A private Member’s Motion on the issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide received the first of up to three hours of debate in the House of Commons on February 17. Motion M-397, introduced by New Democrat MP Ian Waddell, recommends that the government “consider the advisability of introducing legislation on the subject of euthanasia and in particular, of ensuring that those assisting [...]
John Hofsess is a man with a mission, and it is becoming quite clear that he does not care how many corners he cuts as he rushes to push through legalized euthanasia in Canada. Hofsess’s first public setback came last year when it was revealed that he used a government grant to establish his organization, the Right to Die Society. He later [...]
On February 9, the Dutch Parliament approved the most liberal euthanasia laws in Europe. This legislation must still be approved by the upper house but the observers feel it will not face stiff opposition. For years, euthanasia has been accepted in Holland but removal of life-support systems has been going unpunished for years and the new bill will remove the possibility of [...]
Lawyers for Sue Rodriguez attempted to change the focus of this precedent-setting court case when they appeared before three judges of the B.C. Court of Appeal on February 15 and 16. Ms. Rodriguez wants the court to allow a doctor to set up an intravenous drip that would deliver a lethal dose of drugs when she presses the button. Lawyer Chris Considine [...]
Mr. Justice Allen Melvin of the B.C. Supreme Court has ruled that the law forbidding assisted suicide is constitutional and does not infringe on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The judgment, released on December 29th, 1992, dismissed arguments made by lawyers on behalf of Sue Rodrigez. They asked the Court to strike down Section 241 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits [...]
In the United States, Jack Kevorkian has “assisted the suicides” of eight people so far – all women. In Canada, Sue Rodriguez is going through the courts, arguing that physician-assisted suicide be legalized. Publicity given to Rodriguez, who has Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). Bill is unable to talk, but communicates efficiently, if slowly, with a computer. He requires round-the-clock assistance, and a [...]
The parents of a man who has been in a coma since being trampled in a soccer disaster in England have won the right to stop his life-support systems. A judge ruled in London Nov. 19 that Allen and Barbara Bland can stop feeding their son Tony. The 21-year-old was injured during the disaster in Hillsborough in 1989 when 95 people were [...]
Once before I tackled the complex issue euthanasia. It was pragmatic approach to the subject during my first year of nursing school. Unfortunately, it was pro-euthanasia. Back then, I saw the universe through a keyhole. Of course, at the time it was a telescope. Writing the assignment, I experienced no emotion, only a commitment to substantiate my thesis that euthanasia was the [...]
During the last two years, there have been increased efforts in Canada and United States to gain acceptance of assisted suicide or euthanasia’ for the terminally ill who re-quest it. These developments have far reaching ethical implications for human life, dignity and solidarity. It is a cruel irony that “death with dignity,” a respect for life phrase, has been taken over to [...]
“Right to die” advocate ready to defy law and assist in Sue Rodriguez’s suicide As I write this, the Sue Rodriguez case has not yet been heard by the B.C. Supreme Court. By the time you read this, the case will not only have been heard but a judgment may already have been announced, and Sue might even be dead. At the [...]
Interim Staff A pro-euthanasia group is using an emotionally-charged video of a terminally-ill woman to manipulate the public and Members of Parliament into changing the Criminal Code to allow euthanasia into Canada. The meetings of the Sub-Committee of the Standing Committee on Justice and the Solicitor General on the Recodification of the General Part of the Criminal Code do not usually receive [...]
Voluntary Death January 6 – Montreal – Mr. Justice Jacques Dufour rules in favour of terminally ill, 25 year old Nancy B’s request to have her life support system disconnected. Nancy suffers from Guillan – Barré Syndrome, a crippling sickness for which there is no cure. She appealed to the courts after doctors were hesitant to act on her behalf. The ruling [...]
The following are the result of the November 3, 1992 U.S. ballot initiatives on abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality rights. (Source: Nov. 7, 1992, Globe and Mail) Abortion Maryland – Initiative 6: to ease restriction on abortion: Yes 62%; No 38% Arizona – Initiative 110: To eliminate public financing of abortion, except when woman’s life is threatened. Yes 31%; No 69% Euthanasia California [...]
Charlottetown – Five hundred youths from all across Canada gathered here in mid-October for the national conference of the Canadian Pro-Life Youth Organization (CYPLO). They described the experience as awesome. MLA Leone Bagnall, House Leader of the provincial Opposition, showed her support by making time to drop in. However, the local media didn’t find the province’s first national youth conference important enough [...]
September 16 – Ottawa – By a vote of 99-62, the House of Commons passes legislation ending baby bonuses and bringing in a new child benefit system aimed at helping the working poor. The baby bonus was established by Mackenzie King in 1945, to ensure that children would have their basic needs met. The monthly payments were made directly to the mothers, [...]