Saturday, November 24, 2012
Teen Wakes as Doctors Prepare to Harvest Her Organs
Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
There have been several reports in the past few years about people who are being prepared for organ donation, who wake up or shows "signs of life." These stories create a distrust in society concerning the practice of organ donation and it leads to fewer people willing to be organ donors.
The abuse of organ donation related to the wish to procure more organs for an endless demand for organ donation may be leading to sloppy evaluations by some physicians, while other physicians consider people who appear to be nearing death as suitable organ donors because they "will die anyway." Read more
Euthanasia by any other name
Paul Russell, MercatorNet.com
Euthanasia by any other name is still the deliberate taking of a human life and politicians are right to reject it. Read more
A matter of trust
Martin Cullen, MercatorNet.com
If we are seriously debating euthanasia, is it any wonder that so many patients are suspicious of hospital doctors? Read more
Friday, November 23, 2012
Words to live by
“The role of taker of life must never be assigned to a physician; in any case, the law must never permit him to perform it, for this would jeopardize and perhaps destroy the physician’s role in society. A patient must never have to suspect that his physician might become his executioner."
~Hans Jonas, ethicist
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Elder Abuse: our most appalling crime
by Paul Russell | Careful! A MercatorNet focus blog on euthanasia
"Older people tend to be more vulnerable because of their age. They feel more pressures, especially from a family member. They often feel guilt and sense of obligation which is then played on,'' she said. "They are more prone to social isolation [and] often their limited social contact might be with someone who is putting them under pressure.'' ~Sue Leitch, Council on Aging Tasmania Full story
"Older people tend to be more vulnerable because of their age. They feel more pressures, especially from a family member. They often feel guilt and sense of obligation which is then played on,'' she said. "They are more prone to social isolation [and] often their limited social contact might be with someone who is putting them under pressure.'' ~Sue Leitch, Council on Aging Tasmania Full story
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Study: Assisted Suicide Assisters Distressed
http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/wrsnews/study-assisted-suicide-helpers-distressed.shtml?32735
Thursday, October 4, 2012
One in four people who accompany someone to commit assisted suicide suffer massive psychological distress, according to a new study by the University of Zurich.
Researchers at the university spoke to 85 people who went with a family member or close friend to an EXIT euthanasia clinic.
A quarter suffered from post traumatic stress disorder while 16 percent had depression. Five percent were found to have long-term grief.
The interviews were carried out one to two years after the assisted death of loved ones.
The results state that problems can surface 14 to 24 months later and that a death not from natural causes was a heavy burden for those who supported the deceased.
Although the research didn’t include a direct comparison with the effects of a natural death on a loved one, the study was compared to others.
This showed the researchers that post traumatic stress disorder was more common for people close to an assisted suicide case rather than a natural death.
The results have been published in the October issue of the journal European Psychiatry.
To view original article, go here: http://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/family-members-traumatized-eur-psych-2012.pdf
Thursday, October 4, 2012
One in four people who accompany someone to commit assisted suicide suffer massive psychological distress, according to a new study by the University of Zurich.
Researchers at the university spoke to 85 people who went with a family member or close friend to an EXIT euthanasia clinic.
A quarter suffered from post traumatic stress disorder while 16 percent had depression. Five percent were found to have long-term grief.
The interviews were carried out one to two years after the assisted death of loved ones.
The results state that problems can surface 14 to 24 months later and that a death not from natural causes was a heavy burden for those who supported the deceased.
Although the research didn’t include a direct comparison with the effects of a natural death on a loved one, the study was compared to others.
This showed the researchers that post traumatic stress disorder was more common for people close to an assisted suicide case rather than a natural death.
The results have been published in the October issue of the journal European Psychiatry.
To view original article, go here: http://choiceisanillusion.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/family-members-traumatized-eur-psych-2012.pdf
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Elder Abuse is not a Trend that Anyone Should Follow
Bradley Williams to the New England Journal of Medicine:
Your article, "Redefining Physicians’ Role in Assisted Dying," is based on two false premises, that legalizing physician-assisted suicide is a trend, and that the only thing stopping this trend is opposition by the medical establishment and physicians. Hence, the article proposes removing physicians from the process by putting a government bureaucracy in charge of assisted suicides. Talk about 1984 and Big Brother watching you.
The article omits that Idaho, Louisiana and Georgia recently strengthened their laws against assisted-suicide.[1] The article also omits that the Attorney General of Hawaii recently issued a opinion against assisted-suicide.[2] The article wrongly implies that a court case in my state, Montana, legalized assisted-suicide. That case merely gives doctors a potential defense to a homicide charge.[3][4]
There are just two states where assisted suicide is legal, Oregon and Washington. In these states, legalization has created new paths of elder abuse.[5] This is not a "trend" that anyone should follow.
To learn more about problems with legal assisted-suicide, see: www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org
Bradley D. Williams
Coordinator
Montanans Against Assisted Suicide &
For Living with Dignity
www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org
610 North 1st St., Suite 5-285
Hamilton, MT 59840
bradley@montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org
* * *
[1] Margaret Dore, "US Overview," "‘Choice’ is an Illusion," July 30, 2012, available at http://www.choiceillusion.org/p/us-overview.html (regarding Idaho, Louisiana and Georgia and linking to source documentation)
[2] Id. (regarding Hawaii)
[3] Greg Jackson & Matt Bowman, "Analysis of Implications of the Baxter Case on Potential Criminal Liability," Montanans Against Assisted Suicide & For Living with Dignity, April 2010, available at http://montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Analysis-of-Baxter.pdf
[4] Senator Jim Shockley and Margaret Dore, "No, physician-assisted suicide is not legal in Montana: It's a recipe for elder abuse and more," The Montana Lawyer, November 2011 (1 of 2 pro-con articles featured in the issue’s cover story) , available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/p/montana-lawyer-article.html
[5] Id.
Your article, "Redefining Physicians’ Role in Assisted Dying," is based on two false premises, that legalizing physician-assisted suicide is a trend, and that the only thing stopping this trend is opposition by the medical establishment and physicians. Hence, the article proposes removing physicians from the process by putting a government bureaucracy in charge of assisted suicides. Talk about 1984 and Big Brother watching you.
The article omits that Idaho, Louisiana and Georgia recently strengthened their laws against assisted-suicide.[1] The article also omits that the Attorney General of Hawaii recently issued a opinion against assisted-suicide.[2] The article wrongly implies that a court case in my state, Montana, legalized assisted-suicide. That case merely gives doctors a potential defense to a homicide charge.[3][4]
There are just two states where assisted suicide is legal, Oregon and Washington. In these states, legalization has created new paths of elder abuse.[5] This is not a "trend" that anyone should follow.
To learn more about problems with legal assisted-suicide, see: www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org
Bradley D. Williams
Coordinator
Montanans Against Assisted Suicide &
For Living with Dignity
www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org
610 North 1st St., Suite 5-285
Hamilton, MT 59840
bradley@montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org
* * *
[1] Margaret Dore, "US Overview," "‘Choice’ is an Illusion," July 30, 2012, available at http://www.choiceillusion.org/p/us-overview.html (regarding Idaho, Louisiana and Georgia and linking to source documentation)
[2] Id. (regarding Hawaii)
[3] Greg Jackson & Matt Bowman, "Analysis of Implications of the Baxter Case on Potential Criminal Liability," Montanans Against Assisted Suicide & For Living with Dignity, April 2010, available at http://montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Analysis-of-Baxter.pdf
[4] Senator Jim Shockley and Margaret Dore, "No, physician-assisted suicide is not legal in Montana: It's a recipe for elder abuse and more," The Montana Lawyer, November 2011 (1 of 2 pro-con articles featured in the issue’s cover story) , available at http://www.montanansagainstassistedsuicide.org/p/montana-lawyer-article.html
[5] Id.
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