On a mission from FEN: assisted dying outside the law

By Michael Cook Members of FEN have been charged several times with assisting suicides. The implication of these words by FEN’s president is that right-to-die activists will continue to work beyond the boundaries of legality, even in states where it is legal in certain circumstances. A common argument for the legalization of assisted suicide is …

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Victoria has launched “assisted dying”

By Michael Cook Euthanasia and assisted suicide became legal in the Australian state of Victoria on Wednesday. A bill authorizing “assisted dying” was passed by the State Parliament in November 2017; it took 18 months to set up the regulatory and administrative framework. The first death under the law could occur in the next few …

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Assisted dying bill reinforces deadly cultural assumptions

Today euthanasia and assisted suicide become legal in the Australian state of Victoria By Xavier Symons Victoria’s controversial Voluntary Assisted Dying Act comes into effect today after a marathon parliamentary battle in late 2017, followed by a year and a half of meticulous planning by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. Under the …

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Royal College of Physicians faces investigation over switch to neutrality on assisted dying

By Michael Cook In March, the UK’s Royal College of Physicians (RCP) changed its position on “assisted dying” from opposition to neutrality after conducting a poll of its members. Dissidents, however, have denounced this as a “sham” and now the Charity Commission has launched an investigation into the controversy. A Charity Commission officer told the …

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Oregon and Belgium release stats on assisted dying

By Michael Cook Both Oregon, a model for assisted suicide legislation in the U.S. and elsewhere, and Belgium, where both assisted suicide and euthanasia are legal, released death statistics this past week. Oregon. In 2018, 249 people received prescriptions for lethal medications. According to data gathered as of January 22, 168 people died in 2018 …

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Controversy dogs ‘assisted dying’ poll of UK doctors

Allegations that the Royal College of Physicians has been hijacked By Michael Cook A controversial poll by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), in the UK, is expected to result in a change in its position on “assisted dying”. Polling ends on March 1 and the result will be announced later in the month. If …

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Doctors cannot be neutral on assisted dying, British physician says.

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition The Royal College of Physicians, in the UK, has set-up a sham vote to force assisted suicide neutrality upon its membership. Time after time, British physicians have voted to oppose assisted suicide legislation. In her opinion article, Doctors cannot be neutral on assisted dying, Dr. Amy …

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Are Liberals poised to further open up assisted dying laws in Canada?

By Natalie Sonnen, Executive Director, LifeCanada It appears that a recent cabinet shuffle of the Federal Liberals has resulted in the appointment of a new Minister of Justice, David Lamettii, a proponent of assisted death. According to this National Post article, Newly appointed Justice Minister David Lametti says he’s interested in hearing proposals aimed at …

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Time to Terminate “assisted dying”

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Steve Forbes, wrote an excellent article for Forbes.com titled: Time to Terminate ‘Assisted Dying.’ Forbes cuts to the chase when commenting on the abuses with the Netherlands, Belgium, and now Canadian euthanasia laws: Many thousands of patients have been disposed of since Holland and Belgium enacted …

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The Economist magazine hosts a debate on ‘assisted dying’

By Michael Cook The Economist, the world’s most respected news magazine, is a staunch supporter of legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia. But as part of its 175th birthday celebration, it opened its pages to a debate. Below are excerpts from a selection of participants. Stephen Fletcher, a Canadian quadriplegic, Manitoba MP, and member of the …

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Assisted dying was supposed to be an option. To some patients, it looks like the only one

By Peter Stockland This story by the former editor-in-chief of the Montreal Gazette and the publisher of Convivium forum was published in MacLean’s Magazine on June 22, 2018 stating that MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) was supposed to be an option, but is becoming, in some cases, the only option. Canadians were asked in 2016 …

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We see value in their lives, even if for the moment they don’t

By Dave Andrusko Over the last two years I have read and re-read the following passage from Kevin Yuill over and over again. With us in the midst of the Winter Olympics it is especially timely in that Yuill was addressing a Paralympian who said she wanted to die. He writes It is existential pain, …

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