Instead, he encouraged me to not give up and ultimately I decided to fight the cancer. I had both chemotherapy and radiation. I am so happy to be alive!</span></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jeanette told me that at the time of her assisted suicide request, she had lost hope. Her Aunt had died by cancer, her mother had Alzheimer's and her brother had recently died by suicide. She felt that there was no reason to live.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(236, 236, 236); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; color: #222222; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 5px; position: relative;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQGwajTOk9NsiNacA4Fx-ObTMJuMLQZv0AIZPNdluFNxsm_-0UCMBtI42brLjwmz0wPcuvf-ucVAkQqxKp8ZLuu6W4gwbYI_0quO6XV_OEvXbInIaI_bBuZIRpmheqn5IT3fNn13fLrH18xXATVKcRNiwCi5EDus6YKb6-UFmz7grAl8r_ZpYVfzjLEIE/s294/Jeanette%20Hall%20and%20son.jpg" style="clear: right; color: blue; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="294" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQGwajTOk9NsiNacA4Fx-ObTMJuMLQZv0AIZPNdluFNxsm_-0UCMBtI42brLjwmz0wPcuvf-ucVAkQqxKp8ZLuu6W4gwbYI_0quO6XV_OEvXbInIaI_bBuZIRpmheqn5IT3fNn13fLrH18xXATVKcRNiwCi5EDus6YKb6-UFmz7grAl8r_ZpYVfzjLEIE/w239-h139/Jeanette%20Hall%20and%20son.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 10.56px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeanette with her son at his graduation</span>.</td></tr></tbody></table>Dr Stevens helped Jeanette find meaning and purpose by asking her about her son. Her son was in the police academy and Dr Stevens assured her that with treatment she would be able to attend her son's graduation. Jeanette not only attended her son's graduation but she overcame her cancer.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are thankful that Dr. Stevens didn't give-up on Jeanette, that he convinced her to try effective treatment and that Jeanette is alive today.</span></div><div class="post-share-buttons" style="display: inline-block; margin-top: 0.5em; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="goog-inline-block share-button sb-email" href="https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=9216787076261944467&postID=8846728339196682226&target=email" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("/img/share_buttons_20_3.png") 0px 0px no-repeat !important; color: blue; display: inline-block; height: 20px; margin-left: -1px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; width: 20px;" target="_blank" title="Email This"><span class="share-button-link-text" style="display: block; text-indent: -9999px;">Email This</span></a><a class="goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog" href="https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=9216787076261944467&postID=8846728339196682226&target=blog" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: -20px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("/img/share_buttons_20_3.png") -20px 0px no-repeat !important; color: blue; display: inline-block; height: 20px; margin-left: -1px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; width: 20px;" target="_blank" title="BlogThis!"><span class="share-button-link-text" style="display: block; text-indent: -9999px;">BlogThis!</span></a><a class="goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter" href="https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=9216787076261944467&postID=8846728339196682226&target=twitter" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: -40px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("/img/share_buttons_20_3.png") -40px 0px no-repeat !important; color: blue; display: inline-block; height: 20px; margin-left: -1px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; width: 20px;" target="_blank" title="Share to Twitter"><span class="share-button-link-text" style="display: block; text-indent: -9999px;">Share to Twitter</span></a><a class="goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook" href="https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=9216787076261944467&postID=8846728339196682226&target=facebook" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: -60px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("/img/share_buttons_20_3.png") -60px 0px no-repeat !important; color: blue; display: inline-block; height: 20px; margin-left: -1px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; width: 20px;" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook"><span class="share-button-link-text" style="display: block; text-indent: -9999px;">Share to Facebook</span></a><a class="goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest" href="https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=9216787076261944467&postID=8846728339196682226&target=pinterest" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: -100px 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("/img/share_buttons_20_3.png") -100px 0px no-repeat !important; color: blue; display: inline-block; height: 20px; margin-left: -1px; overflow: hidden; position: relative; text-decoration-line: none; width: 20px;" target="_blank" title="Share to Pinterest"><span class="share-button-link-text" style="display: block; text-indent: -9999px;">Share to Pinterest</span></a></span></div></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-91061713833568190182024-02-25T15:21:00.000-08:002024-02-25T15:21:57.258-08:00Canadian Doctors Admit Covid ‘Booster’ Shot Paralyzed Woman, Offer to Euthanize Her to ‘Make Up for It’<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIARylGN9C5ENsCdBy84sw3eSJoOMaScutKFfc0gaen5d5TcCZZy7m4w6vonor1PyIja780S81-nVP4i3igZ9-Lan8wyt7uCqYchlNH6u3OHl4E3wWPh2VRgPHoM3navNQ26qMTDPCDMRZqIaUkxJ3vh_gyNLXy5dcNcqYl8vK052Can0ertxcaEW2bc/s800/kyla-pollock-canada-doctors-paralyzed-covid-vaccine-800x500.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIARylGN9C5ENsCdBy84sw3eSJoOMaScutKFfc0gaen5d5TcCZZy7m4w6vonor1PyIja780S81-nVP4i3igZ9-Lan8wyt7uCqYchlNH6u3OHl4E3wWPh2VRgPHoM3navNQ26qMTDPCDMRZqIaUkxJ3vh_gyNLXy5dcNcqYl8vK052Can0ertxcaEW2bc/w224-h140/kyla-pollock-canada-doctors-paralyzed-covid-vaccine-800x500.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>Canadian doctors have admitted that a Covid “booster” shot from Moderna is responsible for a young Ontario woman now being paralyzed for the rest of her life.<p></p><p>37-year-old mother Kayla Pollock is now paralyzed from the neck down after receiving the mRNA injection and says her life has become a “living hell.”</p><p>According to a report from The Liberty Daily, however, doctors have offered to “make up for it” by euthanizing the young mom.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>The doctors suggested that Pollock should apply for Canada’s controversial Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program and said they would help her application get accepted.</p><p>As <i>Slay News</i> has reported, Canada has some of the most liberal euthanasia laws in the world.</p><p>In recent years, the government has been increasingly relaxing the laws that were originally meant to give terminally ill people an option for dying.</p><p>However, the expansion of the laws means people can now be euthanized for far less severe issues such as depression, homelessness, or mental illness.</p><p>The laws have even been expanded to include “mature minors” with a push to expand to infants....</p><p>* * *</p><p class="slay-news-content" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Read Kalya Pollack’s <a href="https://thelibertydaily.com/canadian-doctors-admit-covid-vaccine-left-woman-paralyzed/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit;">full story here</a>. </span></p><p><strong style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333;"><a href="https://slaynews.com/news/medical-staff-ordered-euthanize-covid-patients-leaked-docs/" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">READ MORE – Medical Staff Ordered to Euthanize ‘Covid’ Patients: Leaked Docs</span></a></strong> </p>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-75735360361118958002024-02-23T18:29:00.000-08:002024-02-23T18:29:59.765-08:00Washington Post Opposes the Expansion of Canada’s Euthanasia Law<h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; line-height: 1.3; margin: 22px 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">By Lisa Blumberg</span></span></h3><h3 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; line-height: 1.3; margin: 22px 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-l_o259RlK8IGV7IhM0EwtEZgxDJHNh16nzp55hAss7DDgwRRCpySvd8xNJPYhf_vqHOwGpx9cagEgdS_RN6uiIL8xN1106-GFM7e6bwXpP2_QY5A7MlCUkyNcnUHTAbXC-dayl18Dx9cMOwdoOhJdilMSnxA2aGVIcdbHdycMqO7glwxBwLZlcYaKI/s450/mark-holland-3833419054.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-l_o259RlK8IGV7IhM0EwtEZgxDJHNh16nzp55hAss7DDgwRRCpySvd8xNJPYhf_vqHOwGpx9cagEgdS_RN6uiIL8xN1106-GFM7e6bwXpP2_QY5A7MlCUkyNcnUHTAbXC-dayl18Dx9cMOwdoOhJdilMSnxA2aGVIcdbHdycMqO7glwxBwLZlcYaKI/w108-h162/mark-holland-3833419054.PNG" width="108" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Holland</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">The broadening of eligibility under the Canada’s euthanasia law to include people who are deemed to suffer from “untreatable mental illnesses” has been delayed once again. The expansion had been scheduled to take effect </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">in March. According to the New York Times, the postponement occurred because a parliamentary committee concluded that there are not enough doctors, particularly psychiatrists, in the country to assess patients with mental illnesses who want to end their lives and to help them do so. The Canadian Health Minister Mark Holland stated that “the system is not ready, and we need more time.” He did not give any new effective date for the expansion, although a committee member expressed the hope that the delay would be indefinite.</span></span></span></h3><p></p><p>Shortly before the delay was announced but when there were already signs that the Canadian Government was having “second thoughts”, the Editorial Board of the Washington Post wrote a sharply worded piece opposing voluntary euthanasia for psychiatric survivors in Canada and elsewhere. The importance of a major newspaper taking such a stand cannot be overestimated.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p>It is true that the editorial seems to assume that euthanasia and assisted suicide are more acceptable for those with life-threatening physical conditions than for psychiatric survivors. It does not attack the type of assisted suicide laws enacted in several states in this country. Yet, every argument that the editorial makes against legalizing euthanasia for psychiatric survivors also mitigates against permitting assisted suicide for any group. Indeed, down to its use of the phrase “second thoughts,” the editorial reverberates with arguments that disability rights advocates have made in opposing assisted suicide in general. (Note: The piece does use some terminology regarding psychiatric survivors that activists would avoid.)</p><p></p><p>The editorial states, “Many in the grips of psychiatric distress view, temporarily, suicide as their only way out, only to later be grateful they did not kill themselves in the depths of their suffering.” This is equally true of people initially demoralized by physical disabilities and illnesses struggling to get the support they need. The heart of the lawsuit brought by two disabled Californians (joined by several advocacy groups) challenging the constitutionality of the state’s assisted suicide law is the fear that if they become suicidal, they will not be given the suicide prevention services available to the general California public but instead be approved for a lethal drug prescription.</p><p>Disability rights activists have long pointed out that assisted suicide is less about patient choice and personal autonomy and more about what health care providers should or should not be able to do. Health care providers are the designated gatekeepers in the statutory scheme. They can make eligibility determinations based on incomplete knowledge of the patient, errors in prognosis or implicit bias. Along these lines, the editorial stated, “There might, indeed, be mentally ill patients suffering from symptoms so debilitating and intractable that their options are uniformly dismal. But designing a system to distinguish them reliably from others in mental distress, who would benefit from treatment, is at least extremely hard, if not impossible. Certainly, Canada’s system is not up to the task.” Health Minister Holland said virtually the same thing when he announced the postponement of the expansion.</p><p>The Canadian system is not up to the task. The American system is not up to the task. No health care system is up to the task because what a euthanasia or assisted suicide law expects health providers to do is to determine, based on health status, that a person’s continued existence is so irredeemable and lacking in value that they are eligible for state sanctioned death. No one has the capacity to do that. In Canada, finding eligibility seems to be the default position – only 3.5 percent of written requests for euthanasia were denied in 2022.</p><p>Lastly, the Post takes on the issue of “safeguards.” Noting that Quebec’s top end-of-life care regulator has decried rampant noncompliance with the rules in that province, the editorial states that although proponents may have “high confidence in the procedures they’ve developed to control psychiatric euthanasia. They need to remember that no procedural protections are perfect…Good intentions tend to have unintended consequences. In the United States, Americans need to keep a close eye on their neighbor’s experience and learn from it.”</p><p>We could not have said it better ourselves. Thank you, Washington Post! However, given all that you have said, you should join us in opposing assisted suicide in any iteration.</p>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-23724078486957397532024-02-17T14:29:00.000-08:002024-02-17T15:55:49.147-08:00Bill C-62 Regarding Mental Illness<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLYHhAwKdBUisrH_F7ZW25f6JgXgoaj2N089Vc3OFnOJhy5nLrcjw0TGlUWJgmC9-r2YC-UKaPNnTKB4V8i73wEL9id6N6rU9CMACDgfDfes0cHRJ4sEp5FviwA4wKlF1GTxKwwSQF4FaWemDrYTMyTV1c3HCGl75izQZvQMUYggPiFULQnRH5yRs_ZQ/s292/Living%20With%20Dignity.png" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #5b84ed; display: inline; float: right; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="292" data-original-width="255" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjLYHhAwKdBUisrH_F7ZW25f6JgXgoaj2N089Vc3OFnOJhy5nLrcjw0TGlUWJgmC9-r2YC-UKaPNnTKB4V8i73wEL9id6N6rU9CMACDgfDfes0cHRJ4sEp5FviwA4wKlF1GTxKwwSQF4FaWemDrYTMyTV1c3HCGl75izQZvQMUYggPiFULQnRH5yRs_ZQ/w129-h148/Living%20With%20Dignity.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(157, 184, 78); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="129" /></a><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;">F</span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;">ederal Bill C-62</span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;"> seeks to amend the Criminal Code to provide that </span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;">persons are not eligible,</span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;"> </span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;">until March 17, 2027, to receive medical </span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;">assistance </span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;">in dying “if their sole underlying medical condition is a mental illness” </span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;">continues </span><span face="Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #3f3f3f; font-size: 13.2px;">its legislative journey.</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6879614643440865288" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;"><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f;">The adoption of a motion this week allowed this Bill to be expedited. Note that there was a failed attempt </span><span style="color: #3f3f3f;">by the Bloc Québécois to add the issue of advance requests to C-62.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #3f3f3f;">We thank psychiatrists Pierre Gagnon and Sonu Gaind who spent Valentine's evening participating in the only meeting of the Standing Committee on Health studying the Bill.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><a name="more"></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3f3f3f;">Passed Thursday in the House of Commons, </span><span style="color: #3f3f3f;">Bill C-62 will be debated during the last week of February in the Canadian Senate.</span></span></p><p></p><p style="color: #3f3f3f; margin: 1em 0px 0px;"><span lang="EN-CA">We hope for an adoption without amendment by March 1, 2024 due to the scheduled breaks in the Senate’s session. We will be very vigilant, as many Senators oppose delaying the exclusion of MAID for mental disorders.</span></p><p style="color: #3f3f3f; margin: 1em 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-CA">For additional information, <a href="https://vivredignite.org/en/messages/mailing/view/?reset=1&id=964&cid=6368&cs=5284751d77f41f5ccf7dc7293d2ec64f_1708188463_168" style="color: #5b84ed; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">please click this link to view the original post</a>.</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </span></span></p></div>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-47261606552241392342024-01-17T18:29:00.000-08:002024-01-17T19:15:44.463-08:00This Is Where the ‘Right to Die’ Leads Us<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMedVN43Ob-6wL0M6QwXZgat-QcylJnzIl7uE9EUp4chs1xA0g2lNqclZrLDnQ5oZbWuwH9egJnF8V-QOlELnQNSWRtNeSk2k_YU87bUEnclj_g_HXH1SNp2VcluftEm1OYitFxmNMZAx6KUUjCaqznyc16-ormkfX9_9rAdnSMromCu_2kkXT34VaGFYQ/s265/Canada%20euthanasia3.jpg" style="clear: right; color: blue; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="265" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMedVN43Ob-6wL0M6QwXZgat-QcylJnzIl7uE9EUp4chs1xA0g2lNqclZrLDnQ5oZbWuwH9egJnF8V-QOlELnQNSWRtNeSk2k_YU87bUEnclj_g_HXH1SNp2VcluftEm1OYitFxmNMZAx6KUUjCaqznyc16-ormkfX9_9rAdnSMromCu_2kkXT34VaGFYQ/w181-h110/Canada%20euthanasia3.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(236, 236, 236); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="181" /></a></span>By Alex Schadenberg*</p><p>Spiked published an in-depth article by Lauren Smith on January 15, 2024 titled: "Canada has revealed the horror of assisted dying." Smith tells the stories of the many people who have felt forced into considering death by euthanasia.</p><p>Smith sets the stage for her article by calling Canada's euthanasia law a gruesome, state-sanctioned industry. Smith states:</p><p></p><blockquote>There is nothing remotely civilized about Canada’s medical assistance in dying (MAID) programme. Assisted dying in Canada was initially considered a last resort for terminally ill patients suffering from incurable pain. But in the space of just a few years, euthanasia has been made available to pretty much anyone who is struggling with an illness or a disability. Even Canadians facing homelessness and poverty are feeling compelled to end their lives, rather than ‘burden’ the authorities.</blockquote><span><a name='more'></a></span><p>Canada's euthanasia law will get worse with the approval of euthanasia for mental illness in March 2024. Smith explains:</p><p></p><p></p><blockquote>Things are about to get even darker. In a few months time, on 17 March, Canadians will be able to apply for MAID on the grounds that they are suffering from a mental illness. If this expansion to the MAID programme goes ahead, anyone struggling with a serious mental-health condition may be eligible for either assisted suicide or euthanasia, even if they are not suffering from any physical pain at all. This would include people dealing with drug addiction or other substance-abuse issues.</blockquote><p></p><p>Canada's euthanasia law has expanded very quickly. Smith explains how this happened:</p><p></p><blockquote>At the time, MAID was sold to Canadians as a question of autonomy. The ‘right to die’ was presented as a fundamental human right. In 2015, the Canadian Supreme Court, in the case of Carter v Canada, ruled that denying someone assisted suicide or euthanasia denied ‘equality to the physically disabled’. Essentially, this ruling established that people have the right to be assisted to kill themselves, or be euthanized, provided that they meet certain criteria.</blockquote><p></p><p>All of this successfully framed assisted dying as a merciful and dignified act. It isn’t fair, advocates said, that someone should be in pain during the final stages of their life, if death is near and foreseeable anyway. Surely it would be better for someone to end their life on their own terms than for them to suffer on in agony for a few months more? Or so went the argument.</p><p>Smith then explains the influence of the euthanasia lobby:</p><p><span style="white-space: normal;"></span></p><blockquote><p><span style="white-space: normal;">Campaign groups like Dying With Dignity fought hard to portray MAID as a question of individual choice. The Canadian public seemed broadly to agree. In 2014, not long before MAID was introduced, 79 per cent of Canadians supported assisted suicide being offered in limited circumstances. Back then, Canadians were told assisted suicide and euthanasia would only be offered to those with a terminal illness and with only a short time left to live. But it didn’t take long for those restrictions to loosen.</span></p><p></p></blockquote><p>In 2021, five years after MAID was first introduced, Canada expanded the eligibility criteria. Those with serious and chronic physical conditions became eligible, even when their illness is not life-threatening. This meant that a natural death no longer had to be ‘reasonably foreseeable’ for someone to be accepted for MAID. A long-term health condition that made life ‘intolerable’ was now enough. Applying for the MAID programme became significantly easier.</p><p>After the expansion of euthanasia in 2021 Canadians began to read about stories of euthanasia for poverty, homelessness, disability and an inability to receive medical treatment and even veterans with PTSD. Smith writes:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>It didn’t take long for people to start applying for MAID for reasons that had little to do with poor health. One of the most infamous cases was that of Amir Farsoud, a 54-year-old disabled man who applied for MAID in 2022 because he was about to be made homeless. Farsoud was quite open about the fact that he didn’t actually want to die. He simply didn’t know what else to do. He felt that he was being abandoned by the authorities. He decided that he would rather be dead than homeless.</p><p></p></blockquote><p>Homelessness, or fear of it, is not one of the reasons Canadians can apply for MAID. Not yet, at least. Farsoud applied on the basis of his chronic back pain. He got as far as receiving one of the two doctors’ signatures required to proceed. Thankfully, after a public outpouring of support and a wave of donations, he decided that he didn’t want to go through with it.</p><p>Others weren’t so lucky. In February 2022, a 51-year-old woman called Sophia (not her real name) was euthanised by doctors. She suffered from an extreme sensitivity to household chemicals and cigarette smoke, which made life unbearable for her. Because of her complex needs, the local authorities found it difficult to house her. After two years of asking for help with her living situation, all to no avail, Sophia decided that MAID was the only solution left. Four doctors wrote to federal-government officials on Sophia’s behalf, begging them to help her find alternative accommodation. But their pleas fell on deaf ears. She was killed instead.</p><p>In a similar case, 61-year-old Donna Duncan was euthanised in 2022, after she was deprived of the treatment she so desperately needed. A car accident caused her to have a particularly bad concussion. This led to months of mental and physical decline. She was never seen by her local clinic for complex chronic diseases, thanks to its months-long waiting list. But when she applied for MAID she was approved within a few days. Her daughters maintain that she did not have the capacity to consent to being euthanised.</p><p>Stories like these are shockingly common. For many unwell Canadians, accessing MAID is easier and cheaper than getting the treatment or care they need. More and more people are applying for MAID because they cannot afford to go on living, or their families cannot afford to support them. In 2021, 35.7 per cent of MAID patients said that they believed themselves to be a ‘burden on family, friends or caregivers’. These are not medical concerns, but rather economic and social ones. In the words of one anonymous disabled woman: ‘MAID, for me, is not a life-and-death choice. It’s about what kind of death I want when I run out of money.’</p><p>The Canadian authorities are all but promoting death as a cheaper, easier alternative to life’s struggles. Far from being a last resort for those with incurable health issues, MAID is all too often viewed by officials as the first port of call. In one disturbing example, an army veteran called up Veterans Affairs Canada in 2022, seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury. He was offered MAID instead. In another disturbing case, Christine Gauthier, a Paralympian and veteran, asked the authorities if she could have a stairlift installed in her home. She received a letter asking if she had ever considered euthanasia.</p><p>Smith then reports on the push-back by disability rights groups wanting to protect their lives.</p><p></p><blockquote>Thanks to cases like these, disability-rights campaigners have become some of the fiercest opponents of Canada’s euthanasia laws. In January last year, more than 50 organisations warned that MAID poses an existential threat to disabled people, devaluing their lives and providing the state with an excuse to forgo its responsibilities to vulnerable citizens. These groups rightly argue that Canada should be improving its healthcare services for disabled people and helping them to live decent lives, rather than offering them assisted dying as a ‘solution.’</blockquote><p></p><p>The same applies to terminally ill patients, too. The priority should surely be ensuring the best quality end-of-life care, rather than ending people’s lives sooner than is necessary. Indeed, it is the absence of decent palliative care that is driving so many terminally ill patients to seek euthanasia in the first place.</p><p>The concerns about the expansion of euthanasia to people with mental illness is real. Smith writes:</p><p></p><blockquote>With the MAID programme set to expand to the mentally unwell in only a few months’ time, we will undoubtedly see a new wave of shocking cases. Already, people who have been suffering from mental illnesses are preparing to apply. One woman, 47-year-old Lisa Pauli, plans to apply for MAID as soon as the law changes, on account of her debilitating anorexia. She has ‘tried everything’, she told Reuters recently, and is now ‘too tired’ to go on.</blockquote><p></p><p>Forty-year-old Mitchell Tremblay said in 2022 that he also planned to seek out MAID services once the law changes. He has been diagnosed with ‘anxiety, alcoholism, personality disorders and continual thoughts of suicide’. He cannot work and receives a meagre monthly disability payment. ‘You know what your life is worth to you’, he says, ‘and mine is worthless’.</p><p>One mentally ill woman admitted to CTV News that she is terrified of the expansion. She is worried that she will seek out MAID when she next has suicidal thoughts. Her fears are not unfounded. Instead of talking suicidal people out of killing themselves, the Canadian authorities increasingly offer them a chance to die.</p><p>Originally the Canadian government planned to implement euthanasia for mental illness in March 2023 but it has been delayed until March 17, 2024. Further to that, the Hon Ed Fast sponsored Bill C-314 in parliament to overturn the decision to permit euthanasia for mental illness. C-314 didn't pass but it did get significant support in parliament. Smith comments on the expansion of euthanasia in Canada:</p><p></p><blockquote>Unfortunately, tragedies will continue to occur so long as deathcare remains more accessible than healthcare. In 2022, MAID was responsible for over four per cent of all deaths in Canada. That was up from 3.3 per cent in 2021 and 2.5 per cent in 2020. In Quebec, a shocking 6.6 per cent of all deaths in 2022 were attributable to the MAID programme.</blockquote><p></p><p>As if all this were not horrifying enough, there remains a vocal minority – among them high-profile physicians and healthcare professionals – that is advocating to expand MAID criteria even further, well beyond the mentally ill. Children born with severe disabilities and elderly people who are ‘tired of being alive’ have recently been put forward as potential candidates for legalised euthanasia.</p><p>Smith ends her article by stating:</p><p></p><blockquote><p>All of this is well beyond the bounds of what Canadians were originally told MAID would entail. But stories of homeless, poor, disabled and desperate people accessing a state-assisted death, because it is the ‘easier’ option, are merely the grim, logical consequence of legalising assisted dying in the first place. Assisted dying undermines the value of life. It elevates death as the ultimate solution to suffering. Canada is a warning to the world. This is where the ‘right to die’ leads us.</p></blockquote><p>_____</p><p>* Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition</p><p> </p>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-23953958353808089032023-12-12T17:07:00.000-08:002023-12-12T17:10:27.647-08:00Alex Schadenberg: "Canada's Life Expectancy Rate Drops; Euthanasia Is One of the Reasons"<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6sFg1_ZXw6clB2zVaL2dC9Yc9xbsrYUwaTbkEWahQhno92h3W50ah2uJbA1eA4XYkCTy7phU0pRahKBOdKFGVBylcv0KYPYK3IcyeoD4LI9YgwEXMxJPBSxLmohI4pXDnIpkduwP74vhsSWOhgh98akfpU09-G2nRGEYIpgQQSHBEYvHl6Gdd2f6B44/s960/Photo%20Alex%20in%20Brussels%202.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6sFg1_ZXw6clB2zVaL2dC9Yc9xbsrYUwaTbkEWahQhno92h3W50ah2uJbA1eA4XYkCTy7phU0pRahKBOdKFGVBylcv0KYPYK3IcyeoD4LI9YgwEXMxJPBSxLmohI4pXDnIpkduwP74vhsSWOhgh98akfpU09-G2nRGEYIpgQQSHBEYvHl6Gdd2f6B44/s200/Photo%20Alex%20in%20Brussels%202.jpg"/></a></div>
Canada's life expectancy rate has dropped three years in a row from the average Canadian dying at the age of 82.3 years in 2019 to 81.3 years in 2022.
Much of the news coverage blaimed the shorter life span on Covid 19 deaths and <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/life-expectancy-for-canadians-fell-in-2022-for-third-year-in-a-row-says-statcan-1.6663541" target="_blank">the Canadian Press reported</a> that:
<blockquote>An increase in deaths among younger people last year was attributable in part to deaths under investigation by a coroner or medical examiner, which typically include suicides, homicides and drug toxicity deaths.</blockquote>
Further to that, <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/life-expectancy-for-canadians-fell-in-2022-for-third-year-in-a-row-says-statcan-1.6663541" target="_blank">the Canadian Press</a> reported:
<blockquote>New Brunswick saw the biggest decline in life expectancy among provinces, dropping more than a year to 79.8 years from 80.9 in 2021, the report said. Saskatchewan's life expectancy has
fallen the most over the past three years combined, dropping a full two years to 78.5 in 2022 from 80.5 in 2019. Prince Edward Island was not included in the yearly data breakdowns by province.</blockquote>
Health Columnist Andre Picard was <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-life-expectancy-is-falling-in-canada-its-not-all-covids-fault/" target="_blank">published by the Globe and Mail on December 5</a> as stating:
<blockquote>A one-year loss in life expectancy may not seem like a big deal, but it is. It’s only the second time
this sharp a drop has happened in Canada in the past century.
In fact, life expectancy has been climbing steadily for decades: 71 in 1960, 75 in 1980, 79 in 2000, and 82.3 in 2019.
Life expectancy is an oft-misunderstood measure. It’s not so much a prediction of how long an individual can expect to live, but rather a crude measure of a country’s health, the only real measure of overall population health we have.</blockquote>
To read Schadenberg's article as originally published, <a href="https://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2023/12/canadians-life-expectancy-drops-three.html" target="_blank">please click here</a>: <a href="https://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2023/12/canadians-life-expectancy-drops-three.html">Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-68218678016789675032022-02-28T21:34:00.000-08:002022-02-28T21:34:12.789-08:00Choice is an Illusion Board Member, Kate Kelly, Is Moving on to the Next Stage of Her Life<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_mxxoO4lOn7Yd12emU3fwOJziuJBBaN53FI-XA12NiBzfxGbEWmiyhEwyJUs4FyYfZHgZ6z7AvJ6lMkmJlKPTpzN6hWlY7HoHvYcO3FzQkPg6Et2tewaUd53o4QF55ueJ6alQDNh8-1YG5P0M9nA7b2DsrGelr6p31cdxKj9uRxStRW1W5TI6-OtE=s324" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="324" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_mxxoO4lOn7Yd12emU3fwOJziuJBBaN53FI-XA12NiBzfxGbEWmiyhEwyJUs4FyYfZHgZ6z7AvJ6lMkmJlKPTpzN6hWlY7HoHvYcO3FzQkPg6Et2tewaUd53o4QF55ueJ6alQDNh8-1YG5P0M9nA7b2DsrGelr6p31cdxKj9uRxStRW1W5TI6-OtE=w200-h140" width="200" /></a>By Margaret Dore</p><p></p><p>In 2011, I met a beautiful blonde woman at a Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Conference in Vancouver BC Canada. To me, she looked like a movie star. She was in fact a jazz singer and also a teacher.</p><p>We talked and she explained that her mother had been starved and dehydrated to death in a Canadian long-term care home. She also told me that she had published an article about her experience and agreed to let me republish the article on the Choice in an Illusion website.[1] We also became friends.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In April 2013, Alex Schadenberg, head of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, wrote Kate regarding the impact of her republished article: </p><p></p><blockquote><p>I want you to know that I had a meeting with a head nurse at a local nursing home today who was converted by your article about your mom's death.</p><p>She cried and cried . . . she is trying to change her nursing home.<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p></blockquote><p>More recently, in 2020, Kate advocated for her brother, then living in a Canadian care home with strict restrictions on visitors and outings, to be allowed to leave. Per an article published by the CTV News Atlantic Reporter:</p><blockquote><p>Kelly doesn’t understand why she is allowed to take her brother to a non-urgent medical appointment but isn’t allowed to take him out sight seeing for a few hours.</p><p>"Why is that safe and it's not safe for me to take him out for his mental health to enjoy a day drive around the city,” she asked, noting she has left messages with [his doctor's] office but has not heard back.</p></blockquote><p>Kate's advocacy was eventually successful, allowing her to bring her brother home for extended visits, and also to visit with his friends, which gave him great joy. He subsequently died on February 4, 2021, of natural causes, with Kate at his side.</p><p>To Kate, "Thank you for your many years of advocacy to make this world a better place. We wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you go forward with the next stage of your life."</p><p>* * *</p><p>[1] Kate Kelly, "Mild Stroke Led to Mother's Starvation," <a href="https://www.choiceillusion.org/p/mild-stroke-led-to-mothers-forced.html" target="_blank">can be viewed at this link</a></p>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-86702028882965076802022-02-22T13:33:00.000-08:002022-02-22T13:33:44.170-08:00Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Files Brief to Massachusetts Supreme Court in the Kligler Assisted Suicide Case<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex Schadenberg, </span>Executive Directive, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, London, Ontario, Canada</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLpVnrRj9-JP7vHRuqdps0ZRF1mso1Ff0veWP6CO7WXvmWbpfNsWayTxds_s0wfSN4Je45ZaKR0RHR411aPmT3U02QV48w_1RFWfP6HXJcM51ubVBPxGwAxpcnW_AGR0sw0JVLLivN9EbksT6h_PbX_urW5_fyyS5plhwGOEkutgOp6GZQkbYg6ABBMw=s277" style="clear: right; color: blue; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="277" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjLpVnrRj9-JP7vHRuqdps0ZRF1mso1Ff0veWP6CO7WXvmWbpfNsWayTxds_s0wfSN4Je45ZaKR0RHR411aPmT3U02QV48w_1RFWfP6HXJcM51ubVBPxGwAxpcnW_AGR0sw0JVLLivN9EbksT6h_PbX_urW5_fyyS5plhwGOEkutgOp6GZQkbYg6ABBMw=w204-h144" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(236, 236, 236); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="204" /></a></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In January 2020 the assisted suicide lobby appealed a </span><a href="https://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2020/01/assisted-suicide-lobby-appeal.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Massachusetts Superior court decision</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> which found that there was no right to assisted suicide in Massachusetts. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently the Massachusetts Supreme Court agreed to hear the case and yesterday, EPC-USA submitted a brief in the Massachusetts Supreme Court in this case. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The case known as<i> Kligler</i> concerns Dr Roger Kligler, who is living with prostate cancer and seeking death by assisted suicide and Dr Alan Schoenberg, who is willing to prescribe lethal drugs for Kligler to die by assisted suicide. Kligler who claimed to be terminally ill when launching the case in 2016 remains alive today.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kligler and Schoenberg are arguing that doctors cannot be prosecuted for prescribing lethal drugs for assisted suicide to a competent terminally ill person under the Massachusetts state constitution.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">The EPC-USA brief argues the following:</span></p><p></p><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is no fundamental right to physician-assisted suicide in the Massachusetts Constitution.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><blockquote><i>The Appellants seek to establish a previously unrecognized right to “medical aid in dying,” where a doctor prescribes lethal medication for use in committing suicide. But the widespread prohibition—not acceptance—of assisted suicide is deeply rooted in Massachusetts’ and the Nation’s history and tradition. And the vast majority of states and secular medical associations oppose it today.</i></blockquote><p></p><p></p><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is a fundamental difference between refusing medical treatment and assisted suicide.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><blockquote><i>Creating a right to physician-assisted suicide would not be a mere expansion of the right to refuse life-saving treatment. The right to reject treatment is based on the common-law right to reject a battery. And death occurs, if at all, by natural causes. Assisted suicide is different: it invites the intrusion of a lethal agent into the patient’s body, intentionally causing death.</i></blockquote><p></p><p></p><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">A right to assisted suicide cannot be a limited right as claimed by the appellants.</span></li></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><blockquote><i>Appellants are wrong to suggest a constitutional right to assisted suicide could be limited to a narrow class of people. And that would create problems courts are not equipped to solve.</i></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In other words, if there is a right to assisted suicide then it would be discriminatory to limit that right to certain groups of people, such as people who are terminally ill.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2019/03/massachusetts-court-case-seeks-to.html" target="_blank">At the time,</a> of the lower court hearing, the Massachusetts Attorney General argued that this is a legislative not a judicial issue. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">EPC-USA warns that this case could overturn the US Supreme Court Glucksberg decision which found that there was no right to assisted suicide but a State had the right to legislate on the issue.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">EPC-USA worked with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to prepare the Amicus brief to the Massachusetts Supreme Court in this case.</span></p>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-14353161455629157962020-09-15T21:31:00.000-07:002020-09-15T21:43:10.348-07:00Paul Saba, MD, Has a New Book<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFCPT9SYJdMa86soZzc3jNS96S0fuhyKd3-KS-RahJqsfZKhSLxHEpQuKU1j1X-7SrooqpSCivSng8quri-zGWDtFkLlrp1HDIZRkKGxpJ-0v3CpAZroPXLeyb3Lj6HSb4L-tStaPcbY/s1600/Paul+Saba+Book+149+x+149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKFCPT9SYJdMa86soZzc3jNS96S0fuhyKd3-KS-RahJqsfZKhSLxHEpQuKU1j1X-7SrooqpSCivSng8quri-zGWDtFkLlrp1HDIZRkKGxpJ-0v3CpAZroPXLeyb3Lj6HSb4L-tStaPcbY/s1600/Paul+Saba+Book+149+x+149.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Saba MD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Paul Saba is perhaps best known for his work against assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada and the United States. His new new book, "Made to Live: A Physician's Journey to Save Lives," tells the story of his youngest daughter, Jessica. Doctors told him and his wife, Marisa, that Jessica had little chance of survival.<br />
<br />
When the date for Jessica's birth approached, they were asked how aggressively the medical team should intervene to save her after she was born. Marisa responded: "I have done everything to come this far, and you do everything you need to do to keep her alive." Jessica is now a flourishing, energetic 11-year old.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Published by Winnipeg-based Word Alive Press, Made to Live tells for the first-time Dr. Saba's story. Even the book's creation was a family affair. The title comes from a drawing by Jessica when she was seven years old. The book's cover was designed by their son, John-Anthony. Eldest daughter Eliana contributed a chapter about saving children's lives in the underdeveloped world.<br />
<br />
The books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Chapters, Indigo, Apple iBooks, Kobo, Google Play, Kindle, and Scribd vendors. The book will soon be available in other languages.<br />
<br />
You can contact Lisa Hanash for review copies.<br />
Book trailer: <a href="https://bit.ly/31h6EbV">https://bit.ly/31h6EbV</a> <a href="http://www.madetolive.com/">www.madetolive.com</a><br />
<br />
For further information: Dr. Paul Saba, +1 514-886-3447, <a href="mailto:pauljsaba@madetolive.com">pauljsaba@madetolive.com</a>; Lisa Hanash, +1 514-618-9588, <a href="mailto:lisahanash@madetolive.com">lisahanash@madetolive.com</a>Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-15951504963728664942019-11-04T20:59:00.000-08:002019-11-04T20:59:20.519-08:00That’s Not Assisted Suicide, That’s Murder<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ABzvG1cpa2_4tkKfsWJmGnc1ZwmM80fdp7wXzIzmK66JU9OXWN5UPfg8r2ZEbUhXE2VoVwRG-1BNLyte8EikhvPGJDJVzpNviBmsxqiHF-QNMdWKmGHMcJaEDec8yjU9o5Ft9i8queA/s1600/quebec+flag+170+x+102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="102" data-original-width="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ABzvG1cpa2_4tkKfsWJmGnc1ZwmM80fdp7wXzIzmK66JU9OXWN5UPfg8r2ZEbUhXE2VoVwRG-1BNLyte8EikhvPGJDJVzpNviBmsxqiHF-QNMdWKmGHMcJaEDec8yjU9o5Ft9i8queA/s1600/quebec+flag+170+x+102.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">To view original article, <a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/couple-alleges-psychologist-tried-to-talk-husband-into-killing-terminally-ill-wife-1.4667916?fbclid=IwAR1crHXUWjhP3vFBpWREYZyrq66sTQjcyBIQPTZewNRCkLddsH5FkNvHsrE" target="_blank">click here</a></span><br />
<br />
A Montreal couple is calling for disciplinary measures against a psychologist they say counselled one of them to kill the terminally ill other.<br />
<br />
When Miranda Edwards was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer she said she was determined to fight it.<br />
<br />
“I want to live, I want every medical intervention possible,” she said. “I will fight to the end. I will do every treatment, everything possible to stay alive.”<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Her husband, Serge Simard, struggled as his wife’s health declined and eventually sought the services of a psychologist to help manage the stress.<br />
<br />
Simard alleges the psychologist told him to overdose his wife with morphine she had been prescribed for her pain. He secretly recorded the session on his phone and on the recording the psychologist can be heard saying “at one point it will be a dose too much and she just won’t wake up. It’s the best thing that could happen, really. She won’t be suffering anymore she’ll be in a better place.”<br />
<br />
The psychologist cannot be identified as they haven’t been charged with a crime.<br />
<br />
Simard said he was horrified by the advice.<br />
<br />
“That’s not assisted suicide, that’s murder,” he said. “I will not murder my wife. If Miranda voices anything I will respect her wishes. Miranda has never voiced that she wanted to pass away.”<br />
<br />
Family physician Paul Saba said he feared incidents like this could occur as a result of the legalization of medically assisted suicide....<br />
<br />
The couple said they were disappointed that both Montreal and Gatineau police refused to pursue the case and didn’t rule out a civil court case.Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-59290743409008133232018-12-06T19:07:00.001-08:002018-12-06T19:18:54.598-08:00Margaret Dore Speaks at Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Symposium, Speech Highlights <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hX412RAX4-g85YRYfI-htwtGT_IAQQ2nNySaH9Xvkvg8rhrvgsafu0HqLniumqyGkp0nhQMfxkyyNa7mmrq5pzKF28IkRsOq8VXPlIzhxnePaP_vhbTxuMP8pC4dQGcLbkuZyhW6sKg/s1600/Winnipeg+speech+photo+CROP.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="319" data-original-width="351" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hX412RAX4-g85YRYfI-htwtGT_IAQQ2nNySaH9Xvkvg8rhrvgsafu0HqLniumqyGkp0nhQMfxkyyNa7mmrq5pzKF28IkRsOq8VXPlIzhxnePaP_vhbTxuMP8pC4dQGcLbkuZyhW6sKg/s200/Winnipeg+speech+photo+CROP.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click <a href="http://www.choiceillusioncanada.org/p/blog-page_6.html" target="_blank">here </a>to watch video</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Winnipeg Canada, October 27, 2018</b><b><br /></b>
<b>Introduction: </b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Washington State and Oregon</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I am a licensed attorney, or lawyer, whatever term you want to use, in Washington state, USA, where we do have legal assisted suicide. And in the fine print, our bill, and all of the Oregon-style bills, also allow euthanasia. And that's because there’s no requirement of self-administration. Oregon's law doesn’t even use the word, "self-administer. " [The other side’s claim that it does, is] propaganda.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And Washington's law says “may” self-administer.<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And then the big umbrella is, it’s [the Oregon and Washington laws are] considered part of medicine. Well, who administers medicine normally? Do some of you out there have children? Have you ever administered medicine to your child? Okay. Well, that's the normal way to administer medication, is someone else can give it to you.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So unless there's a clear prohibition from someone else giving it to you, the way I read the law, it already allows euthanasia. It's just sold as assisted suicide.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Now, Alex and I were having a little discussion, you know, well, should we be so clear about that? [that the Oregon-Washington style bills already allow euthanasia] And I think we should and let people know as they're voting for these bills, like in New Jersey or wherever is next, that this [the bill] already has euthanasia hiding in it, and don't think you're just passing a limited law that's voluntary because you're not.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So that was supposed to be my introduction line, but I started talking. But I do that; I don't stay on task very well.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Choice is an Illusion</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So I am also president of "Choice is Illusion." The reason for the name is ... whose choice</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
[will assisted suicide/euthanasia] be? Your choice or the choice of someone else?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Under -- with the Oregon and Washington laws, the easiest thing to see is there's no oversight required at the death. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Two people can be there. One leaves alive; one leaves dead. What happened? [We] don't know. ... and then the death certificate will say a natural death ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Okay.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>So Choice is Illusion, the scope is international. It didn't really start out that way.... [I] have done substantial work in Canada, more so a few years ago. I was actually allowed to specially appear in the LaBlanc case .....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I have [also] worked on Carter, and I do have a few things to say about it. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I also wrote an expert witness affidavit for a South African case. The client gave my affidavit credit for their winning the case. I have appeared in, I think, 20 states, some of them repeats. I know a lot about how the [assisted suicide/euthanasia] laws work.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Statutory Interpretation</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And part of the reason we have been losing -- and I would really urge all of you, especially with organizations, we need attorneys who are highly trained in statutory interpretation.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So I personally worked for the courts, and I also worked for the U.S. Department of Justice. And I got a lot of training in how to read a statute and the different rules that apply. So even if it [a proposed bill or law] looks like it says one thing, because of something else in the bill or the type of bill it is, it will mean something else.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And so that's what's been missing. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
We should have never lost Oregon. Everyone still says it requires “self-administration” in Oregon. And I would invite you to all do a word search on [the Oregon] statute. It's not there. It's propaganda.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Support Organizations ....</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I would encourage you to donate to my organization as well as to Alex's organization or anyone else that's appeared here today. We all need help.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
[<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.choiceillusion.org&source=gmail&ust=1544236993250000&usg=AFQjCNHE3etqSpVkUrwJFJ0blQWn_dM71g" href="http://www.choiceillusion.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.choiceillusion.org</a> & <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.epcc.ca&source=gmail&ust=1544236993250000&usg=AFQjCNHJuJUs4NMkqQvXzOYujQ72mIJ8Cg" href="http://www.epcc.ca/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.epcc.ca</a>]</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Good News</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So I have kind of prepared this as a pep talk.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span> I thought it might be appropriate because things might seem bleak....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Okay.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>So I am going to start out with some good news.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Good news. This year, Utah, the state of Utah, the U.S., passed a new law outlawing -- making -- it's a felony to assist a suicide in Utah. So that passed this year.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Last year, the state of Alabama in the U.S. passed an act banning assisted suicide.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>Okay.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And two years ago, the state of New Mexico, in their court decision, overturned legal assisted suicide in New Mexico. Assisted suicide is no longer legal in New Mexico....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
There's hope even in Canada.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>You just have to keep trying, okay? ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>The Lawyer Situation ....</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
[People] like my father, my parents, donated to Seattle University [Law School], which is a Catholic University. Other Catholics have donated to, say, Loyola or ... some of these other [Catholic] universities so that there would be lawyers that could represent Catholic viewpoints, including opposition to things like assisted suicide and euthanasia.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Well, those schools have been taken over, Compassion and Choices’ legal director started teaching at -- what was – started teaching at Seattle University like 20, 30 years ago. Their current lobbyist teaches a course on end-of-life ethics.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And, you know, if you donate to those schools, call up whoever is in charge and say you're not going to donate anymore and tell other people not to donate until they get rid of those lobbyists, because that's part of the problem.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
[At legislative hearings, t] hey come in with experts. They have been doing this for years. Their points [which are largely false] are so polished.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And then what [have we] got? I might come in. I'm a volunteer.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
[Basically, we have largely volunteers against a machine]</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Oregon</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
It's -- you know, there's a reason we're kind of losing. I mean, we lost in Oregon.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>We should never have lost in Oregon. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
There was no self-administration [in the bill’s language], and that was [the other side’s] big talking point [that the bill was safe due to self-administration being required and the term wasn’t even in the bill. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And we didn’t call them on it. Where were the lawyers? I mean gee whiz it wasn’t even in the fricken bill and we missed it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
To the best of my knowledge, I was the first person on our side to notice that Oregon’s law doesn’t even use the term, like 10 years after the law was passed. We need lawyers like yesterday] ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>The Power of One</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So I also wanted to talk about – part of my pep talk is "The Power of One," and I was going</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
to use the example of my parents, or my mom.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So when I was four years old, my sister died of what we now know is SIDS. [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome]</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
People didn't know what it was. Crib death or whatever you want to call it. And so she wanted to know why her baby died.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And so back then, you could look up -- in the newspaper you could find out actually people's addresses. So every day she would look at the obits, and if there was a baby that had died that was under six months old, she would call the person [parent] right up.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So she kind of -- after a little while she had a little parent group. She had this little constituency.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And then my father was a legislator.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>So that was one person. That was her. Okay? And then my father happened to be a state legislator, so he proposed a bill to have a controlled study, like an autopsy of every baby that fit a certain profile that was under six months [old] ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And he thought he had the votes. Then he learned he was one short, this guy who he had thought would vote with him.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>And so he went to see him, and it turned out it was a person whose baby had also died.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>And so the guy didn't want his little girl cut up. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And so the two men cried, and my father got his vote. And the study went through. And through that, they still don't know what causes SIDS, but the incidence is way down.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
They have a sleep-on-your-back campaign. I don't know if you have heard about that. That all arises out of Mary Dore [my mother] being upset and wanting to make a difference.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And so all of you, if you can just hang on, you know, it looks bad right now, but especially if you can get lawyers who really know statutory interpretation [we can win].</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Selfish Arguments</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And, also, what I try to do is use selfish arguments. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Okay.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>So if I am in front of a legislature, these are typically people who are middle class and above, or they couldn't have gotten elected.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>They wouldn't have time [or money] to be in the legislature. So they're at least the middle class and above. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
They probably [have] a house, a car, a little money in the bank. And they're often 50, 60, 70 years old. And so I don't talk to them about vulnerable people because that's asking them to be altruistic. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I start talking to them about themselves.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So I am an elder abuse attorney. I have seen the terrible things people do at the end of life or ending lives to get the money. Getting the wills changed. I have done guardianship. I have seen it all, okay?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And so I start talking to them, like, how much do you trust your relatives? How much do you trust your kids? </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
If this goes through, I mean, the way the bill works, the Washington and Oregon style bill works, you know, someone – the people that I have talked to, they sign up just in case [they want to use the lethal dose]. They are not necessarily intending to use it. It gives them comfort [to have it in the house]. That's one of Compassion & Choices’ few true talking points.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So once it's in the house -- so, say, you know, Dad has got the bad news. Son suggested he gets the drugs. And so they're in the house and the son is back in his life or whatever. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And, you know, he goes -- so Dad goes to the doctor and is kind is surprised. His test results are</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
better. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And so he comes back and tells his son, and his son is like, "Oh, Dad, oh, that's great. ...”<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Because he's already been thinking about the remodel, you know, when his dad is gone. "So let's drink to that."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Drink No. 1, 2, 3, 4. We're pretty happy now. And now a special drink. Bottoms up, and Dad is dead. The death certificate will say whatever the illness was.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Good sister comes back, "I can't believe he died. I thought he got that great test result.” Son responds, "Here's the death certificate, the cause of death was cancer." .... </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
The perfect crime. These bills allow legal murder. They allow the perfect crime.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And so all these decision makers like the justices [of ] the Canadian Supreme Court, the voters [of Oregon and Washington State] have naively voted this in thinking it's voluntary, thinking that</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
they're helping people. ...</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>The Carter Case<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Let's talk about Carter real fast. And I have a handout that says Carter on it that was in the pile. Well, anyway, the thing is, Carter is based --</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Ten minutes?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Carter is based on the right to life. All right? You already heard that? So what they [the Canadian Supreme Court Justices ] did was they said that [we] have to allow euthanasia because if somebody wants to do suicide, they would have to do it when they're still able to -- healthy enough to kill themselves [which would make them have to kill themselves early when they still have good life left. So euthanasia must be allowed so that people are not forced to kill themselves early, if they’re disabled, someone else can do it for them] </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Okay.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>But that presumes that suicide is a right. There's no right. It's been decriminalized in</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Canada, but it's not -- I mean, if one of you right now would get out a gun and point it at your head, you know, the cops would come and take you in .... </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So anyway, [Carter] it's based on a nonexistent right to suicide. That's the fatal flaw of the decision. It's the linchpin to the whole decision and it's B.S. So it just seems that that would be a simple little lawsuit. And if you got a little PR going and had your stories lined up, you know, or you never know, somebody else could come into power. You never know.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Like my dad when he was a politician, he lost -- he had a bad streak. He lost like [four or] five elections in a row. Attorney General he lost, Mayor of Seattle he lost. He lost his Senate seat. He lost -- there was one other one, I don't remember.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Anyway, then his friend got elected Governor and appointed him to a lower court. That kick-started his career again, and he ended up being the Chief Justice of the Washington State Supreme Court. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So right now you're down, but it's not over, okay? ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>How to Argue to Win</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So I want to talk about how to argue to win.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>The first thing people have to know is we're not talking about people that are necessarily dying anytime soon.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So the easy way I do that is I hold up [a photo of ] Jeannette, my friend: “This is my friend, Jeannette Hall [who got talked] out -- assisted suicide in Oregon 18 years go.” </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
That gets their attention, okay? ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I want to be talking about alive people. I do not talk about hospice. I do not talk about palliative care because that gives the image of someone [dying] in bed, and nobody wants to vote for that, okay?<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So I'm saying something different than other people, and this is my experience. I have been in 20 states. I have been successful....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Why did we lose in Washington State?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Because we said, “Well, there's palliative care, so everybody [the voters] is envisioning sick people in bed. And we [the campaign] had pictures of kind [people looking down at sick or old people in bed or in a wheelchair.]</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I mean, everyone tried. I'm not blaming anybody. [But, we did it and we lost and people on are side are still doing it and then we lose. What is the definition of insanity?]</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Colors</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I also tend to use green as a color. It's life. People can look at it.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
It's kind of hard on legislators -- or if you have ever been a judge or something, when you have got a whole room full of people with red stickers, I mean, after a while it just puts everybody on edge.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Choice</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Okay.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>So the next thing they [decision makers ] need to know is that it won't necessarily be their choice, which I guess I have already talked about. And they need to know that the bill [or law] </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
is stacked against them. [Legal assisted suicide and/or euthanasia are] a recipe for abuse.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>[They’re] a recipe for a lot of things.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>The US Palliative Care Bill (S.693, H.R. 1676 ) ....</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
A little background on it. About -- I think it was in 2012, I read an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, and it was a doctor writing that, you know, doctors didn't want to have to kill their patients. And so she suggested that there be something like a killing “center” [so that doctors wouldn’t have to do it]</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Okay. So this new hospice bill allows palliative care centers -- centers.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And Compassion and Choices has started a new PR campaign saying that “aid in dying,” which is a euphemism for euthanasia, is “palliative” [so that the proposed centers will thereby allow euthanasia] ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
It was a unanimous vote coming out of the U.S. [House of Representatives. Both versions of the bill are now in a US Senate Committee, the HELP Committee (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions)] ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>History Repeating Itself</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Also, I am one of those people that used to read a lot of war stuff.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>So I read The Nazi Doctors by Robert J. Lifton, if any of you have read that. And in there, there's a very helpful couple of pages talking about how they [the German government] convinced the German population to accept euthanasia.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And I think it's very instructive so that we learn from that and we don't make those mistakes. They [the German government] kept it “medicalized,” always had a doctor present.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So we don't – if we can help it, we shouldn't talk about [assisted suicide/euthanasia] as a medical</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
treatment unless we have to.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>Okay?</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
They also talked about how expensive some people were, and they talked about people being burdens. So we don't want to use the “B” word and say that people are burdens or that someone called me a burden. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And I know I'm going against what some of you have said today, but if you do that all you're doing is helping the other side, okay? </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Because you want to get the conversation really narrow, focus on your 60-plus decisionmaker that this could be you, you know? ...</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I stopped this bill in Connecticut just by saying something similar to that and pointing out how the death certificate would make it as a matter of law.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And I saw the sponsor put his hand on his head as the bill was going down. I mean, it just was that fast [five minutes? as I was speaking] ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Don’t Concede People Are Choosing</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Okay.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>Oh, don't concede people are choosing. Like Brittany Maynard. That's how her husband pronounces it....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Did she choose assisted suicide? Two days ahead of time she's crying and ambivalent, right, if you watched the video.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And then after the fact we find out that her husband and her mother are fighting over the movie rights.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>Oh, looks just like a normal inheritance contest to me.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>“Ending Lives”</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Okay.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>Other things.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>Like instead of saying "end of life" care, "ending lives.” ...</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Have Your Own Theme of the Case</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
The other thing is like -- okay, so my dad was a trial lawyer, and you want to have your own theme of the case, okay? </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So if it's a murder trial, you know, the prosecutor might say: “This was a murder, a heinous crime of jealousy and rage, he was already convicted once of assaulting her, you know, a big black eye or whatever, it was terrible, and this time he murdered her.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So if you're the defense, you want to have an actual defense that doesn't ring the bell of any of those horrible things.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So you might say something like, "This is a case of mistaken identity. And we're going to be -- in our case today, we're going to show he was in Canada that day. We have credit card receipts, and we have eyewitness testimony putting him in Vancouver. So he wasn't in Colorado -- or wherever the crime occurred. -- It wasn't him." ....<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So just because the other side talks about pain and suffering, we don't have to do that, and shouldn't, because, you know, unless we're forced to. Because that's their case; their case is suffering. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
[And their claim about suffering is also not supported by the Oregon statistics, which they produce. So, another fake claim on their part] ....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Don’t Take on a Burden That You Don’t Need to Prove; Control the Argument</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So you only have to prove it's a bad bill [to defeat it]. And most of these cases it's a bill situation. You don't have to prove that all these other societal things need to be addressed or anything else. You just want to focus on your narrow thing....</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
In Washington state, one of the reasons we lost is we didn't handle the Catholic argument very well. [“Catholics want to impose their values on everyone else and/or make people suffer”]</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And so it was used on me in Minnesota, I was in a debate, you know, held in the basement of a church. And so I got up, and I just did my two points:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>We're talking about people who have years, decades to live, and it won't necessarily be your choice.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
That was it. Your turn. </div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
And then she says like:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>Well, you know, there's something that hasn't been said here, the role of the church</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>and blah, blah, blah. And Catholics want people to suffer, whatever.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
So I just said back:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>You know, there's a lot of Catholics here. There might even be some cafeteria Catholics, different kinds of Catholics. You know, but no matter who they are or how many there are or what kind they are, the bill is still going to say and do the same thing, so let's just get back to the bill.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Anyway, I won that debate because I didn't take on a burden I didn't need to prove. I didn't need to justify Catholic beliefs. I didn't need to do any of that. [I just needed to show that the bill we were talking about was a bad bill. By doing so, I controlled the argument and prevailed]</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<b>Catholic Churches Forcing Speakers to Take on a Burden that Gets the Speaker into Trouble (and Hurts the Church)</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Now, what's been also a problem for me is sometimes, you <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>know, I have been -- so in this particular debate, we made a deal with the Catholic priest that we would have a prayer at the beginning [of the debate] but that [he] would not give the Catholic position because that would bring in -- because that would put a burden on me.<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>I would then have to defend the church, and everything the church has ever done wrong would all of a sudden come back to me.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
But some of the other churches, when I have wanted to speak, they said, "Well, you have to talk about the Catholic position at the beginning of your [talk]” <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>And I said, "I can't do that because . ... that's going to make us lose." And it's been very difficult. So I don't know what the solution to that is.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
MALE SPEAKER: “You're doing it. You're keeping it legal.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
MARGARET DORE: I mean, you just want to win, you know. And then once you win, then you can take care of these other things. Let's see.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
MALE SPEAKER:<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span>We're down to two minutes (inaudible).</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
MARGARET DORE: ... I guess I did it all:<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.choiceillusion.org&source=gmail&ust=1544236993250000&usg=AFQjCNHE3etqSpVkUrwJFJ0blQWn_dM71g" href="http://www.choiceillusion.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.choiceillusion.org</a> Thank you very much.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
(Conclusion of presentation)</div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-20748206550993897702018-09-13T14:46:00.002-07:002018-09-13T16:12:48.296-07:00Roger Foley Lawsuit Challenges Canada's Euthanasia Law<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeLekYHKIWAKvDYtrr1PYe5FeoyXt29t_HjqPHbh31AW8VCt7aDRSsN7LIAzIn0kXy0EffqK0sVvOWLXxEJGgsm5bGL_Kr_cLo-cwGIIdWrv7PLNy6EqhFjrUnZDdWCs58-IWZd22oNk/s1600/Photo+Roger+Foley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="460" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmeLekYHKIWAKvDYtrr1PYe5FeoyXt29t_HjqPHbh31AW8VCt7aDRSsN7LIAzIn0kXy0EffqK0sVvOWLXxEJGgsm5bGL_Kr_cLo-cwGIIdWrv7PLNy6EqhFjrUnZDdWCs58-IWZd22oNk/s200/Photo+Roger+Foley.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/denied-assisted-life-by-hospital-ontario-man-is-offered-death-instead-lawsuit">https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/denied-assisted-life-by-hospital-ontario-man-is-offered-death-instead-lawsuit</a><br />
<br />
An Ontario hospital that wants to discharge a suicidal man with a crippling brain disease threatened to start charging him $1,800 a day, and suggested his other options included medically assisted death [non-voluntary euthanasia], according to a new lawsuit.<br />
<br />
It also claims Canada’s new assisted dying laws are unconstitutional and should be struck down because they do not require doctors “to even try to help relieve intolerable suffering” before offering to kill a terminally ill patient.<br />
<br />
The scandalous claims, as yet untested in court, are among the first major court challenges to the law, created in 2016 by the federal government in response to a Supreme Court ruling [Carter] that struck down the criminal ban on assisted suicide. ...<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
• Email: jbrean@nationalpost.comAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-64131577550167778332017-12-30T14:37:00.000-08:002017-12-30T14:37:44.561-08:00Update: Woman Who Mistakenly Thought She had a Terminal Illness Meets Her Rescuers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo9kofm0YZ58f9LlxKMAZyrhRtrQm43UEYvxXRQP8fpKlV1Jlq6Ve5AB3WIo7qKh0d71vyolWuiKFGo1EjoiMvkpYLaLoGkAw4gmigpHNnjOuWgCPXXRfPzQDIjK3M_Iv6grMBJs8sYQ/s1600/Photo+vancouverislandfreedaily+.25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="300" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoo9kofm0YZ58f9LlxKMAZyrhRtrQm43UEYvxXRQP8fpKlV1Jlq6Ve5AB3WIo7qKh0d71vyolWuiKFGo1EjoiMvkpYLaLoGkAw4gmigpHNnjOuWgCPXXRfPzQDIjK3M_Iv6grMBJs8sYQ/s200/Photo+vancouverislandfreedaily+.25.jpg" width="200" /></a>To read the entire article, <a href="https://www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com/news/bc-ferries-woman-overboard-says-thanks-to-her-rescuers/" target="_blank">click here</a><br />
<br />
A Ladysmith artist who survived five hours in the frigid waters of the Salish Sea in late October and the rescuers who gave her a second chance at life were both struck with emotion as they met again in Ladysmith on Sunday.<br />
<br />
“They were absolutely amazing and so compassionate and it was just such a beautiful meeting – I totally remembered the faces of the two guys that pulled me out of the water, ” said Mya DeRyan.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
“This was an extraordinary circumstance because they were looking for someone who didn’t want to be found.” ...<br />
<br />
Following DeRyan’s decision to go public last week with her story, many on social media expressed frustration with her putting rescuers own lives on the line.<br />
<br />
DeRyan said she understands their point-of-view and that it was never part of her plan to bring attention upon herself.<br />
<br />
“I felt so guilty about tying up both ferries and delaying everybody and just imagining what they must being going through emotionally, or judgmentally, ” she said.<br />
<br />
Now, she plans to close up her gallery in Ladysmith within the next week and move to Vancouver to be closer to her son to start a new chapter.<br />
<br />
“I feel like I’ve made some new friends. They’ve invited me to come visit them at the station, ” she said. “It certainly brought me closure and just having an opportunity to just really convey my gratitude.”Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-79664718335231502102017-12-09T13:23:00.006-08:002017-12-30T14:39:08.228-08:00Woman Tries To Kill Herself After Terminal Diagnosis Only To Find Out It Was Wrong <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JlcEMA1RGLAyoZhJhCQGMnwfHxWLVKu1xgfwv1QU8Wq-fe1IEIFO2qxeucg7mHDsMijaqMW0kXT0e1hee0pcbA9s8dQmtDrQ62rpeFxD7ZVNTskiRpVhZolZ5vJFPCwwY7gSD3A03Dw/s1600/Photo+deryan+441+x+441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="441" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JlcEMA1RGLAyoZhJhCQGMnwfHxWLVKu1xgfwv1QU8Wq-fe1IEIFO2qxeucg7mHDsMijaqMW0kXT0e1hee0pcbA9s8dQmtDrQ62rpeFxD7ZVNTskiRpVhZolZ5vJFPCwwY7gSD3A03Dw/s200/Photo+deryan+441+x+441.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Times Colonist</i> : Mya DeRyan,<br />
after her incident</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://all-that-is-interesting.com/false-diagnosis-suicide">http://all-that-is-interesting.com/false-diagnosis-suicide</a><br />
<br />
By Katie Serena<br />
<br />
After receiving a terminal diagnosis, Mya DeRyan decided to end her life on her own terms -- but things didn't quite go as planned.<br />
<br />
A Canadian woman has discovered a “new lease on life” after a close call with death.<br />
<br />
Last month, Mya DeRyan was fished from the frigid waters off the coast of Vancouver, after jumping from the deck of a ferry.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Earlier this year DeRyan went to her doctor complaining of chronic headaches and nausea and was diagnosed with a terminal illness.<br />
<br />
Being a skeptic of western medicine, DeRyan opted out of treatment, instead choosing to end her life on her own terms.<br />
<br />
As an avid ocean-lover, DeRyan chose the sea as her final resting place. She made her living by creating artwork made from the scales of dead fish, and believed that an ocean death would be “the ultimate expression of her connection to the water.”<br />
<br />
On the morning of Oct. 30, DeRyan boarded the Queen of Cowichan ferry. She posted a video on Facebook, announcing her wish to die by skinny dipping in the ocean. Then, later that evening, she removed her clothing, left a short note expressing her wishes, and jumped into the ocean.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for DeRyan, another passenger saw her jump, and immediately alerted the ferry’s authorities. Though life rings were tossed into the water, DeRyan avoided them and swam as far from the ferry as she could.<br />
<br />
However, the ferry staff didn’t give up, as DeRyan hoped they would, and immediately informed the Marine Communications and Traffic Services. For the next five hours, helicopters, ferries, and Zodiacs swarmed the area, leaving DeRyan continuously swimming away from watercraft, and unable to successfully commit suicide.<br />
<br />
Eventually, she became so exhausted from treading water, and so cold from the frigid water temperatures that she grabbed onto a life ring, and allowed a boat to pull her to safety.<br />
<br />
DeRyan was immediately rushed to the hospital, where doctors treated her for extreme hypothermia. The average survival time in Pacific waters is two to three hours, due to the near-freezing water temps, and DeRyan had survived five. Eventually, doctors in the intensive care unit were able to stabilize her vital organs and warm her body.<br />
<br />
However, the most shocking news was yet to come. In addition to having survived record time in freezing water, doctors informed DeRyan that her original diagnosis had been false — aside from hypothermia, she was in perfect health.<br />
<br />
After spending a week in the psych ward, where she was placed after doctors realized she had tried to kill herself, DeRyan was released and is now recovering at home with her family.Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-43681909381985749852017-12-01T17:25:00.001-08:002017-12-01T17:26:17.909-08:00Nurse found not guilty of manslaughter suspended by CNO<div class="articleBody">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.3449596.1496941488!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_225/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Joanna Flynn " border="0" height="127" src="https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.3449596.1496941488!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_225/image.jpg" title="Joanna Flynn " width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Janna Flynn, RN, CTV</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A nurse found not guilty of manslaughter after removing a patient from
life support in 2014 has been suspended by a disciplinary committee.<br />
<br />
The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) suspended Joanna Flynn for five
months for committing professional misconduct in March 2014.<br />
<br />
Flynn had pleaded guilty to two charges of professional misconduct.... To read the rest of the article, <a href="http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/nurse-found-not-guilty-of-manslaughter-suspended-by-cno-1.3697786" target="_blank">click here</a>.</div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-85671951111217830942017-10-11T19:29:00.000-07:002017-11-25T21:47:44.848-08:00Lamb Case Gives Feds Second Bite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkz3Q71nXvLLzdI5AcKJPNgPA-DFYEASYN92RLJdAPVSuqr_19X0Hg4-9azVq2ufp1u7jH-H1qZ4k96fqYXvVjUBNLuQDdEKs9nXPf9UnApIkdSYEQN_lf6sDXiunMOeZaMJFqqU2o1A/s1600/zflagbc.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="101" data-original-width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMkz3Q71nXvLLzdI5AcKJPNgPA-DFYEASYN92RLJdAPVSuqr_19X0Hg4-9azVq2ufp1u7jH-H1qZ4k96fqYXvVjUBNLuQDdEKs9nXPf9UnApIkdSYEQN_lf6sDXiunMOeZaMJFqqU2o1A/s1600/zflagbc.png" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
<br />
<div>
To view the article as published, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/assisted-dying-constitutional-challenge-1.4349773" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
<span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A B.C. Supreme Court justice has rejected a bid for a speedier trial in a constitutional challenge to the country's assisted dying law.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
The B.C. Civil Liberties Association had asked the court to prevent the federal government from reintroducing evidence on issues that had already been decided in <i>Carter v. Canada</i>, the case that led to the legalization of assisted dying in Canada.<br /><br />
Lawyers with the BCCLA told reporters outside court that while the decision is unfortunate, they still expect the challenge to be successful.<br /><br />"We succeeded in defeating the government's arguments in the <i>Carter</i> case and we will succeed in defeating them the second time around."</span></div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-40202995585778686512017-10-09T19:39:00.001-07:002017-11-24T14:45:23.386-08:00How Legalization of Doctor-Assisted Death 'Invites Coercion'<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0.75em 0px 0px; position: relative;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEiurK4oeviWS4NbgH6jWHZuvzT6KZOrMJpduSQMtNB0-HMcPIkF2Wq6601X-mReNT1hxYOIVVIC5HkowcXIETxZ2R8DGIAnC70Oe6_1oQoGsf-0AWE8PUPuSqQPbe3JgpWDKeLC_t9I/s1600/photo+MD+brighter+headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="148" data-original-width="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfEiurK4oeviWS4NbgH6jWHZuvzT6KZOrMJpduSQMtNB0-HMcPIkF2Wq6601X-mReNT1hxYOIVVIC5HkowcXIETxZ2R8DGIAnC70Oe6_1oQoGsf-0AWE8PUPuSqQPbe3JgpWDKeLC_t9I/s1600/photo+MD+brighter+headshot.jpg" /></a></div>
</h3>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333;">Radio Sputnik. </span><span style="color: #333333;">The article as originally published can be viewed </span><a href="https://sputniknews.com/society/201710091058071622-legalized-doctor-assisted-death-invites-coercion/" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #333333;">.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333;">Nearly 2,000 Canadians have taken their own lives with the help of doctors after the legalization of assisted suicide [and euthanasia] in the country. Apart from Canada, euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia and Luxembourg. Sputnik discussed the controversial law with Margaret Dore, an attorney standing against euthanasia legalization in the US.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333;">Canada adopted a law permitting medically assisted suicide [and euthanasia in 2016] and since then doctor-assisted deaths have accounted for 1 percent of all deaths in the country.</span><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3776541854645153671" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4; position: relative; width: 470px;">
<div class="b-article__text" itemprop="articleBody" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.margaretdore.org/" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Margaret Dore</a>, an attorney and president of <a href="http://www.choiceillusion.org/" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Choice is an Illusion</a>, an organization fighting assisted suicide and euthanasia legalization efforts throughout the United States [and internationally], explained that in many cases assisted suicide has more sinister motives rather than just relieving people of their pain due to, for example, terminal disease.</div>
<div class="marker-quote1" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-image: initial; border-left: 19px solid rgb(247, 150, 29); border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", Georgia, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 15px 30px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“We don’t know if the people who did it, chose it. In the United States, [the ] few laws that we have here are promoted as [limited to] assisted suicide, but in the fine print they also allow euthanasia,” Dore said.</div>
<div class="b-inject" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/346025155&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" style="border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sinister motives</strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
She further said that as a lawyer she has seen people do bad things for money. </div>
<div class="marker-quote1" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-image: initial; border-left: 19px solid rgb(247, 150, 29); border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", Georgia, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 15px 30px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“Someone’s relative is getting older and people start maneuvering for the will, but at least you can’t kill the person, but with this you can manipulate and get an early death and inherit earlier,” Dore said.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="b-inject m-inject-min" style="border: 0px; color: black; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 5px 0px 20px 40px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 331px;">
<div class="b-inject__media" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="b-inject__copy" style="background-color: #f7961d; border: 0px; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px -30px; padding: 9px 20px 8px; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">© AP PHOTO/ GREG BAKER</span></div>
<div class="b-inject__content" style="background-color: #f7961d; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 30px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Norway's Psychiatric Patients Given Shock Treatment Without Consent</div>
</div>
She spoke about the “disturbing” cases of “voluntary sign ups” for assisted suicides and gave examples of [one person] having been intoxicated before they agreed to [taking the drug]<br />
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Earlier in her article for <a href="https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">KCBA.org</a>, Dore also stressed that the patient’s “control” in this situation is an illusion [including] because the act requires an application process to obtain the lethal drug, which includes a written request form with two required witnesses.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“The Act allows one of these witnesses to be the patient's heir. The Act also allows someone else to talk for the patient during the lethal-dose request process, for example, the patient's heir. This does not promote patient choice; it invites coercion,” Dore had written <a href="https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">in the article</a>.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Loopholes in the law</strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
She also explained that the term "self-administer" does not necessarily mean that the patient will administer the drug. "Self-administer" is instead defined as the act of ingesting. The act states, "'Self-administer' means a qualified patient's act of ingesting medication to end his or her life.”</div>
<div class="marker-quote1" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-image: initial; border-left: 19px solid rgb(247, 150, 29); border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", Georgia, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 15px 30px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Dore stressed that the criterion in Washington or in Oregon is not that people are dying; it’s that they have a <a href="http://www.choiceillusionsouthdakota.org/2017/07/the-measure-applies-to-people-with.html" style="border: 0px; color: #f7961d; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">terminal disease</a> and that is defined by having six months or less to live.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="b-inject m-inject-min" style="border: 0px; color: black; float: right; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 5px 0px 20px 40px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 331px;">
<div class="b-inject__media" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="b-inject__copy" style="background-color: #f7961d; border: 0px; color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px -30px; padding: 9px 20px 8px; text-align: right; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">© AFP 2017/ INGO WAGNER / DPA</span></div>
<div class="b-inject__content" style="background-color: #f7961d; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 30px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://sputniknews.com/europe/201708281056849090-germany-nurse-murder-patients/" style="border: 0px; color: #f7961d; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Not Quite the Angel of Mercy: German Nurse Suspected of Murdering Over 80 Patients</a></div>
</div>
She added that diseases like diabetes are listed in the terminal disease list. However, according to her, there are many questionable factors in that list.<br />
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Dore gave an example of a man who was diagnosed with neurodegenerative disorder in his early 20’s and was told that he wouldn’t live longer than a few years, but he is actually 74 now and is still alive and even has grandchildren. <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/signed-john-norton-affidavit_001.pdf" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Despite his grim diagnosis the progression of the disease just stopped on its own</a>.</div>
<div class="marker-quote1" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-image: initial; border-left: 19px solid rgb(247, 150, 29); border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", Georgia, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 15px 30px 20px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“It’s more complicated than it first sounds even in terms of who is more ‘eligible’ for it,” Dore said.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Giving up hope</strong></div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Regarding terminally ill patients, under the statute there are two doctors who can confirm the chronic disease and permit assisted suicide.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Cancer has become one of the driving factors prompting terminally-ill patients to put an end to their lives with medical help, accounting 60 percent of all cases. </div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Other diseases including neurodegenerative disorders and respiratory and circulatory system failures were also major reasons for choosing euthanasia.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://www.kcba.org/newsevents/barbulletin/BView.aspx?Month=05&Year=2009&AID=article5.htm" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">In her article</a>, Dore concluded that “The Death with Dignity Act” is not necessarily about dignity or choice. It also can enable people to pressure others into an early death or even cause it. The act also may encourage patients with years to live to give up hope.</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 18px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
[For more information about assisted suicide and euthanasia as promoted in the US, <a href="http://www.choiceillusionsouthdakota.org/2017/09/updated-analysis-of-initiated-measure.html" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">click here</a> to view to an analysis of a current proposal in the US State of South Dakota]</div>
</div>
<div style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="post-footer" style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(157, 184, 78); color: #303030; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10.8px; line-height: 1.6; margin: 20px -2px 0px; padding: 5px 10px;">
<div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1">
<span class="post-author vcard" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 1em;"></span><span class="post-timestamp" style="margin-left: -1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span><span class="post-icons" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span class="item-control blog-admin pid-1054111325" style="display: inline;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6843705300864147847&postID=3776541854645153671&from=pencil" style="color: #3d85c6; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Edit Post"><img alt="" class="icon-action" height="18" src="https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif" style="border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-style: none !important; border-width: initial; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.5em !important; position: relative; vertical-align: middle;" width="18" /></a></span></span></div>
</div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-14428292849590000522017-08-18T15:49:00.000-07:002017-11-26T16:00:13.463-08:00In Oregon, Other Suicides Have Increased With Legalization of Assisted Suicide<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By Margaret K. Dore, Esq.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64Ya4NT-TjUBMlnrRv1vM_5fpGgKHKjPs4pzRmgIAAkc3wvmJdtyW8y1F1nj1N2uLpSrTv1uj-NKfyrDJgNeuPa_PnvGE9XDes7jKvbwh4MYGGVfLBMfOzNHp8w3BAItTq7y4GDXoQuk/s1600/Oregon+pretty+and+dark+coastal+cliffs.jpg" style="clear: right; color: #3d85c6; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj64Ya4NT-TjUBMlnrRv1vM_5fpGgKHKjPs4pzRmgIAAkc3wvmJdtyW8y1F1nj1N2uLpSrTv1uj-NKfyrDJgNeuPa_PnvGE9XDes7jKvbwh4MYGGVfLBMfOzNHp8w3BAItTq7y4GDXoQuk/s200/Oregon+pretty+and+dark+coastal+cliffs.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 221, 158); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.098) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Since the passage of Oregon’s law allowing physician-assisted suicide, other suicides in Oregon have steadily increased. This is consistent with a suicide contagion in which the legalization of physician-assisted suicides has encouraged other suicides. In Oregon, the financial and emotional impacts of suicide on family members and the broader community are devastating and long-lasting.[1]</span></div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. Suicide is Contagious <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It is well known that suicide is contagious. A famous example is Marilyn Monroe.[2] Her widely reported suicide was followed by “a spate of suicides.”[3]</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="more"></a><br /></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the understanding that suicide is contagious, groups such as the National Institute of Mental Health and the World Health Organization have developed guidelines for the responsible reporting of suicide, to prevent contagion. Key points include that the risk of additional suicides increases:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[W]hen the story explicitly describes the suicide method, uses dramatic/graphic headlines or images, and repeated/extensive coverage sensationalizes or glamorizes a death.[4] </span></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>B.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">In Oregon, prominent cases of physician-assisted suicide include Lovelle Svart and Brittany Maynard.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lovelle Svart died in 2007.[5] <i>The Oregonian</i>, which is Oregon’s largest paper, violated the recommended guidelines for the responsible reporting of suicide by explicitly describing her suicide method and by employing “dramatic/graphic images.” Indeed, visitors to the paper’s website were invited “to hear and see when Lovelle swallowed the fatal dose.”[6] Today, ten years later, there are still photos of her online, lying in bed, dying.[7]</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Brittany Maynard reportedly died from physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, on November 1, 2014. Contrary to the recommended guidelines, there was “repeated/extensive coverage” in multiple media, worldwide.[8] This coverage is ongoing, albeit on a smaller and less intense scale.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><b>C.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> Canadian</span> Wanted to Die Like Brittany Maynard</b></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A month after Ms. Maynard’s death, Canadian doctor, Will Johnston, was presented with a twenty year old patient during an emergency appointment in British Columbia.[9] The young man, who had been brought in by his mother, was physically healthy, but had been acting oddly and talking about death.[10]</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr. Johnston asked the young man if he had a plan.[11] The young man said "yes," that he had watched a video about Ms. Maynard.[12] He said that he was very impressed with her and that he identified with her and that he thought it was a good idea for him to die like her.[13] He also told Dr. Johnston that after watching the video he had been surfing the internet looking for suicide drugs.[14] Dr. Johnston’s declaration states:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He was actively suicidal and agreed to go to the hospital, where he stayed for five weeks until it was determined that he was sufficiently safe from self-harm to go home.[15]</span></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The young man had wanted to die like Brittany Maynard.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b><b>D.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In Oregon, Other Suicides Have Increased with Legalization of Physician-Assisted Suicide</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oregon government reports show the following positive correlation between the legalization of physician-assisted suicide and an increase in other suicides. Per the reports:</span></div>
<ul style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oregon legalized physician-assisted suicide “in late 1997.”[16]</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By 2000, Oregon’s conventional suicide rate was "increasing significantly."[17]</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By 2007, Oregon's conventional suicide rate was 35% above the national average.[18]</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By 2010, Oregon's conventional suicide rate was 41% above the national average.[19]</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By 2012, Oregon's conventional suicide rate was 42% above the national average.[20]</span></li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By 2014, Oregon's conventional suicide rate was 43.1% higher than the national average.[21]</span></li>
</ul>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<b>E.<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Financial and Emotional Cost of Suicide in Oregon </b></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oregon’s report for 2012 describes the cost of suicide as “enormous.” The report states:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Suicide is the second leading cause of death among Oregonians aged 15 to 34 years, and the eighth leading cause of death among all ages in Oregon. The cost of suicide is enormous. In 201[2] alone, self-inflicted injury hospitalization charges in Oregon exceeded $54 million; and the estimate of total lifetime cost of suicide in Oregon was over $677 million. The loss to families and communities broadens the impact of each death. (footnotes omitted).[22]</span></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<b style="font-family: inherit;">Footnotes:</b></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[1] Shen X., Millet L., Suicides in Oregon: Trends and Associated Factors. 2003-2012, <i>Oregon Health Authority</i>, Portland Oregon, <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/suicides-in-oregon_-trends-and-associated-factors-2003-2012-p-3.pdf" target="_blank">p.3, Executive Summary</a>. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[2] Margot Sanger-Katz, “<a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/the-science-behind-suicide-contagion.pdf" target="_blank">The Science Behind Suicide Contagion</a>,”<i> The New York Times</i>, August 13, 2014.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[3] Id.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[4] "<a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/recommendations-for-reporting-on-suicide.pdf" target="_blank">Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide</a>,” <i>The National Institute of Mental Health</i>. See also “Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals,” World Health Organization, at http://<a href="http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/resource_media.pdf">www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/resource_media.pdf</a>.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[5] <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/ed-madrid-lovelle-svart.pdf" target="_blank">Ed Madrid, “Lovelle Svart, 1945 - 2007</a>, <i>The Oregonian</i>, September 28, 2007. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[6] Id.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[7] The still shots <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/lovelle-printed-10-09-16.pdf" target="_blank">at this link</a>, are still up today, July 7, 2017.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[8] The worldwide coverage of Ms. Maynard in multiple media started with an exclusive <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/people-magazine.pdf" target="_blank">cover story</a> in People Magazine. Other coverage has included TV, radio, print, web and social media.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[9] <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/willard-johnston-maynard-decl.pdf" target="_blank">Declaration of Williard Johnston, MD</a>, May 24, 2015. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[10] Id.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[11] Id.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[12] Id.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[13] Id.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[14] Id.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[15] Id.</div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[16] Oregon's Death with Dignity report for 2016, p. 4, <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/excerpt-from-oregon-dwd-report-for-2016.pdf" target="_blank">first line</a>. </div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[17] Oregon Health Authority News Release, September 9, 2010, at <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/news-release-09-09-10.pdf">https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/news-release-09-09-10.pdf</a> ("After decreasing in the 1990s, suicide rates have been increasing significantly since 2000"). </div>
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[18] Suicides in Oregon: Trend and Risk Factors, issued September 2010 (<a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/oregon-report-excerpt.pdf" target="_blank">data through 2007</a>). </div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px;">[19] Suicides in Oregon: Trends and Risk Factors, 2012 Report (data through 2010). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">[20] </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px;">Suicides in Oregon: Trends and Associated Factors, 2003-2012 (<a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/suicide-in-or-data-thru-2012.pdf" target="_blank">data through 2012</a>). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="white-space: pre;">[21] Oregon Vital Statistics Report 2015 (data through 2014;</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="white-space: pre;"><a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/vital-statistics-report-2015-suicide-pp-6-25-to-6-27.pdf" target="_blank">at page 6-26</a>, third full paragraph)</span></span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;">
[22] See <a href="https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/suicides-in-oregon-2003-2012-p-6.pdf">https://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/suicides-in-oregon-2003-2012-p-6.pdf</a> </div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-4181448553252292522017-04-07T22:40:00.000-07:002017-04-07T23:10:40.320-07:00Update: Saskatchewan nurse fined $26,000 for Facebook complaint about seniors' care<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-siNL8NkMcjykIRx7Vfcsiv51D1XL7znPn8K1BUvnJ96CYEchnNdaaaA4Let2f0u9ZF0shAuyUaYgvkTRr6uDqqgSb1_FuQEyqhwltxWSQerpAyc6_8Xhdfji-e7zMOhmIlPYnm7mu2w/s1600/Carolyn+Strom%252C+RN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-siNL8NkMcjykIRx7Vfcsiv51D1XL7znPn8K1BUvnJ96CYEchnNdaaaA4Let2f0u9ZF0shAuyUaYgvkTRr6uDqqgSb1_FuQEyqhwltxWSQerpAyc6_8Xhdfji-e7zMOhmIlPYnm7mu2w/s1600/Carolyn+Strom%252C+RN.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolyn Strom, RN</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/saskatchewan-nurse-fined-26000-for-facebook-complaint-about-seniors-care-418702653.html">http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/saskatchewan-nurse-fined-26000-for-facebook-complaint-about-seniors-care-418702653.html</a><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">SASKATOON - A nurse who was found guilty of professional misconduct </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">for criticizing the quality of care her grandparents received has been </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">fined $26,000 by the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Carolyn Strom of Prince Albert, Sask., was brought before a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">disciplinary committee after posting comments on Facebook.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Strom said her grandfather spent a week in palliative care before he </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">died, and both he and her grandmother had received ``sub-par care'' in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">a long-term care facility for many years.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">She also issued a call for nurses to do better for seniors, but the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">association charged she was using her status as a registered nurse for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">personal purposes and had violated the confidentiality of her </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">grandparents.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Most of the fine will go toward reimbursing the nursing association </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">for the cost of the investigation and the resulting hearings.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/support-nurses-right-to-speak-out/donate" target="_blank">A GoFundMe campaign was set up this week to help Strom pay the fine</a>.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">“As nurses, nursing students and nursing faculty in Canada, we are </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">deeply disturbed by the SRNA's treatment of Carolyn Strom and wish to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">show our solidarity,” the page description reads.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">“Nurses are healthcare professionals and as such are rightfully held </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">to high standards. They should always act in the best interest of the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">people they care for. But those standards should NOT include </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">self-censorship and renouncing their right to speak-up.”</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Strom is also being required to complete the Canadian Nurses </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Association’s code of ethics training</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-61925546405649940142017-02-24T05:34:00.000-08:002017-11-25T21:43:53.570-08:00 Ontario nursing home at heart of murder case cited for 'medication incidents'<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ontario-nursing-home-at-heart-of-murder-case-cited-for-medication-incidents-1.3279889">http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/ontario-nursing-home-at-heart-of-murder-case-cited-for-medication-incidents-1.3279889</a>
</span><br />
<div class="m_-7283362495415182821m_-3402484739197712033articleAuthor" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<a class="m_-7283362495415182821m_-3402484739197712033authorLink" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mcknights.com/emily-mongan/author/2305/&source=gmail&ust=1482363125736000&usg=AFQjCNHjv-01TqiVy6Ya65sjXgh4ltFyUw" href="http://www.mcknights.com/emily-mongan/author/2305/" rel="author" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press</a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Inspection reports show an Ontario long-term care home where a former nurse is accused of killing seven seniors was taken to task by the province for dozens of "medication incidents" just before it was ordered to stop admitting patients.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The recently released reports, which are dated Jan. 24, indicate there were 41 drug-related incidents at the Caressant Care nursing home in Woodstock, Ont., between early August and late December of last year.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr">
<a name='more'></a></div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The records show 22 such incidents involved medication not given to patients, six involved patients given the wrong dosage, five involved drugs given to the wrong person, three were doses given at the wrong time and one was medication administered without a prescription.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The incidents laid out in the reports took place more than two years after the departure of Elizabeth Wettlaufer, a former nurse now charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, seven of which involve then-residents of the home.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Caressant Care was told to stop accepting new patients on Jan. 25 after the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care expressed concerns about the safety of current or future residents.</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The ministry said at the time that concerns about the home related to incidents that occurred since August 2016 and did not involve "any issues that the police have been asked to investigate."</span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-82647145543228565582016-12-20T15:48:00.001-08:002016-12-21T12:54:46.368-08:00Nurse who vented about relative's care on social media found guilty of professional misconduct<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUUTMLDndUqyve359hrPTH8XsaGkIWoEcS6ybhZEZj49AIJucIVkIZ_pTRfRZTBPJ4ZW7VzQ2PdSyNJesLxLlhcdLmK5JeAt8Idd550H0Z-FqBCxAiBozVrPrPvl5rcMBZgcwe4Po7F8/s1600/Carolyn+Storm+Don+Healy+Regina+Leader+Post.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUUTMLDndUqyve359hrPTH8XsaGkIWoEcS6ybhZEZj49AIJucIVkIZ_pTRfRZTBPJ4ZW7VzQ2PdSyNJesLxLlhcdLmK5JeAt8Idd550H0Z-FqBCxAiBozVrPrPvl5rcMBZgcwe4Po7F8/s320/Carolyn+Storm+Don+Healy+Regina+Leader+Post.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carolyn Strom - Don Healy, Regina Leader Post<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a class="m_-7283362495415182821m_-3402484739197712033moz-txt-link-freetext" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mcknights.com/news/nurse-who-vented-about-relatives-care-on-social-media-found-guilty-of-professional-misconduct/article/577077/&source=gmail&ust=1482363125736000&usg=AFQjCNH15iHsK3n_EyI4N6fO_6-lWwxcbg" href="http://www.mcknights.com/news/nurse-who-vented-about-relatives-care-on-social-media-found-guilty-of-professional-misconduct/article/577077/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;" target="_blank">http://www.mcknights.com/news/<wbr></wbr>nurse-who-vented-about-relativ<wbr></wbr>es-care-on-social-media-found-<wbr></wbr>guilty-of-professional-<wbr></wbr>misconduct/article/577077/</a><br />
<div class="m_-7283362495415182821m_-3402484739197712033articleAuthor" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
<a class="m_-7283362495415182821m_-3402484739197712033authorLink" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.mcknights.com/emily-mongan/author/2305/&source=gmail&ust=1482363125736000&usg=AFQjCNHjv-01TqiVy6Ya65sjXgh4ltFyUw" href="http://www.mcknights.com/emily-mongan/author/2305/" rel="author" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Emily Mongan, Staff Writer</a><br />
<div class="m_-7283362495415182821m_-3402484739197712033authorTwitter">
</div>
</div>
<br />
<article style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span class="m_-7283362495415182821m_-3402484739197712033articleDate">December 06, 2016</span></article><article style="background-color: white;"><br /><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
A Canadian nurse who took to social media to air her frustrations over a relative's skilled nursing care has been found guilty of professional misconduct by a nursing organization.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Carolyn Strom, a registered nurse in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, posted on Facebook and Twitter in February 2015 to express concerns with the care her grandfather received at an Saskatchewan skilled nursing facility prior to his death. Strom, who did not work at the facility, advised the management to “get all your staff a refresher” on end-of-life care, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/srna-discipline-social-media-nurse-saskatchewan-1.3880351&source=gmail&ust=1482363125736000&usg=AFQjCNHtPfNDOPVF9akKdCeyd3WjAyjMpA" href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/srna-discipline-social-media-nurse-saskatchewan-1.3880351" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><i>CBC News</i> reported</a> on Saturday.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
“Don't get me wrong, 'some' people have provided excellent care so I thank you so very much for your efforts, but to those who made Grandpa's last years less than desirable, please do better next time," she wrote.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Staff at the facility saw the posts and found them to be “humiliating,” according to CBC News. They filed a complaint with the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses' Association, arguing that Strom acted unprofessionally.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
The SRNA's discipline committee found Strom guilty of professional misconduct following an investigation. While the posts were “motivated by perhaps grief and anger,” Strom was still “bound to act with integrity,” the committee said in its <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.srna.org/images/stories/RN_Competence/Comp_Assurance_Hearings/SRNA_Discipline_Decision_Strom_Redacted_Oct_27_2016.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1482363125736000&usg=AFQjCNEpO5dYAgXD8fNeLTgAhoQGvGFGnQ" href="http://www.srna.org/images/stories/RN_Competence/Comp_Assurance_Hearings/SRNA_Discipline_Decision_Strom_Redacted_Oct_27_2016.pdf" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">decision</a>.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
“The Discipline Committee does not seek to ‘muzzle' registered nurses from using social media,” the committee wrote. “However, registered nurses must conduct themselves professionally and with care when communicating on social media.”</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
The committee said it would meet to consider Strom's penalty at a later date. A <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://www.change.org/p/saskatchewan-registered-nurses-association-let-nurses-speak&source=gmail&ust=1482363125736000&usg=AFQjCNHhcGPxX8R-IVQgL2eqWV6TjlHvsQ" href="https://www.change.org/p/saskatchewan-registered-nurses-association-let-nurses-speak" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">petition</a> has been filed urging SRNA to reverse the guilty verdict and develop clear social media policies.</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
“This precedent-setting decision is enough to send a chill down the spine of every nurse and nursing student in Canada,” the petition reads. “Not only is it a blatant attack on free speech, but it raises serious concerns about ... the dangers of silencing nurses even when they witness subpar care.”</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
</article>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-43269512327516333902016-10-25T16:42:00.000-07:002016-10-25T16:42:49.285-07:00Ontario nurse charged in deaths of 8 nursing home residents <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.torontosun.com/2016/10/25/ontario-police-hold-press-conference-about-multi-jurisdictional-death-investigation">http://www.torontosun.com/2016/10/25/ontario-police-hold-press-conference-about-multi-jurisdictional-death-investigation</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6g4iJeBEjx0LSetLM7Pdy3eHaewLxFgA_2Wz44LY6ON-1zI2aL0VqtKhyphenhyphen61pqHrEaksSSs4XEPg-mrF3d13XEkoorUES87RDI5-rawbA8Erhbg3XqwG0XNDQGCKoEJl3740V16nRIJiY/s1600/Photo+Elizabeth+W+Meadow+Park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6g4iJeBEjx0LSetLM7Pdy3eHaewLxFgA_2Wz44LY6ON-1zI2aL0VqtKhyphenhyphen61pqHrEaksSSs4XEPg-mrF3d13XEkoorUES87RDI5-rawbA8Erhbg3XqwG0XNDQGCKoEJl3740V16nRIJiY/s320/Photo+Elizabeth+W+Meadow+Park.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="placeline" style="font-family: inherit;">WOODSTOCK - </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">A Woodstock woman has been
charged in the deaths of at least eight elderly residents in one of the
biggest multiple death investigations in the region since the Bandido
murders.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Elizabeth Tracey Mae Wettlaufer, 49, a former nurse with both
Caressant Care in Woodstock and Meadow Park in London, was charged on
Oct. 25 with the first-degree murder of eight residents aged 75 to 96
years old, seven </span>who lived at Caressant Care and one at Meadow Park.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
The Caressant Care victims include James Silcox, 84, Maurice Granat,
84, Gladys Millard, 87, Helen Matheson, 95, Mary Zurawinski, 96, Helen
Young, 90, and Maureen Pickering, 79.<br />
<br />
The sole London victim, Arpad Horvath, 75, lived at Meadow Park in London and died Aug. 31, 2014.<br />
<br />
The deaths took place between August 2007 and August 2014.<br />
<br />
“The victims were administered a drug, but I’m not in a position at
this time to comment of specifics of the drug,” said London Police
Service Det. Supt. William Merrylees.<br />
<br />
Horvath’s daughter, Susan Horvath, said she felt something was amiss before her father died.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG1THnqtOhnFjXfdOU1F_WbBM-E1YDi8mOh_YpDqDhLEG0sXQtSvbC3T1ZvuqJ_aXrrynS5PlwHCeOVMe43Iuce34MoHmVbhd8GXAxuQ3ERcks6jy3a9UHOTFqZCIi4lW5LcEiSTzVjs/s1600/Photo+Elizabeth+Wettlaufer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEG1THnqtOhnFjXfdOU1F_WbBM-E1YDi8mOh_YpDqDhLEG0sXQtSvbC3T1ZvuqJ_aXrrynS5PlwHCeOVMe43Iuce34MoHmVbhd8GXAxuQ3ERcks6jy3a9UHOTFqZCIi4lW5LcEiSTzVjs/s200/Photo+Elizabeth+Wettlaufer.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Elizabeth Wettlaufer. <br />(Facebook photo)</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
“I’d seen my dad and the condition he was in and he had a lot of fear
– he had a lot of fear – and just things about him and everything I
noticed on his body and stuff, I just had a feeling and I told mom,”
Horvath told radio station AM980 in London, Ont., on Tuesday. “And then
when he passed on – and how he passed on – that’s when I knew: This is
not right.”<br />
<br />
Daniel Silcox, of Pontypool Ont., said he found out about his father
being among the alleged victims while listening to the radio Tuesday
morning.<br />
<br />
“We’re living my father’s death right now,” Silcox told The Canadian Press. “It’s horrific.”<br />
<br />
Silcox said police had told his sisters about an investigation and
briefly interviewed one of them, but the family had no idea what it was
about.<br />
<br />
His father didn’t like living at the home, had broken his hip at the
facility, but the family otherwise had no suspicions that his death
might have been a murder, Silcox said.<br />
<br />
“We don’t want him to become the poster boy of this tragedy but we
would like the story out there: (He was) a wonderful man, a (Second
World War) vet, just the best father in the world.”<br />
<br />
Police didn’t rule out the possibility there might be more victims,
but wouldn’t comment on the motive of the alleged serial killer.<br />
<br />
“Our hope is (the family) will find some comfort charges have been laid,” said OPP Det. Supt. Dave Truax.<br />
<br />
Charlene Puffer, who said she lives down the hall from Wettlaufer’s
James Street apartment, described her neighbour as a decent person.<br />
<br />
“I knew something was up with all the police coming around here the
past few weeks and they came one day in all their Hazmat suits,” she
said.<br />
<br />
“It’s terrifying to know someone who supposedly killed that many people lived right near me.”<br />
Wettlaufer told Puffer she liked her job as a nurse.<br />
<br />
“Then your mind starts going, thinking is there a body in there? And
then you think, how did this go on for so long? But to look at her and
know her a bit, you would never think she could do something like this,”
Puffer said.<br />
<br />
Wettlaufer made a brief appearance Tuesday morning at the Oxford
County Court House in Woodstock. Her next appearance is scheduled for
Nov. 2 at 9 a.m.<br />
<br />
The investigation began Sept. 29 when Woodstock Police Services
received information from an undisclosed source that eight people had
been murdered over a period of several years.<br />
<br />
“On behalf of every police agency represented here, our deepest
sympathies go to families who have suffered this tragic loss,” said
Woodstock police Chief Bill Renton<br />
<br />
At this point, police said they are not looking at exhuming any of the bodies.<br />
<br />
Due to the nature of the allegations, police said
multi-jurisdictional major case manager Det. Insp. Rob Hagerman was
assigned to co-ordinate the investigation.<br />
<br />
While Brant OPP and Oxford OPP provided resources for the
investigation, police confirmed Tuesday there have been no
investigations into homes in those regions.<br />
<br />
Wettlaufer listed a Brantford home care provider as her current employer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bethe.wettlaufer?fref=ts">on Facebook</a>.<br />
<br />
“Our goal throughout this was to follow the evidence, which resulted in criminal charges here today,” Truax said.<br />
<br />
The Woodstock location of Caressant Care issued a statement Tuesday
morning, saying the 167-bed long-term care facility was “co-operating
fully” with the police investigation.<br />
<br />
“We remain in regular contact with the Ministry of Health and
Long-Term Care. Our highest priority is to continue to provide for the
physical, social and spiritual needs of our residents, and that remains
our focus. We deeply regret the additional grief and stress this is
imposing on the families involved,” the statement continued.<br />
<br />
Because of the ongoing police investigation, Caressant Care indicated
it would be unable to “provide any additional comment at this time.”<br />
<br />
The London long-term care home where Horvath lived is owned by Jarlette Health Services and has 120 beds.<br />
<br />
Officials at the home, located at 1210 Southdale Rd. East, declined an interview request Tuesday but later issued a statement.<br />
<br />
“We are co-operating fully with police investigating the actions of a
former staff member who left our home’s employ some two years ago. Our
highest priority is to continue to provide for the health and comfort of
our residents, and that remains our focus,” chief operating officer
Julia King said in a statement.<br />
<br />
“We are determined to avoid compromising the police investigation in
any way and are therefore unable to provide additional comment at this
time.”<br />
<br />
Loretta Cambridge, whose husband Paul has lived at Meadow Park for
more than a year, said she was rattled by the news of the homicides.<br />
<br />
“That’s too close to home,” said Cambridge, adding administrators at the home hadn’t told her anything about the police probe.<br />
<br />
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne called the eight nursing home deaths "extremely distressing."<br />
<br />
Wynne said it would be inappropriate for her to comment on an ongoing
police investigation, but she said it is an “extremely distressing and
tragic, tragic thing for all of the families involved.”<br />
She was being questioned by London NDP MPP Teresa Armstrong, who said
it was shocking that no one knew about the deaths for so long.<br />
<br />
"It's not acceptable ... there's obviously big, gaping holes," Armstrong said.<br />
<br />
In response to several media requests, police first released a press
release on Oct. 14 stating they had identified a suspect in an
undisclosed death investigation.<br />
<br />
“We realized that release caused more questions than answers,” Renton
said. “We elected to share what we could including the fact we had
identified a suspect.”<br />
<br />
Police said they could not answer a number of questions because “ the evidence and the accused are now before the courts.”<br />
<br />
Merrylees also said part of the investigation will be determining how such a tragedy could have occurred.<br />
<br />
“We will try to determine what needs to be done to prevent this from happening in the future,” he said.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) said in
a statement Tuesday afternoon it was shocked by the alleged serial
killings, wished to publicly thank investigators and offered condolences
to the families of the victims.<br />
<br />
CARP policy director and general counsel Wade Poziomka said the
crimes against the seniors are considered “no less odious nor less
tragic than any other violent death of any other citizen in our
society.”<br />
<br />
“The age of the victims and their medical condition should play no
part in how our justice system pursues those who violate the laws of our
land and cause harm to another,” he said.<br />
<br />
Anthony Quinn director of public affairs for CARP, said this crime
highlights the ongoing societal issue of abuse of our elderly citizens.<br />
<br />
“CARP recognizes the tremendous care that thousands of nurses and
personal support workers provide to seniors living in long term care
facilities across Canada. This tragic crime is in no way reflective on
those who endeavor to provide comfort and dignity to seniors in their
final days,” Quinn said.<br />
<br />
An obituary for Maureen Pickering, one of the victims who died on
March 28, 2015, included the line, “Special thanks to staff at Caressant
Care, Woodstock for their wonderful care.”<br />
<br />
According to the <a href="https://flo.cno.org/Register/Details.aspx?id=9581737&tab=1">College of Nurses of Ontario</a>, Wettlaufer, registered as a nurse in 1995 and resigned from the college in September 2016.<br />
<br />
Anyone with information is asked to call local police at 519-537-2323
or Crime Stoppers 421-TIPS (8477) or toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS
(8477).<br />
<br />
<em>— with files from Megan Stacey and Bruce Chessell and Dale Carruthers, Postmedia Network</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">hrivers@postmedia.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-78587257468524105372016-10-21T10:58:00.000-07:002016-10-21T10:58:34.598-07:00Brittany Maynard's Story Sends the Wrong Message to Young People<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSM4pB4g88jETkHqj72zzZ2lMSekiTkHlQnrkOkGBU9b34kGesi9w7QvtZm7LxT-Q83Uykn4Iam7It2-CAtXmkDcDRBYPE3VDYPLqDEfr52BDuCM9KN-KahtIOeXZLGXSbKlNKJohzvM/s1600/Photo+willjohnston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFSM4pB4g88jETkHqj72zzZ2lMSekiTkHlQnrkOkGBU9b34kGesi9w7QvtZm7LxT-Q83Uykn4Iam7It2-CAtXmkDcDRBYPE3VDYPLqDEfr52BDuCM9KN-KahtIOeXZLGXSbKlNKJohzvM/s320/Photo+willjohnston.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will Johnston, MD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Dear Editor:</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">I agree with the </span><a href="http://www.choiceillusioncolorado.org/2016/09/editorial-vote-no-on-more-suicide.html" style="background-color: white; color: #9db84e; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" target="_blank">Gazette editorial board</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> that legal assisted suicide sends the wrong message to young people. ("Vote 'no' on more suicide," 09/26/16). I also write to describe the damaging impact of the highly publicized case of Brittany Maynard, on my young adult patient who became actively suicidal after watching her video. I understand that her story is now being used to promote assisted suicide legalization in Colorado.</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Ms. Maynard died in November 2014. A month later, I was presented with my young adult patient during an emergency appointment. He was physically healthy. His mother told me that he had been acting oddly and talking about death.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">I asked the young man if he had a plan. He said "yes," that he had watched a video about Ms. Maynard. He said that he was very impressed with her and that he identified with her and that he thought it was a good idea for him to die like her. He also told me that after watching the video he had been surfing the Internet looking for ways to obtain suicide drugs.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">He was actively suicidal and agreed to go to the hospital, where he stayed for five weeks until it was determined that he was sufficiently safe from self-harm to go home.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">It is well known that </span><a href="http://www.choiceillusioncolorado.org/2016/09/editorial-vote-no-on-more-suicide.html" style="background-color: white; color: #3d85c6; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">suicide is contagious</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Thank you for your editorial.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Will Johnston MD</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Vancouver BC, Canada</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1556967005994725427.post-74067224965281925652016-08-12T20:52:00.000-07:002017-11-25T21:19:58.776-08:00Feds Say Carter Findings No Longer Necessarily True<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Among the facts that the government suggests are no longer true are the top court's findings that:</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 3em;">
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;">A permissive approach to assisted dying would not put Canada on a "slippery slope" in which disabled and other vulnerable Canadians are pressured to end their lives.</li>
</ul>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
To read the full CBC News article, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/assisted-dying-carter-federal-cba-1.3718141" target="_blank">click here.</a></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
The Canadian Bar Association is urging the federal government to expand its restrictive new law on assisted dying, allowing mature minors, people suffering strictly from psychological illnesses and those diagnosed with competence-eroding conditions like dementia to get medical help to end their suffering.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
But even as the country's lawyers seek to extend the right to medical assistance in dying, the government is digging in its heels, maintaining that the facts on which the Supreme Court decided to strike down the ban on assisted dying are no longer applicable.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
In a response to a court challenge of the new law, the government argues that the top court's findings of fact in the landmark Carter case last year applied only in the context of the absolute ban on physician-assisted dying that existed at the time.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Now that there is a new law — which allows assisted dying only for incurably ill adults who are already close to a natural death — the government says those findings are no longer necessarily true.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
"The defendant does not admit that these findings remain true today or that they are applicable in the present case," the government argues in a document filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.35em; margin-bottom: 1rem;">
Among the facts that the government suggests are no longer true are the top court's findings that:</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 3em;">
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;">Denying assistance in dying for people with grievous and irremediable medical conditions may condemn them to a life of severe and intolerable suffering.</li>
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;">Such a person faces a "cruel choice": take his or her own life prematurely or suffer until natural death.</li>
<li style="list-style: none outside none; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: -1em; padding-left: 0.75em; position: relative;">A permissive approach to assisted dying would not put Canada on a "slippery slope" in which disabled and other vulnerable Canadians are pressured to end their lives.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">To read the rest of the article, </span></span><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/assisted-dying-carter-federal-cba-1.3718141" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" target="_blank">click here.</a></div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314132820263802243noreply@blogger.com