This article was originally published by the PolitickerNJ on June 26, 2014. John Kelly testified in New Jersey. (NB: John's observations apply equally to euthanasia) By John Kelly, the regional coordinator for the disability rights group - Not Dead Yet.No matter how many amendments get added to the New Jersey assisted suicide bill, A2270, whether for a prettier name (out goes"Death With Dignity," in comes "Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill") or for a changed-then-changed-back-again definition of "terminal illness," the bill is too dangerous. Continue reading

Wednesday 25th of June. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom delivered its judgement in three related appeal cases related to the issue of assisted suicide and in consideration both of British domestic law and the European Convention on Human Rights. In all cases, the nine senior judges refused to act to change the existing laws. All three appellants lived with significant paralysing disabilities and were not able to suicide without assistance.Nicklinson and Lamb: Nicklinson had previously applied to the High Court for (i) a declaration that it would be lawful for a doctor to kill him or to assist him in terminating his life, or, if that was refused, (ii) a declaration that the current state of the law in that connection was incompatible with his right to a private life under article 8 of the Convention ("Article 8"). Nicklinson was joined by Lamb. The High Court rejected their application and Nicklinson died of pneumonia in the days following the decision. His wife, Jane, was continuing his action. Continue reading

The passage of Bill-52 through the Quebec Parliament a month ago sent shock waves across Canada and the Western World; as much because of the bill's provisions as the haste with which the debate was held. This vote ignored the opposition of the Canadian Medical Association, and the stated opposition of the Federal Government. The bill is already the subject of a legal challenge which, we hope will be joined by the Canadian Government in Ottawa.Australian Academic and Canadian resident, Margaret Somerville tackled the substantive issues in the Montreal Gazette shortly after the bill passed. Much, if not all, of her article applies to the new bill before committee in the Australian Senate. Continue reading

Recently Melbourne doctor and vice president of the Victorian pro-euthanasia organisation, Dr Rodney Syme wrote in The Saturday Paper arguing for a change in the language around euthanasia. Like his namesake in George Orwell's 1984, his is a form of Newspeak. Alex Schadenberg blogged about an article in the Canadian press that would answer Syme and his 'Ministry of Truth' colleagues:The National Post published an excellent article titled: Why can't we say euthanasia? concerning the passage of Québec euthanasia Bill, by Lise Ravary, a columnist and Blogger for Le Journal de Montréal. Continue reading

Ever since the euthanasia bill was tabled in the Canadian provincial parliament in Quebec, HOPE has been expecting that a similar bill would be developed for Australia. A new bill, called the Medical Services (Dying with Dignity) Bill 2014 was made public as an exposure draft by Senator Richard Di Natale in Canberra today.UPDATE (25th June): This bill has been referred by the Senate to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee for an Inquiry. The report date is the 27th of October. Continue reading

  As the House of Lords prepares to debate Lord Falconer's assisted suicide bill, a worthy reflection on the death culture presents a cogent argument for reform of the system and why euthanasia & assisted suicide should be rejected.From Irene Ogrizek's blog: Continue reading

The phenomenal Craig Wallace teams up with fellow disability activist Samantha Connor looks at the media bias in reporting suicide and murder of people living with disability.  This article first appeared on the ABC's Ramp UP website.Media reports on homicides of people with disability, particularly those with intellectual disability, are frequently sugar-coated and euphemised. This only serves to diminish the value of those who have lost their lives, writes Craig Wallace and Samantha Connor. Continue reading

Lives Worth Living has uncovered a series of bizarre and horrifying pro-euthanasia comments on a prominent polling website which describe children with disability as burdens, a waste of resources and "not even human".  An online debate.org poll which asked whether parents should be able to euthanize disabled children "that complicate their lives" has provided a disturbing window into the views of some in the pro-euthanasia community towards about disability.Debate.org describes itself as a free online community where "intelligent minds from around the world" come to debate online and read the opinions of others. The poll saw 61% indicate that they believe that parents should be able to euthanize children with a disability despite not specifying which disabilities or how they complicate lives. Continue reading

  By Alex SchadenbergExecutive Director - Euthanasia Prevention CoalitionCBC news reported that a Czech government advisor was forced to resign because he is promoting euthanasia for babies with disabilities. Continue reading

  One of my most popular blog articles of the past few years was a piece I penned called: Autonomy or automatons? (or 'autonomy anomaly'?) in April 2013. In it, I discussed the problem with the possibility that everything contained in a person's advance care directive would be binding upon a treating doctor. I argued that this would remove the doctor's right to his or her own autonomy and recourse to best medical practice and their judgement borne of experience and their training.Recently a US Oncologist, writing in The Journal of Clinical Oncology discusses the issue of autonomy using what must be seen as something of an extreme example. David P. Steensma talks about a patient, who apparently had no faith in conventional medicine and, even in the face of a raging cancer, refused his ministrations towards dealing with the disease through conventional medicine. Continue reading