Vol. 6

 

Q u i - v i v e   

  Living With Dignity Newsletter
  Vol. 6

A Word from the Director

April was a busy month for Living with Dignity.

First, an Ottawa press conference allowed us to launch a warning about the risks of abuse just days before the federal government tabled its bill to legalize euthanasia AND assisted suicide.

When the Bill C-14 came out, we immediately issued a press release denouncing its main threats. We especially put emphasis on the fact that with "medical assistance in dying", some people in Canada will now have a special permission in the Criminal Code for murder, aiding suicide and administering poison.

Also, we answered the call of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights by submitting a brief to express our concerns. On May 4, Michel Racicot (vice president of Living with Dignity), and Dr. Catherine Ferrier (board member of Living with Dignity and president of the Physicians’ Alliance against euthanasia) traveled to Ottawa to present their case to members of the Committee (see their presentation on video here >>).

Finally, we are currently working on the preparations for the rally to be held in Ottawa on June 1 from noon to 1:30 p.m., which we are organizing jointly with the Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia and the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. Thank you to all of you who have already expressed their willingness to participate: I will communicate more information shortly.

Let’s continue to show our opposition to any legalization of homicide, even if it is a medical one.

 

Living with Dignity in the media (English and French) 

  • New federal assisted-dying law fails to protect vulnerable persons from death: opinion piece by Dr Catherine Ferrier, member of the Board of Directors of Living with Dignity published in the Gazette. Read article >>
  • Ferrier: Assisted-dying bill safeguards no one's right to life: same opinion piece by Dr Catherine Ferrier, member of the Board of Directors of Living with Dignity, also published in the Ottawa Citizen. Read article >>
  • «Ça dépend»: la nouvelle confusion autour du suicide : un texte d'Aubert Martin sur le Huffington Post. Lire l'article >> 
  • Un organisme prévient Ottawa du risque de dérives: entrevue d'Aubert Martin parue sur TVA Nouvelles suite à sa conférence de presse à Ottawa en compagnie d'Alex Schadenberg de la EPC (voir photo à droite). Lire l'article >>
  • Un organisme met en garde le gouvernement: entrevue d'Aubert Martin parue aussi sur Canoe.ca suite à sa conférence de presse à Ottawa en compagnie d'Alex Schadenberg de la EPC (voir photo à droite). Lire l'article >>

 

News in Canada

  • April 1st, 2016: the media report a first request for euthanasia in Newfoundland. The article exemplifies a dangerous trend in the media: the promotion of assisted suicide, even calling for a second doctor willing to euthanize the person in question. Read the article >>
  • April 14, 2016: presentation of the Bill by the Liberal government which will legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia across Canada. See Bill in detail >>
  • April 21, 2016: the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights begins its study of Bill C-14, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (physician assisted dying). See the Committee's website >>
  • May 4, 2016: the principle of Bill C-14 is adopted by a margin of 235 to 75, which sends it to the Committee on Justice and Human Rights where it will be studied for amendments before it is introduced in the Senate. Read article >>

​

Take action in May

 

  • REMINDER OF OUR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN: please support our efforts so that we can continue to speak on your behalf

           

  • Rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 1 from noon to 13:30: all the details coming soon. Save the date now!
  • Write to MPs, members of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights (>>) to inform them of our concerns about the proposed federal legislation (Bill C-14). See addresses of all members attached.
  • Write to senators, members of the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (>>) to inform them of our concerns about the proposed federal legislation (Bill C-14). See address of all members attached.
  • Sign the petition against euthanasia for psychiatric illness: sign the petition here >>

Press Review (French and English)

  • Assisted suicide makes us all complicit in another’s death: Assisted suicide is not about easing the pain of dying, but of easing the pain of living, Andrew Coyne writes. Read article >>
  • The Deadly Problems Surrounding Bill C-14: what is really not credible is how the word-benders who used the Charter "right to life" to legalize the intentional suicide or killing of some patients are now protesting that they have been cheated of total victory. Read article >> 
  • What’s behind the demolition of conscience rights in Canada: autonomy, choice, and tolerance are being used to justify euthanasia but these grand principles don't apply to opponents. Read article >>
  • Media should stop romanticizing assisted suicide : journalists should guard against coverage that could lead to 'suicide contagion'. Read article >>
  • Indigenous Canadians fear impending euthanasia law: Francois Paulette says that Canada's new euthanasia law is not part of indigenous culture. Read article >>
  • Exceptions to assisted suicide eventually will fall away, as they must: the government has introduced legislation in response to the court’s ruling, and what is the chief complaint? That it does not include children and the mentally incompetent. What once was unthinkable is now indispensable. Read article >>
  • Six questions about physician-assisted death, from a conscientious objector: to understand the position of conscientiously objecting doctors, consider the following questions. Read article >>
  • Speaking for those who can’t: only 15 to 30 percent of dying Canadians have access to or receive hospice palliative care or end-of life services, dedicated to addressing all forms of suffering — physical, psychological and existential — affecting patients nearing death and their families. And yet, all healthcare facilities may be required to offer physician-hastened death, i.e., euthanasia and assisted suicide. Read article >>
  • Robert-Falcon Ouellette questions impact of doctor-assisted dying on Canada's Indigenous Peoples: the Winnipeg Centre Liberal MP is conflicted about the bill following a rash of suicides in 2 communities. Read article >>
  • A layman's guide to the basic distinctions one ought to keep clear despite persistent attempts at obfuscation: certainly standard modern definitions of medicine, such as 'the science of diagnosing, treating, or preventing disease and other damage to the body or mind' (American Heritage Dictionary), no longer properly identify medicine where 'medical assistance in dying' refers not to palliative care but to deliberate killing. Read article >>
  • Ontario physician first to announce plans to quit medicine due to demand for referral for euthanasia: moral imperialism by state authorities in Canada is beginning to take its toll. Read article >>
  • La pente glissante: la loi fédérale sur l’aide médicale à mourir (ou, pour appeler les choses par leur nom, sur l’euthanasie active) ne sera qu’un début: lire l'article >> 
  • Condamner le suicide mais approuver l'aide au suicide: nous sommes émus à en pleurer quand un jeune dépressif se donne la mort mais le lendemain, nous pouvons discuter calmement de la possibilité de permettre à un autre jeune qui souffre de dépression de «se faire suicider» par un professionnel de la santé.  lire l'article >>
  • Le serment d'hypocrite: Québec facilite l’accès à l’aide à mourir, mais complique l’accès à l’aide à vivre.  lire l'article >>
  • Pays Bas : près de 4% des décès sont des euthanasies: le Rapport annuel 2015 des comités régionaux de surveillance de l’euthanasie aux Pays Bas révèle une hausse de 50% du nombre d’euthanasies et suicides assistés depuis 2011. Lire l'article >>
  • Maison de soins palliatifs La Source Bleue: mourir dans la dignité a un prix. Lire l'article >>:
  • Une initiative pour aider les malades est « dénoncée » par le Ministre de la Santé, le Dr Gaétan Barrette : la clinique infirmière SABSA de Québec rappelle que depuis le début de 2016, c’est près de 400 consultations par mois qui ont été réalisées, soit près de 1600 patients rejoints, dont 40 % sont des patients présentant au moins une vulnérabilité – la plus fréquente étant les problèmes de santé mentale, à 19 %. « On offre des soins des orteils jusqu’aux cheveux » : lire l'article >>
  • C’était en 2010 (il n’y a pas si longtemps): un projet de loi d'initiative parlementaire sur le suicide assisté était rejeté à la première occasion à 228 voix contre 59. Lire l'article >> 
  • Définition de « l’aide médicale à mourir » dans le dictionnaire de Wikipédia : un euphémisme! Voir la définition >>

Videos to watch (French and English)

  • Vulnerable: The Euthanasia Deception: Documentary promo of an educational outreach initiative from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition coming in June 2016 with moving and troubling testimonies on the euthanasia experience in Belgium: Watch video >> 

 

To make a donation is... to take action!

Our organization would not exist without the support of people who share our vision of human solidarity and our mission to promote good palliative care for all. With your contribution, we can act on your behalf by advocating in person (conferences, panels), in the media (interviews, articles, press releases), and on social networks (blogs, website, Facebook, Twitter).

Thus, by contributing, you are directly participating in defending future generations, especially vulnerable people, threatened by euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada.

Thank you for your active support!

25
MAY
2016
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