Australian Federal Court rules that assisted suicide is suicide under the criminal code

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Natassia Chrysanthos reported for the Sydney Morning Herald on November 30, 2023 that Federal Court Justice Wendy Abraham ruled that: voluntary assisted dying was considered suicide under the code, which means doctors could be charged under laws that prohibit using a carriage service – such as telehealth, email or …

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Last Australian state finally launches ‘assisted dying’

By Michael Cook As of November 28, eligible people in New South Wales can request “voluntary assisted dying”. NSW was the last Australian state to legalize assisted suicide in May 2022. There was an 18-month implementation period. Two territories (which have a different status in the federation), the Australian Capital Territory, where Canberra is located, and …

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The devastating impact of Physician-assisted suicide on the medical profession

By Dave Andrusko In his brilliant National Review Online columns, which we repost regularly, Wesley J. Smith helps the reader appreciate that, like a cancer, the growth of support for so-called physician-assisted must be fought 24/7. Led by the likes of Compassion and Choices (the new name for the Hemlock Society), they are relentless. Opponents must be …

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Another jurisdiction in Australia set to legalize ‘assisted dying’

By Michael Cook The Australian Capital Territory [ACT], where the nation’s capital Canberra is located, is a self-governing jurisdiction with about 460,000 people. It is considering “voluntary assisted dying” legislation which could be amongst the most liberal of its kind in the world. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr described the move as a “historic day” after …

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How ‘Medical Aid in Dying’ Became the Euphemism of Choice for Assisted Suicide

By Wesley J. Smith The word engineering never stops, does it? When radical policies are proposed, the first step is to change the lexicon to make it seem less extreme, even mundane. That has certainly been true in the euthanasia movement. Indeed, as described by Ian Dowbiggin in A Concise History of Euthanasia, the term “euthanasia” — which …

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American Medical Association spurns assisted suicide proposals

By Michael Cook The American Medical Association has resisted a push to adopt a position of neutrality on assisted suicide and euthanasia. In its interim meeting earlier this month, delegates voted down two resolutions which would have substantially weakened the AMA’s traditional opposition to assisted dying of any kind. According to a report in The Pulse by Dr. …

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Irish doctors oppose assisted suicide.

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak at the HOPE Ireland conference on Saturday, November 11 as Ireland is currently debating the legalization of assisted suicide. The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) recently explained their opposition to legalising assisted suicide in a presentation to the …

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No surprise. NYTimes Op-Ed Pushes Assisted Suicide for the Mentally Ill

By Wesley J. Smith The phony argument that legalized assisted suicide will permanently be limited to the terminally ill took a big hit by a New York Times op-ed in which an oft-suicidal Canadian philosophy professor, Clancy Martin, argues that mentally ill people who are suicidal should receive help from doctors to die. Martin’s first paragraph makes clear why …

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Therefore Choose Life—My Journey from Hopelessness to Hope

By Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Earlier this year, Tyler Dunlop gained international attention for all the wrong reasons. He was the ‘Homeless, hopeless Orillia man’ who was seeking medically assisted death. Now, he hopes to make a similar impact for all the right reasons. On November 17th, his book Therefore Choose Life—My Journey from Hopelessness to Hope was …

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AMA Retains Policy against Assisted Suicide

By Wesley J. Smith I am a frequent critic of the medical establishment. But not this time.  It didn’t make much news, but the American Medical Association had another vote to repeal its existing policy against assisted suicide, and for the fourth time — good on them — the delegates refused to budge. The current policy remains in place, which states …

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American Medical Association maintains opposition to assisted suicide

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Great news: The American Medical Association (AMA) upheld their opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia. This was a huge win as AMA delegates voted down the attempt to change the code of ethics to support or become neutral on assisted suicide. They also voted down the attempt …

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How ‘Medical Aid in Dying’ Became the Euphemism of Choice for Assisted Suicide

By Wesley J. Smith The word engineering never stops, does it? When radical policies are proposed, the first step is to change the lexicon to make it seem less extreme, even mundane. That has certainly been true in the euthanasia movement. Indeed, as described by Ian Dowbiggin in A Concise History of Euthanasia, the term “euthanasia” — …

Continue reading "How ‘Medical Aid in Dying’ Became the Euphemism of Choice for Assisted Suicide"