French Elections Imperil End-of-Life Euthanasia Bill

French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured here), dissolved his government on June 9th calling for legislative elections on June 30th and July 7th. The debates on an end-of-life bill which were to be voted on June 11th were suddenly stopped as a result. 

The prospect of a significant change of government and balance within the National Assembly as a result of the elections are likely to have a very significant impact on the future of the bill. For now, the bill is at any rate on hold.

Read full article here.

Anita Cameron: "Black People, Wake Up and Remember Our History"

As we in the Black community celebrate freedom, liberation, and life on Juneteenth, there is a movement afoot that will endanger the lives of the most vulnerable in our community.

This dangerous movement is the push for legalization of assisted suicide, sometimes called medical assisted suicide, across the United States.

Assisted suicide is when someone, usually terminally ill, with six months or less to live, makes a request for a lethal dose of medication prescribed by a physician or medical provider.  After the waiting period, if there is one, the provider issues the prescription, the person or someone designated by them picks it up, and the medication is ingested by the person to whom it is prescribed. There is no doctor or witness required to be present .... Currently, assisted suicide is legal in ten US states and the District of Columbia. As of this year, 2024, 20 states have either introduced assisted suicide legislation or have expanded bills that have already passed.

Tell Governor Carney to Veto Assisted Suicide

By Alex Schadenberg 

Contact Delaware Governor John Carney (pictured here). Tell him to veto assisted suicide/euthanasia Bill HB 140 at john.carney@delaware.gov

People at vulnerable times of their life need proper care not assistance in being killed. 

In a roller coaster ride of votes, the Delaware Senate passed assisted suicide Bill HB 140 on June 25 by an 11 to 10 vote in a second vote on the bill.

Canadian Man Offered Euthanasia Multiple Times

By Daniel Payne, original publication, 06 23 24  

Amid ongoing efforts to expand euthanasia in Canada under the name of “medical aid in dying” (MAID), one Ottawa man says he has been offered euthanasia “multiple times” as he struggles with lifelong disabilities and chronic pain from a disease called cerebellar ataxia. 

Roger Foley, 49, [pictured right} shared some of his story in a recent video interview with Amanda Achtman of the Dying to Meet You project, which was created to “humanize our conversation on suffering, death, meaning, and hope.” The project seeks to “[restore] our cultural health when it comes to our experiences of death and dying” through speaking engagements and video campaigns. 

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

By Diane Coleman 

Today is World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. According to the National Council On Aging:

Approximately one in 10 Americans aged 60+ have experienced some form of elder abuse. Some estimates range as high as five million elders who are abused each year. One study estimated that only one in 24 cases of abuse are reported to authorities.

… In almost 60% of elder abuse and neglect incidents, the perpetrator is a family member. Two thirds of perpetrators are adult children or spouses.

Donna Latteri Holds Jeanette Hall's Photo at Delaware Hearing

Hall's declaration states:

1.  I live in Oregon where assisted suicide is legal. Our law was enacted in 1997 via a ballot measure that I voted for.

2.  In 2000, I was diagnosed with cancer and told that I had 6 months to a year to live. I knew that our law had passed, but I didn't know exactly how to go about doing it. I tried to ask my doctor, Kenneth Stevens MD, but he didn't really answer me. In hindsight, he was stalling me.

3.  I did not want to suffer. 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 happy to be alive!  

Boston Globe: “For Assistance in Dying, Please Press 1”

By Diane Coleman (pictured right) 

Liz Carr’s documentary, “Better Off Dead?”, continues making a difference, serving as a wake up call about the dangers assisted suicide laws pose for people with disabilities. A Boston Globe columnist noted this week:

The most chilling detail in “Better Off Dead?” a new BBC documentary by the English actress and comedian Liz Carr, is an automated telephone message. …

Thank you for calling. The Ontario Medical Assistance in Dying Care Coordination Service is designed to provide information about end of life options in Ontario and referrals for Medical Assistance in Dying. If you would like to speak with an adviser to access the service or get more information, please press 1.

Support for Assisted Suicide Is Up, But the Slope It Would Lead to Is Dangerously Slippery.

By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist

Updated June 12, 2024, 3:00 a.m.

The most chilling detail in “Better Off Dead?” a new BBC documentary by the English actress and comedian Liz Carr (pictured here), is an automated telephone message: "For assistance in dying, please press 1."

Carr, who has been disabled since childhood and uses a wheelchair, made the film as Parliament debates whether to make it legal for doctors to help end the lives of people who are terminally ill and who say they wish to die. Similar legislation is being pushed in Massachusetts, where a bill permitting doctors to prescribe suicide drugs to patients with less than six months to live is now before the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The film lasts just 58 minutes but it powerfully refutes the claim that authorizing medical professionals to facilitate the deaths of people with a fatal illness or disability is either enlightened or safe.

French Euthanasia Proposal Dead for Now

Mr. Schadenberg at European Parliament

By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. (Pictured here).

The European Parliament held their elections from June 6 to June 9, 2024 resulting in a shift in the balance of power. It appears that the European Parliament will likely have more of a  conservative focus over the next few years.

In response to the European election results and the shift in european politics, French President, Emmanuel Macron, on June 10 called a snap election with his hope of catching conservative political parties off-guard. The election will be on June 29 - 30 and the second tier on July 6 - 7.

Colorado Governor Signs Bill Reducing Patient Protections

Governor Polis (pictured here) signed SB068, an amendment to Colorado’s End of Life Options Act (assisted suicide and euthanasia) into law on June 5, 2024. 

The bill reduces the waiting period for patients seeking an aid-in-dying prescription (assisted suicide and euthanasia), from 15 to 7 days, increases the number of practitioners who can participate in the law, and allows providers to waive the waiting period if the patient is not likely to survive more than 48 hours and meets all other qualifications. 

Nearly Every US State That Has Legalized Assisted Suicide, Has Expanded Its Law

By Alex Schadenberg (pictured here)

In 2019 Oregon expanded their assisted suicide law by giving doctors the ability to waive the 15 day waiting period when a person was deemed near to death. In 2023 Oregon removed the residency requirement extending assisted suicide nationally to anyone.

In 2021 California expanded their assisted suicide law by reducing the waiting period from 15 days to 48 hours. It forced doctors who oppose assisted suicide to be complicit in the process (later struck down by the court), and it forced all medical institutions to post their policy on assisted suicide.

New York Act Fails to Advance

The proposed Medical Aid in Dying Act, which had sought to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in New York State, was first introduced in the New York State Senate by former Staten Island Sen. Diane Savino, — and in the Assembly by Westchester County Assembly member Amy Paulin, — during the 2015-2016 legislative session. 

The legislation has never advanced past the committee state in either the Senate or Assembly.

Letter to the Editor: Euphemisms Abound

To the Editor:

We wish to respond to Dr. Barry Perlman’s letter to the editor: “A vote for Medical Aid in Dying is not a vote for suicide” (May 28, 2024) He presents his case well. However, we take issue with his reasoning.

Euphemisms abound about this subject: physician-assisted suicide, death with dignity and physician-assisted dying. No matter how the concept is dressed up, it is suicide by the patient and murder by the doctor. Whoever else has been directly or indirectly involved in the demise of the patient are accessories.

Netherlands Grapples With Complex Debate on Broadening Euthanasia Law

https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/focus/20240608-netherlands-grapples-with-complex-debate-on-broadening-euthanasia-law

By:Alix LE BOURDON|Fernande VAN TETS

The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia back in 2001. More than 20 years later, the practice is almost universally accepted in Dutch society to end the lives of those who are physically suffering. But its use remains more restricted for psychiatric cases who say they, too, meet the legal requirement of unbearable suffering. Today, some would like to see the law evolve to include the possibility to end one's life even without a medical need to do so. Our correspondents Fernande van Tets and Alix Le Bourdon report.

French President Macron Faces Backlash From Medical Workers Over Assisted-Dying Bill

Original publication: March 11, 2024 

President Emmanuel Macron on Monday faced criticism from French medical workers and the Catholic Church over a draft bill his government plans to present to parliament in May that would allow assisted dying [aka assisted suicide, physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia] for certain terminally-ill patients.

The centrist leader announced the plan to submit the bill in newspaper interviews published on Sunday, insisting there would be “strict conditions” on allowing people to self-administer a lethal substance, or call on a relative or medical worker if they are incapable.

Beyond Terminal Illness. The Widening Scope of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the US.

Please find Dr. Komrad's explanatory note to colleagues below.

Physician-assisted suicide (PAS)—commonly but misleadingly called “medical aid in dying”1—is now legal in 11 jurisdictions in the US. PAS remains an area of great controversy among physicians, medical ethicists, and various patient advocacy groups, as evidenced by numerous opinion pieces in Psychiatric Times.2,3 While we recognize that individuals of good conscience may differ on the ethics of PAS, we have consistently maintained—as the American Medical Association has opined—that4:

Physician-assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose serious societal risks.

Second Thoughts Massachusetts Protest Gains Important News Coverage

Second Thoughts Massachusetts led a peaceful counter demonstration at a gathering of assisted suicide proponents held at the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, June 5th.

Seated: John Kelly, Randi Shea, Brian Shea. Standing: Chip Guiney, Glacier Gray, Ashlinn Parnell

In addition to those featured in the photo above, others who participated included Ian McIntosh and Jessica Rodgers of the Patients Rights Action Fund, Harry Weissman, Director of Advocacy for Disability Policy Consortium, as well as Gabriell Paye, Jon Ball, John Robinson and Dr. Rich Florentine.

The State House News Service (SHNS) provided unusually balanced coverage of the disability led demonstration against the assisted suicide bill currently before the Massachusetts legislature.

Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia Highlights

1.  Alex Shadenberg, Head of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (pictured): "With the legalization of euthanasia throughout Canada, Canadian life spans have dropped for three straight years, from 2019 to 2022." https://www.choiceillusion.org/2024/05/canadas-life-span-drop.html

2.  Margaret Dore, “In Oregon, Other Suicides Have Increased with the Legalization of Assisted Suicide.” The financial cost is “enormous.” https://www.choiceillusion.org/2017/08/in-oregon-other-suicides-have-increased.html

3.  Diane Coleman, “A Short History of Assisted Suicide; Is Canadian Style Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Coming to California?,” https://www.choiceillusion.org/2024/03/a-short-history-of-assisted-suicide-is.html

New York Bar Association and Medical Society Ignore Dangers of Legalized Assisted Suicide

By Lisa Blumberg (author pictured here).

The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) adopted a resolution in 2023 that supports the provisions of the assisted suicide bill before the legislature. This position is based on a report by its Task Force on Medical Aid in Dying. The report is extensive but seems more of defense of assisted suicide rather than a balanced inquiry into the myriad issues raised by its legalization.

Alex Schadenberg Regarding Canada & the United States, including Good News

Dear Friends: ... 

Sylvie Berube (BQ) MP sponsored Bill C-390, a bill that would extend Canada’s law by allowing euthanasia approvals by advanced request. The bill amends the federal euthanasia law by adding to sections of the law the words: “or an applicable provincial framework.” Last year, the Québec government passed Bill 11, which expanded the Québec law by (among other things) allowing euthanasia by advanced request. Bill C-390, if passed, would amend Canada’s euthanasia law by changing the federal law based on amendments to provincial laws. In other words, Québec could legislate federally.

Follow up by Mark Komrad MD (pictured below)

Colleagues,

[Theo Boer, Professor of Health Care Ethics in the Netherlands] spoke last Friday. Many asked that I send the link to the lecture when available. Here it is: https://doctorssayno.net/webinars/

[Professor Boer] spoke about the decades of experience with euthanasia in that country and how it has affected and changed some fundamental cultural values there regarding life, death, and disability.  He document[ed] how it grew vastly beyond the initial parameters. 

This was a very worthwhile talk by Dr. Boer who was  involved in the early days of  the medical euthanasia's roll out in the Netherlands. He was initially supportive, but saw it get quite out of hand. So he became an opponent, and a Cassandra, warning other countries to not go down that path. 

Actress and Activist Liz Carr Creates “Blistering” Documentary On Assisted Suicide

By Diane Coleman, Not Dead Yet.  Original publication 05/16/24.

Liz Carr’s newest groundbreaking documentary on assisted suicide is a in-depth exploration of the emotions and societal pressures that lie at the heart of disability opposition to a public policy that threatens ours lives. The Guardian called it “blistering.” Her gripping and personal narrative, a must-see tour-de-force is available HERE for now. ...

In 2013, Liz Carr created a two part BBC documentary called “When Assisted Suicide Is Legal” about what she called her Euthanasia Road Trip in Europe, Oregon and Washington State. NDY covered Part 1 and Part 2 with excerpts and commentary in our blog, and the audio documentary is still live online:

Webinar Regarding Forty Years of the Dutch Euthanasia Experience (May 24/25 2024)

Featured Speaker Professor Theo Boer, pictured below.

Introductory comments by Mark Komrad, MD, below.

Please click HERE to join: Password: 089934, check your time zones listed below.

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Dr. Komrad:

The international DOCTORS SAY NO organization is opposed to considering assisted suicide and euthanasia as medical procedures. I'm on the board and we sponsor a series of zoom lectures from physicians in several countries. Now, on May 24 [2024] we will be hearing from celebrated Dutch ethicist Theo Boer.