Ed

Sydney Morning Herald 16 November 2017
Family First Comment: “I have not yet seen it possible to develop adequate legislative safeguards to protect people from the misuse of these laws. I have not yet seen a legislative model in this area that cannot be exploited or manipulated. And I cannot support any gaps for exploitation when the consequences are so final”.
Exactly – ‘safe’ euthanasia is a myth
www.RejectAssistedSuicide.nz
State MPs have voted down a bill to introduce voluntary assisted dying laws in NSW following a full day of emotional debate.
The bill was defeated in the Legislative Council by 20 votes to 19 in a vote that took place just after 11pm on Thursday.
It is a disappointing end for a campaign launched by a cross-party working group of MPs in a bid to convince the Parliament to support the bill based on similar laws in the US state of Oregon.
Advocates were hopeful the bill was sufficiently conservative to garner support of the upper house.
It proposed that terminally ill NSW residents over the age of 25 with less than 12 months to live be allowed to legally end their lives with medical assistance.
Safeguards included a requirement to consult two doctors, one a specialist in the illness, and a psychiatrist or psychologist.
READ MORE: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/voluntary-assisted-dying-bill-defeated-in-nsw-upper-house-20171116-gzn25g.html

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Independent 5 February 2017
Family First Comment: It just gets worse!
And add to that…..
“The Dutch Parliament is considering revising the euthanasia laws to allow anyone older than 75 who is “tired of life” to have the right to assisted suicide, widening the current restriction which limits the practice to the terminally ill.”
A Dutch doctor who ordered an elderly dementia patient’s family to hold her down as she was given a lethal euthanasia injection has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
The doctor at a nursing home in the Netherlands, where euthanasia is legal, was investigated following the death of the unnamed woman who had expressed a wish to die “when the time was right”.
The Catholic News Agency reported that the woman woke up despite the sleep-inducing drug she had been given in her coffee and tried to resist the procedure.
The doctor then asked the relatives of the woman, said to be aged “over 80”, to restrain her while she administered the lethal injection.
The senior doctor had determined the time was right because of a recent deterioration in the woman’s condition.
“I am convinced that the doctor acted in good faith, and we would like to see more clarity on how such cases are handled in the future,“ said Jacob Kohnstamm, chairman of the Regional Review Committee, which considered the case.
The case will be further examined by the Dutch courts to clarify the laws around euthanasia and determine whether doctors who carry out the procedure should be prosecuted if they are found to have acted in good faith.
The Dutch Parliament is considering revising the euthanasia laws to allow anyone older than 75 who is “tired of life” to have the right to assisted suicide, widening the current restriction which limits the practice to the terminally ill.
The Netherlands was the first country in the world to decriminalise euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002, but has had several high-profile cases of doctor-assisted suicide in recent years.
In 2015, there were more than 5,000 euthanasia deaths in the country – which represents a leap of 50 per cent in the past five years. Only four of these 5,306 deaths were found by officials to have involved “irregularities”. Psychiatric patients can be put to death at their own request as can under 18s. Those aged between 12 and 16 wishing to die must also have the consent of their parents, but 16-18s can take the decision themselves.
READ MORE: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/doctor-netherlands-lethal-injection-dementia-euthanasia-a7564061.html

In the new film “Fatal Flaws” (Spring 2018) filmmaker Kevin Dunn questions the long term effects of assisted death laws on society. One of the most shocking stories came from a woman named Margreet whose mother was euthanized without request. Margreet (The Netherlands) was on her way to the hospital to see her mother who was just admitted with a possible case of pneumonia. On her way there, she received a message from the emergency room doctor who told her not to worry about rushing to the hospital, as doctors had just induced a coma from which her mother would not awaken. Margaret’s full story is featured in the film “Fatal Flaws”, coming 2018 from DunnMedia and the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition along with donors like you. Please consider supporting this film at fatalflawsfilm.com

NZ Herald 12 November 2017
Family First Comment: And this is the problem with euthanasia. Doctors can get it wrong – so we just can’t take the risk!
“A groom who had been told he had just weeks to live used his wedding to tell guests that he wasn’t dying and had actually been misdiagnosed.”
www.rejectassistedsuicide.nz
A groom who had been told he had just weeks to live used his wedding to tell guests that he wasn’t dying and had actually been misdiagnosed.

Jack Kane, 23, proposed to his girlfriend Emma Clarke, 23, after being told that he had a cancerous tumour on his spine.

He had been struggling with severe back pain and hypersensitivity in his legs, eventually finding that he could not move at all. He was later told he just weeks to live, according to The Telegraph UK.

Their wedding was arranged to take place in a ceremony at the James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough eight days after his emotional proposal.But in that time doctors discovered that the “terminal” cancer was actually a rare neurological condition called neuromyelitis optica, also known as Devic’s disease.

The couple told their immediate family but decided to keep it a secret from the rest of their 130 guests.

Mr Kane eventually told them during his speech. The moment was caught on video and shows Mr Kane sitting in his wheelchair. He begins to sob as he says: “The doctors have done some further tests and they came back positive – I am not terminal.”
READ MORE: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=11943130&ref=twitter

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MercatorNet 7 November 2017
Family First Comment: Disturbing to see what’s happening in Belgium.
“Death by euthanasia in Belgium is, generally, no longer regarded as an exception requiring special justification. Instead, it is often regarded as a normal death and a benefit not to be restricted to without special justification.”

Belgium’s debate over euthanasia for psychological suffering is heating up. Last week 42 psychiatrists, psychologists and academics published an open letter calling for a national debate on euthanasia and mental illness.

Euthanasia because of unbearable and futile psychological suffering is very problematic. It is about people who are not terminal and, in principle, could live for many years. Therefore, extreme caution is appropriate both clinically and legally. The essence of the case seems to us that in estimating the hopelessness of one’s suffering, the subjective factor cannot be eliminated …

The current law, the signatories say, is far too vague and flexible:
“The law does not indicate the exact criteria for unbearable and psychological suffering. Any complaint about any carelessness in this area will only end in a legal ‘no man’s land’.
“More and more, no matter how many criteria there are, it depends simply on how an individual psychiatrist interprets or tests them, aided by the doctor’s own assumptions and the patient’s account of his symptoms.”

Some people are dying unnecessarily, the signatories claim. To stand silently on the sidelines is a crime of neglect.

The danger inherent in euthanasia for psychological suffering is a topic which seems to bore the Belgian media. But it was jolted out of its slumber by an exclusive article (in English) from Associated Press which also appeared in the Washington Post. This prompted a number of articles in the local press.
READ MORE: https://www.mercatornet.com/mobile/view/is-euthanasia-for-psychological-suffering-changing-belgian-medicine

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World Medical Association 27 October 2017
Family First Comment: When the professionals who would have to implement a proposed law vehemently oppose it, there are serious questions to be asked about the merit of the law.
www.rejectassistedsuicide.nz
The WMA and its national member medical associations, which include the Australian Medical Association, have strongly reiterated their long-standing opposition to physician assisted suicide and euthanasia on the basis that they constitute the unethical practice of medicine.
The WMA calls on Australia’s Victorian Upper House to reject the Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill.
The Association cites its Declaration on Euthanasia which states: ‘Euthanasia, that is the act of deliberately ending the life of a patient, even at the patient’s own request or at the request of close relatives, is unethical’.
It also refers to its Statement on Physician Assisted Suicide which declares: ‘Physician assisted suicide, like euthanasia, is unethical and must be condemned by the medical profession. Where the assistance of the physician is intentionally and deliberately directed at enabling an individual to end his or her own life, the physician acts unethically’.
And further it quotes its Resolution on Euthanasia, which notes that the practice of euthanasia with physician assistance has been adopted into law in some countries and that ‘The World Medical Association reaffirms its strong belief that euthanasia is in conflict with basic ethical principles of medical practice, and strongly encourages all national medical associations and physicians to refrain from participating in euthanasia, even if national law allows it or decriminalizes it under certain conditions’.
Finally, the WMA has expressed its concern that should the Victorian Bill be passed into law, it will create a situation of direct conflict with physicians’ ethical obligations to patients and will harm the “ethical tone” of the profession. It also warns that vulnerable people will be placed at risk of abuse and that a precedent will be set that physician assisted suicide and euthanasia are ethically acceptable.
https://www.wma.net/news-post/world-medical-association-reiterates-strong-opposition-to-physician-assisted-suicide-and-to-australian-bill/

The Age 9 October 2017
Family First Comment: A great article – from a medical professional (not an ACT MP!) who knows the truth
“A request to die is uncommon, and is often driven by poorly controlled pain or nausea, as well as fear, loss of function and hopelessness. Usually when pain and other symptoms are under control, good nursing care is on hand, and psychological support has been provided, patients no longer want their death to be hastened. For family members watching a loved one die, the experience can be agonising. However, with appropriate involvement of palliative care, the preparation and education of family members about the normal processes of dying (such as irregular breathing and fluctuating consciousness), and with the administration of pain relief, there is minimal physical suffering.
Most patients with incurable cancer battle to the end. They exhaust all evidence-based active treatment options and clinical trials before being told that supportive care measures are now best.
A request to die is uncommon, and is often driven by poorly controlled pain or nausea, as well as fear, loss of function and hopelessness. Usually when pain and other symptoms are under control, good nursing care is on hand, and psychological support has been provided, patients no longer want their death to be hastened.
For family members watching a loved one die, the experience can be agonising. However, with appropriate involvement of palliative care, the preparation and education of family members about the normal processes of dying (such as irregular breathing and fluctuating consciousness), and with the administration of pain relief, there is minimal physical suffering.
When a patient seeks assisted dying, it is often when they are first told they have a limited life expectancy and before they are truly unwell. They are so distressed by such difficult news that they anticipate what is to come and can be consumed with fear and an urge to regain control. They may respond by seeking assisted dying at a time of their choosing. In overseas jurisdictions where this is legal around 80 per cent of those who access it have cancer.
Under the assisted suicide model proposed for Victoria, no psychiatric assessment or specialist palliative care assessment of intending patients are required. There is no need to involve the patient’s treating doctors as two new doctors with no mandated end-of-life expertise assess and authorise lethal medicine without any follow-up care.
Informing family members is optional. The entire process can be completed and drugs taken within 10 days – little time for change of mind about an irreversible act. Everyone is presumed to have decision-making capacity unless they obviously don’t. Determination of a patient’s life expectancy involves an educated guess by doctors and the confidence intervals can be wide.
READ MORE: http://www.theage.com.au/comment/i-wont-intentionally-help-my-patients-to-end-their-lives-20171009-gywz7j.html?platform=hootsuite

Washington Post 24 October 2017
Family First Comment: What the NZ media won’t tell you…..
“…none of the 27 states where such measures were introduced this year passed them into law…. Federal lawmakers, too, are pushing back against the controversial idea. A spending bill passed by the House last month would block the District’s assisted suicide law, which went into effect in February. Eleven House members – including six Democrats — have introduced a resolution condemning the practice. “It undermines a key safeguard that protects our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, people with disabilities and people experiencing psychiatric diagnoses,” the resolution says. “Americans deserve better.”
New Zealand deserves better also
www.rejectassistedsuicide.nz
Three years ago, Brittany Maynard’s viral video launched the issue of medically assisted suicide into the national spotlight. But while advocates have notched a few wins since then, they’ve also run up against some strong, bipartisan resistance.
Two states — California and Colorado — have made it legal for doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill patients since Maynard, diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, publicized her decision to end her life. Physician-assisted suicide is legal in six states, including Vermont, Oregon, Washington and Montana, as well as the District.
Yet none of the 27 states where such measures were introduced this year passed them into law, according to tracking done by Compassion and Choices, a group that backs assisted suicide. The bills were either quashed in committee or passed one legislative chamber but not the other. That was the case even in states run by Democrats, including Connecticut, Rhode Island and Hawaii.
New York’s highest court upheld the state’s ban on assisted death in September, ruling unanimously that the terminally ill patients who brought the case don’t have a constitutional right to obtain life-ending drugs from a doctor.
Federal lawmakers, too, are pushing back against the controversial idea. A spending bill passed by the House last month would block the District’s assisted suicide law, which went into effect in February. Eleven House members – including six Democrats — have introduced a resolution condemning the practice.
“It undermines a key safeguard that protects our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, including the elderly, people with disabilities and people experiencing psychiatric diagnoses,” the resolution says. “Americans deserve better.”
Doctors’ groups remain overwhelmingly opposed to assisted suicide. Although the California Medical Association switched its stance from opposing to neutral in 2015, other state medical associations remain opposed. So does the American Medical Association, which considers it to be “fundamentally incompatible with the physician’s role as healer” and poses “serious societal risks.”
A top concern about legalizing assisted suicide is that it could put financial pressure on patients to choose that option instead of treatment, if their insurer covers life-ending medication but not life-extending therapies. Another is that it could be chosen by patients just as they’re most susceptible to depression while they’re fighting aggressive illnesses.
READ MORE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2017/10/24/the-health-202-legalizing-assisted-suicide-has-stalled-at-every-level/59ee109330fb045cba000973/?utm_term=.81323a137fe2

Stuff co.nz 24 October 2017
Family First Comment: Don’t get too excited. The last time Winston Peters asked MPs to give referendum to the people on a contentious issue (allowing a referendum on same-sex marriage) he lost 33 – 85.
Politicians don’t like sharing the power.
#democracy?
The issue of whether to legalise voluntary euthanasia looks increasingly likely to go to a public vote after details of the Labour-NZ First coalition agreement were revealed.
Contained in the agreement made public on Tuesday was a commitment to hold a conscience vote in Parliament when it came time to decide whether MPs or the general public should determine the fate of ACT leader David Seymour’s End of Life Choice bill.
Seymour’s bill, which gives people with a terminal illness or a grievous and irremediable medical condition the option of requesting assisted dying, was drawn from the members’ ballot in June.
NZ First has since put forward a Supplementary Order Paper that provides for a referendum on the issue.
When MPs eventually meet to decide whether there should be a referendum, they will now be able to vote individually, rather than along party lines.
Ken Orr, spokesman for anti-euthanasia group Right to Life, said the issue was too complex to be put to a public vote, and could lead to a “slippery slope” of assisted dying policies.
“We don’t think it’s a matter that should be decided by individuals in the community,” he said.
READ MORE: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/euthanasia-debate/98192372/labournz-first-coalition-deal-increases-odds-of-voluntary-euthanasia-referendum