BY TOM MORTIER article first published on MercatorNet's Careful! blog. In May 2015 Paul Russell, of Hope, an Australian coalition opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide, invited me to come to Adelaide to speak about my experiences with the Belgian euthanasia law. It is now well known that my physically healthy mother was killed by a lethal injection given by the Flemish euthanasia practitioner Dr Wim Distelmans.At the conference, Paul told me that someone called Andrew Denton wanted to interview me. I had never heard of Mr Denton, but Paul told me that he was very famous and that it would be a good opportunity to talk with him. So I did. I don't remember much from the interview, but he did ask searching questions. Continue reading

Yesterday I wrote about the nasty attack staged in the Belgian De Morgen newspaper by Bernheim and Vermeersch. Today, Tom Mortier shares his thoughts on the personal attack on him in De Morgen:The Flemish newspaper De Morgen has been discrediting me for three years now. Continue reading

When discourse descends into ad hominem By Paul Russell: The name and the story of Belgian chemist, Dr Tom Mortier, is known throughout the world. His physically well mother, was clinically depressed. Yet she was euthanased without his knowledge in Belgium. He and his sister were left to pick up the pieces. Continue reading

Everyone who heard Tom Mortier speak at the recent #HOPE2015 Adelaide Symposium or at the more recent HOPE inaugural conference in Dublin, Ireland, was certainly moved emotionally by the story of the euthanasia death of his mother. She was physically well but suffered from clinical depression.The story itself is well known now across the globe. It is a clear example of the category shift in Belgium that allows now for euthanasia for a much broader range of circumstances than was ever envisaged when the law was debated and passed in 2001 and 2002. It is also a very clear example of what happens when the pursuit of autonomy moves past the natural boundaries of application to a point where even familial relationships count for little. "You've just taken away the suffering of one person and transposed it to another!' " Tom to Dr Distelmans.Tom is a dear friend. We spent a few days sightseeing and talking after the Adelaide event. As he has said repeatedly that he never asked for this. His life and that of his family have been radically altered by events beyond his control. He declares quite openly that he is not an activist. But he is someone who is grappling with the pursuit of justice; and that in a country where he finds that the cultural shift towards accepting euthanasia as a right sees him as one of only a few voices of opposition.No-one should ever experience such life-shattering events. But as Tom says, he knows that he is not the only one. There are others. The pursuit of justice needs a voice. Tom is such a voice. And while it is difficult and deeply frustrating to seek for justice to be done in an environment where many, if not most, cannot see the problem; justice will be done. Justice may be portrayed as a blindfolded woman, but she will have her way.During the Adelaide symposium and also since returning to Belgium, Tom has been co-operating with the Australian SBS television network in the production of a documentary. He also co-operated with Rachel Aviv from The New Yorker in a recently published expose on Belgium's love affair with euthanasia. I urge readers to consider how difficult it must be to retell these events time and time again. Tom is not seeking the limelight nor to bring attention to himself but, rather to an issue that cries out for justice; not just for himself, his mother and his family, but for his entire beloved homeland of Belgium.I encourage anyone who genuinely wishes to gain an understanding about Belgium's experiment with euthanasia to read the New Yorker article (linked here).We should all keep Tom and his family in our thoughts with gratitude for his incredible courage. Continue reading

By Alex SchadenbergInternational Chair - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition The recent 2015 HOPE International Symposium opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide featured many excellent speakers, including Professor Tom Mortier, who's depressed mother died by euthanasia in Belgium.Rebecca DiGirolamo interviewed Mortier at the Symposium in Australia for the Southern Cross news. Continue reading

Professor Mortier takes complaint about the Belgian euthanasia laws to the European Court of Human Rights.By Alex Schadenberg, International Chair - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Mortier's mother died by euthanasia in BelgiumTom Mortier, a chemistry professor, who lost his depressed mother, Godelieva De Troyer, to euthanasia in April 2012, has challenged the Belgian euthanasia law and the doctor who lethally injected his mother by launching a legal challenge at the European Court of Human Rights. An article written by Kelsey Harkness and published in the Daily Signal concerns Mortier's case.Harkness defines the Belgian euthanasia experience by explaining how it has expanded over time. She writes: Continue reading

This article first appeared on Wesley Smith's Blog, Human Exceptionalism on the 23rd of November 2014 Imagine you are at work, going about your day. The phone rings. You pick up and it is a mortuary informing you they have your mother's body."What do you mean you have my mother's body!" you exclaim in utter shock. Continue reading

 The European Court of Human Rights is set to hear a challenge to the Belgian euthanasia law. It is a most difficult and demanding task to fight for justice as our friend Tom Mortier is doing. A mutual friend, Kevin Fitzpatrick recently sketched out just how difficult it is to speak out in Belgium. We congratulate Tom and his family for their courage and commitment. This article first appeared on Alex Schadenbergs blogsite:ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM NEWS RELEASE3 September 2014 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEE-MAIL: [email protected] Continue reading