Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague. Take some time to learn the facts concerning mental illness.
Continue Reading → Fast Facts about Mental Illness
A study on physician assisted suicide in Oregon has found that the most common reasons for requesting physician assisted suicide included concerns over future loss of dignity, independence, quality of life, and self-care ability. Concern for future physical symptoms and experiences (e.g. pain) scored higher than concern over physical symptoms and experience at the time of the request. According to family members, the least important reasons for requests of physician assisted suicide were depression, financial concerns, and poor social support. ...
Continue Reading → Why Oregon patients request assisted death: family members’ views.
The World Medical Association's Declaration on Euthanasia, adopted by the 38th World Medical Assembly, Madrid, Spain, October 1987 and reaffirmed by the 170th WMA Council Session, Divonne-les-Bains, France, May 2005.
Continue Reading → World Medical Association Resolution on Euthanasia
A study was published in the NEJM on March 19, 2015 on the experience with euthanasia in the Flanders region of Belgium examined 3751 deaths in the first six months of 2013 in the Flanders region of Belgium and concluded that 1.7% of all deaths were hastened without request (representing more than 1000 deaths yearly), euthanasia represents 4.6% of all deaths although the official Belgian reports indicate that euthanasia represents 2.4% of all deaths, meaning that almost half of all ...
Continue Reading → Recent Trends in Euthanasia and Other End-of-Life Practices in Belgium