by MICHAEL COOK cross posted from Mercatornet Oregon is the model for assisted suicide legislation throughout the United States, so its annual "Death with Dignity" report for 2015 deserves close scrutiny.Since the law was passed in 1997, a total of 1,545 people have had prescriptions written under the DWDA, and 991 patients have died from ingesting the medications. Continue reading

Oregon 2015 assisted suicide report - another 26% increase in assisted suicide deaths. By Alex SchadenbergExecutive Director - Euthanasia Prevention CoalitionThe 2015 Oregon assisted suicide report indicates that there was another 26% in assisted suicide deaths and a 40% increase in lethal prescriptions. The 2014 Oregon assisted suicide report indicated a 44% increase in assisted suicide deaths and a 48% increase in lethal prescriptions representing an 81% increase in assisted suicide deaths in two years. Continue reading

By Alex SchadenbergExecutive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition The 2015 Belgian euthanasia data indicates that the number of euthanasia deaths continue to increase. According to the Belgian media, in 2015, there were 2021 reported deaths by euthanasia, up from 1924 reported euthanasia deaths in 2014.But Wim Distelmans, the chairman of the euthanasia commission reminded the media that they cannot say for certain the actual number of euthanasia deaths. Distelmans stated: Continue reading

Recently the ABC's Q&A program focussed on the issue of euthanasia. Some called it, 'The Denton Show' given the dominance in the time given to (and taken by) former comedian, Andrew Denton in espousing his zeal for assisted suicide as a panellist. Audience member, Luke Formosa, after a pre-amble asked Denton: "How do you propose Australia's euthanasia laws would protect the most vulnerable people, when the example in The Netherlands and The (sic) Belgium are showing the exact opposite?"Denton did attempt to answer Formosa's question in an oblique way but preferred to focus upon the claim that the 2014 Dutch report on euthanasia deaths had noted that, '550 newborn babies with diseases or disabilities were killed'. Continue reading

BY CAROLYN MOYNIHAN first published on MercatorNet When it comes to a moral issue like euthanasia, those who participate in the debate are going to be on one side or the other. It is improbable that medical experts, ethicists, researchers, lawyers and politicians who play a part, either by choice or duty, do not begin with a position on the matter - even if it subsequently changes.In the normal course of events we find out. But not always, not even where it could make a material difference to the democratic process. Continue reading

By Alex SchadenbergExecutive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition The 2014 Netherlands euthanasia report was released indicating that there was another 10% increase in assisted deaths. There were also 41 assisted deaths for psychiatric reasons and 81 assisted deaths for dementia. The term assisted death refers to deaths by euthanasia and assisted suicide.The 2014 report stated that there were reported 5306 assisted deaths up from 4829 reported assisted deaths in 2013. These numbers do not include the unreported assisted deaths. Continue reading

By Alex Schadenberg International Chair, Euthanasia Prevention CoalitionFor several years the Oregon suicide statistics seemed to indicate that legalizing assisted suicide had a suicide contagion effect. Continue reading

Alex SchadenbergInternational Chair, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition A study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) analyzing the euthanasia deaths in the first year of operation at the Netherlands euthanasia clinic appears to have been done to prove that euthanasia is being done carefully at the clinic.The study: A study of the First Year of the End-of-Life Clinic for Physician-Assisted Dying in the Netherlands was published online on August 10, 2015. Continue reading

by Michael CookFirst Published on the Bioegde website A leading academic has published a stinging critique of how Belgium administers its euthanasia law. Writing in the Journal of Medical Ethics, Rafael Cohen-Almagor, an Israeli professor of politics at the University of Hull, says that Belgians should be alarmed by the deliberate shortening of lives of some patients without their explicit voluntary request.Consent is supposed to be a cornerstone of Belgium's euthanasia act, but Cohen-Almagor, after surveying reports and articles, believes that the number of patients who are killed outside of the law is disturbing. "Ending patients' lives without request is more common than euthanasia," he says. He urges the Belgian medical profession to place reform high on their agenda. Continue reading

By Alex SchadenbergExecutive Director and International Chair - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) (March 17, 2015) published the basic statistics related to a new study titled: Recent Trends in Euthanasia and Other End-of-Life Practices in Belgium.Similar to previous studies, this study sent questionnaires to 6188 physicians in Flanders Belgium, who had certified death certificates in the first half of 2013. The study received a 60.6% response rate by receiving 3751 returned questionnaires. Continue reading