Canada: Victoria social activist's last fight: Right to die

Description:

After a lifetime of battling for children, parents and foster parents, Victoria social activist Bernice Packford is picking one last, personal fight. Packford wants lawful assistance to kill herself. "I want to be able to die in dignity with my family around me, to go while I'm still able to function," said the 94-year-old Packford, who uses a walker but is in otherwise good health. "I'm ready to go now," said the mother of one daughter and grandmother to three grown grandchildren. The former social worker says her biggest fear is a crippling stroke leaving her conscious but physically helpless. "I'm slowing up already and this is what I am dreading more than anything."

Right to Die Society of Canada president Ruth von Fuchs said in a telephone interview from Toronto she appreciates Packford's impulse to commit suicide and avoid any end where she might be made helpless by something like a stroke. "I call it the pre-emptive strike," said von Fuchs. "Some people who've had a full life, they are not desperate for one more day of any kind at any price. "[Suicide] seems like a very logical and rational thing to do, but they have a hard time persuading other people."

[Note: Some other recent stories related to this topic are in the Links: section below.]

Links:

To read the full article click on one of these links, both of which go to the same destination. A short link is provided for the convenience of readers. Also, readers may search and browse past advisories on the web (see bottom.)

  • http://tinyurl.com/ybaoj5v

  • http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Activist+last+fight+right/2580621/story.html

    Also see:

  • Bernice Levitz Packford: The right to choose an end to life [Times Colonist]
    http://www.timescolonist.com/opinion/right+choose+life/2580649/story.html

    Bernice Packford writes: I am tired and I am ready to die now.

    I am truly blessed. I have had a good life. I am 94 years old, living in my own home. Living in Victoria is a blessing in itself. On the surface, everything looks great, but gradually I am becoming weaker. I spend most of my waking hours just trying to maintain the status quo. I am all too aware of my mortality — that does not bother me. What haunts me is that I could be stricken at any moment by a stroke that would leave me helpless, yet fully conscious. I cannot bear the thought.

    I have decided, after much reflection, that I wish to end my life now before my mind and body deteriorate further so I am incapable of making that decision. Under present laws I am denied this right. I agree with Matt Gurney, an editorial writer for the National Post, who believes that only he has the right to define the value of his life.

  • Euthanasia matter in Quebec [The Examiner]
    http://www.examiner.com/x-37751-Montreal-City-Buzz-Examiner~y2010m2d17-Euthanasia-matter-in-Quebec

    It is essential to introduce new legislative aspects concerning euthanasia that would guarantee doctors a clear policy on how should they assist a patient`s demise. Indeed, currently doctors believe they could be charged with murder for giving a "palliative sedative" to a patient in severe pain before they have reached the point of death, as the opiate medication high dosage itself sometimes can accelerate the act. As euthanasia falls under the criminal code, which is a federal matter, the Quebec government plans to put pressure on Ottawa for a change in the law. A bill to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide, Bill C-384, is currently before the Canadian Parliament. The vote has been pushed back several times so far, and is currently expected for the middle of March.

  • Latimer denied extended leave from B.C. halfway house, gets more time in Sask. [Canadian Press]
    http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jAO57U58uwxIHDcb_Gi5AyarWClw

    The Saskatchewan farmer who killed his severely disabled daughter has again lost his bid for an extended leave from his British Columbia halfway house. The National Parole Board said Wednesday that it stands by an decision last November to deny Robert Latimer's request to live on his own during the week and only stay at the halfway house on weekends.

    Latimer is serving a life sentence for second-degree murder in the 1993 death of his 12-year-old daughter Tracy, who he killed with carbon monoxide. He will be eligible for full parole in December.

  • Canada: Laws, attitudes on euthanasia differ [Toronto Sun]
    http://www.torontosun.com/comment/editorial/2010/02/17/12923576.html

    Mindelle Jacobs outlines the current state of the law and assisted suicide in Canada: In every poll on the issue over the last two decades, including one released this week, Canadians have supported legalizing euthanasia. Experts have long acknowledged that mercy killing is quietly going on under the radar. And on the rare occasions when people are arrested, the end result is either an acquittal or a conviction on a reduced charge.

    Consider that it's been 15 years since a Senate committee on care for the dying suggested that there be a less severe penalty for so-called compassionate homicide than for murder. No such amendment was ever made to the Criminal Code. Consequently, juries snub their noses at the law and tend to acquit. You would think this would prompt the federal government to seriously consider legalizing euthanasia under strictly regulated conditions. But neither the Tories nor the Liberals will go there. The Tories don't want to risk losing the support of the small minority of religious fundamentalists who oppose euthanasia. And the Liberals, observes Schafer, recognize that it's not a vote-determining issue.

Source:

Watts, Richard. "Victoria social activist's last fight: Right to die". Times Colonist. February 18, 2010. <www.timescolonist.com/news/Activist+last+fight+right/2580621/story.html>. Victoria Times Colonist, 2621 Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C., V8T 4M2, CANADA.

Tags:

Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.

  • assisted suicide

  • euthanasia

  • Bill C-384, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (right to die with dignity)

  • British Columbia

  • Canada

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201002181166.
Mailed: Thursday, February 18, 2010 13:45:58 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Etcetera:

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>. 

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