Dear Dr. Ferrier,
I wanted to thank you for your very thoughtful article in today's Gazette. It is a topic very dear to my heart and the "news" story on Saturday upset me very much.
I accompanied my father as he declined with Alzheimer's over about ten years. He ended up in care, first at St. Mary's later at the Bayview, because my mother herself was too frail to care for him. We were lucky he recognized us until the end ...
A recent article in The Gazette explains how Homecare in Quebec is in critical condition. The story describes the situation for people receiving homecare, and how patients are sent home from hospitals and rehab centres earlier than in the past, due to a shift in policy. Many people are unable to access all the services they need due to costs. This could be an incentive for people to choose euthanasia.
According to the article, Quebec will now focus on homecare. ...
Continue Reading → Critical condition of homecare could push people to choose euthanasia
An opinion piece in yesterday’s National Post argues against the Canadian federal government's position against physician assisted suicide. The author makes many dubious claims, but there is one that clamours to be addressed. He says that 17 years of legal assisted suicide in Oregon disproves the slippery slope argument. He explains how there is no data showing abuse. His statements are not accurate.
The Oregon system has not been designed to show problems. In an excellent ...
Continue Reading → Slippery Slope and Assisted Suicide in Oregon
When Marilyn Monroe died in August 1962, with the cause listed as probable suicide, the nation reacted. In the months afterward, there was extensive news coverage, widespread sorrow and a spate of suicides. According to one study, the suicide rate in the United States jumped by 12 percent compared with the same months in the previous year.
Continue Reading → The Science Behind Suicide Contagion