Disabled people's views on assisted dying

Description: [of the article from the Dignity in Dying blog]

Emily Halsall explains that Baroness Campbell of Not Dead Yet UK is wrong when she claims the support of people with disabilities for her anti-euthanasia stance:

The campaign was launched in Westminster by Baroness Campbell in an attempt "to highlight disabled and terminally ill people's fears" of any change in legislation. Baroness Campbell talks often of the fear disabled people have of a change in the law on assisted dying including a debate in the House of Lords last July: "[Assisted dying] advocates are people who fear disability and terminal illness…assisted dying is not supported by the very people it would benefit."

In fact, opinion polls have consistently shown support from disabled people for assisted dying legislation. A British Social Attitude survey from 2007 found that 75%of disabled people support assisted dying for terminally ill people, a Disability Rights Commission poll in 2003 found 60% of disabled respondents to be in favour of a change in the law, and a YouGov poll in 2004 found that disabled people were equally likely to support assisted dying as non-disabled people.

[There is information in the Notes section below.]
[There are other related stories 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 and future advisories on the web (see bottom.)

  • http://tinyurl.com/3ab5e63

  • http://dignityindying.blogspot.com/2010/06/disabled-peoples-views-on-assisted.html

    Also see:

  • Ottawa: Don't give MDs power to pull plug: disabled [Winnipeg Free Press]
    http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/dont-give-mds-power-to-pull-plug-disabled-96545859.html
    Giving Manitoba doctors the power to pull the plug on a patient discriminates against disabled people who may fall short of the minimum standards to remain on life-support, local advocates told a Parliamentary committee Wednesday.

    Jim Derksen and Rhonda Wiebe, Winnipeg members of the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, said certain policies — including Manitoba's end-of-life guidelines — put disabled patients at risk of improper treatment because of common attitudes that "it's better to be dead than disabled." They spoke out in front of a federal palliative and compassionate care committee in Ottawa, and voiced their concerns about legalizing assisted suicide and other inequities in end-of-life care.

    The report explains:
    Manitoba's medical regulatory body is the first in Canada to introduce guidelines for physicians to follow when dealing with end-of-life issues. They say the minimum goal of life-sustaining treatment is for patients to recover to a level in which they can be aware of themselves, their environment and their existence. In the event families and physicians don't agree life-support should be withdrawn, doctors have the final say.

Source:

Halsall, Emily. "The campaign for dignity in dying: Disabled people's views on assisted dying". The campaign for dignity in dying. Wednesday, 16 June 2010. <dignityindying.blogspot.com/2010/06/disabled-peoples-views-on-assisted.html>. Dignity in Dying, 181 Oxford Street London W1D 2JT UK.

Tags:

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

  • disability

  • assisted suicide

  • Britain

Notes:

  • Belgium: Nurses and Euthanasia [Le Blog de Jacqueline Jencquel]
    http://www.wmaker.net/jencquel/NURSES-AND-EUTHANASIA-SOME-CONFUSION_a471.html
    Dr. Marc Englert, Member of the Commission of Control and Evaluation of the Law on Euthanasia (Belgium), writes to correct the idea that the Belgian studies (published by the CMAJ) suggested that euthanasia was practiced illegally by some nurses in Belgium. His points (my summary for 1-3):

    1. Euthanasia by definition is an act which ends the life of a patient who has requested it. Terminal sedation is different, and is an accepted practice to relieve suffering.

    2. It is normal for terminal sedation to be administered by a nurse on the direction of a doctor.

    3. Nurses may assist a doctor in euthanasia.

    4. The intentional administration of lethal doses of drugs at the end of life without the request of the patient is effectively, in our country as in others, illegal. It is only practiced exceptionally in cases of terrible suffering when a patient is in agony and is no longer capable of expressing his/her wishes. In those cases, it is not an act of euthanasia and if the judiciary takes up the case, the author of this act (whether a physician or a nurse) would only be able to justify the action in a ‘case of absolute necessity’. The Netherlands is the only country where such acts must be reported and placed in the public record. Theoretically, the court is then free to review the evidence but this is rarely or practically never done.

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201006173119.
Mailed: Thursday, June 17, 2010 14:04:13 -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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