EPC Response to Recommendations for Euthanasia

Canadian government Assisted Dying recommendations will not protect people.

For Immediate Release - February 25, 2016

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) is a national organization representing groups and individuals representing medical, personal and disability perspectives since 1999 with the purpose of protecting people from euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Research proves that the misuse of Assisted Dying in jurisdictions where it is legal has resulted in deaths without an explicit request, assisted deaths of people with a wrong diagnosis, the under reporting of assisted deaths, and assisted death of people with treatable psychiatric conditions including depression.

EPC urges the federal government to:

• devise guidelines with clear oversight that cannot be abused.
• reject the concept that assisted dying is a form of medical treatment.
• reject assisted death for people who are incompetent to make decisions.
• devise clear guidelines to ensure that people, who are experiencing a vulnerable time of their life, will not die an assisted death, based on situational depression.
• protect the conscience rights of healthcare institutions.
• protect the conscience rights of medical professionals who reject that killing patients is an acceptable medical act. Medical professionals must not be forced, in any manner to participate in killing their patients.
• increase support for palliative care, home care for people with disabilities, mental health services and suicide prevention.

For interviews contact:

Alex Schadenberg (London ON) EPC Executive Director, (519) 851-1434 (cell) info@epcc.ca

Hugh Scher (Toronto ON) EPC Legal Counsel, (416) 816-6115 (cell) hugh@sdlaw.ca

Amy Hasbrouck (Montreal QC) Toujours Vivant Not Dead Yet, (450) 921-3057, tigrlily61@gmail.com

Dr. Will Johnston (Vancouver BC) EPC – BC Chair, (604) 220-2042.

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, 1-877-439-3348, info@epcc.ca, www.epcc.ca

Flashbacks

I haven't been posting to this blog as I have not been feeling well.  Mostly attributable to flashbacks of how Randy died and how Vancouver Coastal Health treated us.  VCH knew Randy was dying and yet it banned me from seeing him before he died based on false information.  I was a victim of its psychological abuse.  It was designed. 

Canada's euthanasia lobby pushes euthanasia for people who cannot consent.

Sounds familiar.  A senior gives power of attorney to her niece and the next day the niece finds a doctor who certifies the senior is incapable and the senior loses all her legal rights.  She becomes a non-person. This is even better, the senior is euthanized.

Will a NHL hockey player who has a concussion and cannot remember your name will he be classified as dementia and his consent will not be necessary to be euthanized..

 Call you MP (Member of Parliament and MLA) and say you are opposed to euthanasia except with court oversight. Busy doctors and social workers are not to be trusted. Doctors put DNRs on patients without consent so it would be equally easy for a doctor to put an euthanasia Order on a patient as well.  

 Like in Belgium, forget about hospice and palliative care, Belgium got euthanasia. 

Justice Lynn Smith said that it was okay based on questionable statistics provided to the Court that it is alright for a few people to be wrongly euthanized as their lives could be written off as collateral damage.`

Canada's euthanasia lobby pushes euthanasia for people who cannot consent.

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

A recent poll commissioned by the euthanasia lobby was designed to pressure Canada's parliament to approve euthanasia for incompetent people with advanced dementia.

The Supreme Court February 2015 Carter decision permitted euthanasia for:

“a competent adult person who
(1) clearly consents to the termination of life and
(2) has a grievous and irremediable medical condition (including an illness, disease or disability) that causes enduring suffering that is intolerable to the individual in the circumstances of his or her condition.”

The Supreme Court decision stated that the person must clearly consent, but the euthanasia lobby is not satisfied with limiting euthanasia to consenting adults so they designed a poll to suggest that 80 per cent of Canadians agree that individuals with a terminal medical condition like dementia should be permitted to consent to assisted death in advance. 

According to a recent study from Belgium, where assisted death was legalized for competent adults in 2002, there were more than 1000 assisted deaths without explicit request in 2013.

The euthanasia lobby wants you to believe that they only support euthanasia for people who are competent, terminally ill and suffering, but in reality they also want euthanasia without an explicit consent for incompetent people. 

If this is about "freedom of choice," as the euthanasia lobby claims, how can it be assured that the person with dementia is freely choosing to be killed? 

The euthanasia lobby is not satisfied with the Supreme Court decision to limit killing to people who clearly consent, they also want death for people who they define as better off dead and who cannot consent. Another soon to be constitutional issue: fFor equality under the Constitution anyone can ask to be dead without even being ill:  everyone is entitled to a safe and painless death.

CARP wants euthanasia on demand (searchh Susan Eng)

The Humanists want euthanasia on demand.
Dying with Dignity want euthanasia on demand.



 

Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Native leader: Assisted suicide is not part of our...

Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Native leader: Assisted suicide is not part of our...: By Alex Schadenberg Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Francois Paulette Francois Paulette, the Dene Nation Elders ...

Monday, February 8, 2016

Native leader: Assisted suicide is not part of our system of life.

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Francois Paulette

Francois Paulette, the Dene Nation Elders Council Chair told Rachel Zeiniker from CBC news that:

"Traditionally, that (assusted death) is not part of our system of life," 

"We have a very high standard of looking after our people that are sick."

Paulette said that the indigenous perspective has been left out of the assisted death debate. He told CBC:

I think the leadership really needs to get on top of this and find a way for indigenous people to have a seat at the table so legislation respects and honours the UN Declaration of Indigenous People's Rights and treaty rights. 

I hope either the federal or territorial government provides assistance and money to bring leaders together.

Paulette hopes that the guidelines will be "respectful of traditional values and principles." 

The concerns of the native community, the disability community and minority communities have so far been ignored in the quest to impose euthanasia and assisted suicide upon Canadia.

The N.W.T. government has begun to solicit opinions from people in the territory. It has sent letters to stakeholders, and is accepting public feedback on its website until Monday, Feb. 15.

Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Assisted Death: I never thought this day would com...

Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Assisted Death: I never thought this day would com...: This article was published as a CMAJ blog on Feb 3, 2016 and republished with permission. Diane Kelsall By Diane Kelsall,  Deput...

Simon’s Law: “To Be Heard”

Simon’s Law: “To Be Heard”

Read this.  Baby's death hastened because of an unauthorized DNR.  Illegal DNRs are very common in my experience in British Columbia.  DNRs (MOSTs) do not require the signature of the patient.  How easy it is for a doctor for whatever reason, perhaps, in the best interest of the patient, to put a DNR on a patient.  No oversight safeguard is necessary;  just the word of a doctor. Doctors justify illegal DNRs since a patient is going to die anyways.