EuthaNEWSia (www.euthanewsia.ca)

http://tinyurl.com/2d5aa7d

http://worldrtd.net/node/989

Also see:

A comparative study on permissiveness toward euthanasia religiosity, slippery slope, autonomy, and death with dignity [Public Opinion Quarterly]
http://worldrtd.net/sites/default/files/u22/POQ%20vol%2074%20no%201%20pp%20109-39.pdf

This 31 page PDF of the study was originally published in the Spring 2010 edition of Public Opinion Quarterly.

euthanasia

opinion

IN MEMORIAM Adelbert Josephus Jitta [World Federation of Right to Die Societies]
http://worldrtd.net/node/988

A further addition to Wednesday's story begins with: July 6, 2010: On June 30, 2010 Adelbert Josephus Jitta passed away. He died at the age of 71 in dignity, making use of the law of which he may be called one of the founding fathers.

When serving as Chief Prosecutor in the Alkmaar District, he was - professionally and personally - confronted a number of times with the issue of dignity in dying. One morning, cycling from home to his office, he saw two young policemen tidying away the human remains of a man who just committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. This prompted him to contact D66 politician Wessel-Tuinstra who was working on a members initiative to regulate the possibilities for a dignified death. He became a member of her working group and wrote the draft bill that was presented in the Parliament in 1984. This bill to a great extent still forms the basis for the existing Dutch law, that was approved and implemented in 2002.

The story continues to describe more of Jitta's contribution to the development of euthanasia and the right to die.

Canada: Lung cancer diagnosis leads to A Courageous Battle [Simcoe.com]
http://www.simcoe.com/opinion/columns/article/843809—lung-cancer-diagnosis-leads-to-a-courageous-battle

This report tells the story behind Susan Bracken's right-to-die novel A Courageous Battle, which was the subject of EuthaNEWSia on Feb. 10, 2010:

Retirement in Barrie brought challenges Susan Bracken could never have anticipated. When Susan's husband (a lifelong non-smoker) was diagnosed with lung cancer, the couple was shattered. She committed herself to his end-of-life journey and recounts two years of horrific suffering, pain, and helplessness — an end of life that nobody should experience. Her husband was 69 when he died.

Two months after his death, Susan herself was diagnosed with lung cancer. She embarked on an aggressive treatment program, fear-filled that her end of life journey would be as horrible as her husband's. She decided that she would rather die than experience her husband's journey. She began looking for an assisted death, found the group Dying With Dignity and got a lot of support.

"Knowing I could control my death gave me strength," she says. "Even though my lung cancer had spread and they said I had a 5-per-cent chance of surviving, I did. I'm cancer free and healthy today."

Susan Bracken's web site is at http://www.susanbracken.ca/.

Progressing living wills (advance directives): POLST [The EXIT euthanasia blog]
http://exiteuthanasia.wordpress.com/2010/07/08/progressing-living-wills-advance-directives-polst/

The item begins with:Living wills have come a long way since they were first proposed by Luis Kutner in 1969. Today they are widespread. On July 28th 2009, Barack Obama became the first United States President to announce publicly that he had a living will. But there are still problems with them, and many studies suggesting that similar treatment/non-treatment decisions would have been taken even in the absence of a living will. But a large scale study just published in America suggests a further level of directive can make some significant differences.

Researchers studied 1,711 nursing home residents aged 65 and older, looking at treatment preferences and decisions, and quantified the results both with traditional documents and with the addition of a POLST form. A POLST form (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatments) is a way of translating patients' wishes about a range of treatments into medical orders that are easily understood by healthcare professionals in a way that can be acted upon immediately. Some people have compared it to a doctor writing a prescription as opposed to the patient describing the sort of medicine they want.

Residents with POLST forms were more likely to have treatment preferences documented as medical orders than residents with traditional practices (living wills, DNAR forms); and POLST orders restricting medical interventions were associated with the lower use of life-sustaining treatments such as hospitalization, intravenous fluids and antibiotics. There were no differences between residents with and without POLST forms in symptom assessment or management.

[The Abstract and full text of the study are available at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123572530/abstract]

Australia: Google welcomes web filter retreat [The Australian]
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/google-welcomes-web-filter-retreat/story-e6frgakx-1225889940061

Google has welcomed a delay in Stephen Conroy's controversial mandatory web filtering scheme but maintains the plan is still too "broad'' in scope. The federal government plans to force all ISPs to block web pages on a secret refused classification list.

But earlier today, Communications Minister Mr Conroy said the government would wait until a review of RC requirements is done before executing the filtering plan. The study will take at least 12 months. The opposition immediately branded the delay as a "humiliating backdown'' that had vindicated the Coalition's concerns about the proposal.

"You Don't Know Jack" gets 16 Emmy nominations [Detroit Free Press]
http://www.freep.com/article/20100709/ENT03/7090323/1035/Ent/Jack-gets-16-nods

"You Don't Know Jack," HBO's biopic on controversial Dr. Jack Kevorkian, earned 16 Emmy nominations Thursday, including outstanding made-for-television movie. Leading the "Jack" pack was Al Pacino, who starred as the eccentric Michigan doctor who became the national symbol for the assisted-suicide movement. He was nominated for outstanding lead actor in a movie or miniseries.

Most of his supporting cast was too, including John Goodman (Neal Nicol), Susan Sarandon (Hemlock Society activist Janet Good) and Brenda Vaccaro, who played Margo Janus, Kevorkian's older sister. Director Barry Levinson also earned a nod for his work behind the camera.

Vancouver: Dr. Death comes to town this fall [Vancouver Courier]
http://www.langleyadvance.com/news/Death+comes+town+this+fall/2897195/story.html?id=2897195

People, especially the elderly, need information on assisted suicide, says an Australian doctor, often referred to as Dr. Death. "We're contacted by people from all over the world," physician Philip Nitschke told the Courier Tuesday morning during a phone interview from Melbourne. "And a significant number of those people are from Canada."

Nitschke, director of the pro-euthanasia group Exit International, is speaking in Vancouver Nov. 3 about assisted suicide and dealing with the end of one's life. The workshop includes information on the suicide drug Nembutal, prescription drugs and what's referred to as the "Swiss option," which includes travelling to Switzerland to die at a legal assisted-suicide clinic.

As part of the event, a public meeting will offer information on the legislative history of assisted suicide and its political status around the world. Workshops are restricted to the terminally ill and people over the age of 50.

Idaho: Assisted suicide is dangerous [Idaho Mountain Express]
http://www.mtexpress.com/index2.php?ID=2005132145

Dr. Kenneth Stevens of Oregon writes to the citizens of Idaho, warning them of a peril of legalizing assisted suicide: health plans will no longer pay for expensive end-of-life treatments, but will pay for suicide. He asserts that there is a direct relationship.

Vermont: Dying with dignity [Times Argus Online]
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100707/OPINION02/7070305

Emile Gosselin writes about the indignity his family members have suffered while dying. He begins with:

For the second time in my life, I have watched a family member leave this earth hooked up to a hospital bed. For those of you who have been in the same situation, you know the feeling. For those of you who have not yet * brace yourself.

Lying in bed surrounded by pillows, tubes going from here to there and back again, all having a purpose. Nurses on both sides of the bed making your loved one as comfortable as possible * why? Why not just let us die with dignity?

Scotland: Top Doc warns of danger posed by end-of-life Bill [The Christian Institute]
http://www.christian.org.uk/news/top-doc-warns-of-danger-posed-by-end-of-life-bill/

Dr Rosemary Barrett, Director of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, warned against Margo MacDonald's End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill. Among her assertions:

Dr Barrett also warned that any relaxation of the nation's laws would only be in the interests of a small minority of Scots. She cautioned: "We must remember that the actions of a few profoundly affect many others.

"The legalisation of euthanasia would betray our Scottish values by acting in the interest of only a small segment of society." "Passing the Bill would clash with our historic standards of caring for the whole of society, not simply submitting to a vocal and influential few."

IN MEMORIAM Adelbert Josephus Jitta [World Federation of Right to Die Societies]
http://worldrtd.net/node/988

This item begins with: July 6, 2010: On June 30, 2010 Adelbert Josephus Jitta passed away. He died at the age of 71 in dignity, making use of the law of which he may be called one of the founding fathers.

When serving as Chief Prosecutor in the Alkmaar District, he was - professionally and personally - confronted a number of times with the issue of dignity in dying. One morning, cycling from home to his office, he saw two young policemen tidying away the human remains of a man who just committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. This prompted him to contact D66 politician Wessel-Tuinstra who was working on a members initiative to regulate the possibilities for a dignified death. He became a member of her working group and wrote the draft bill that was presented in the Parliament in 1984. This bill to a great extent still forms the basis for the existing Dutch law, that was approved and implemented in 2002.

The story continues to describe more of Jitta's contribution to the development of euthanasia and the right to die.

Canada: Lung cancer diagnosis leads to A Courageous Battle [Simcoe.com]
http://www.simcoe.com/opinion/columns/article/843809—lung-cancer-diagnosis-leads-to-a-courageous-battle

This story tells the story behind Susan Bracken's right-to-die novel A Courageous Battle, which was the subject of EuthaNEWSia on Feb. 10, 2010:

Retirement in Barrie brought challenges Susan Bracken could never have anticipated. When Susan's husband (a lifelong non-smoker) was diagnosed with lung cancer, the couple was shattered. She committed herself to his end-of-life journey and recounts two years of horrific suffering, pain, and helplessness — an end of life that nobody should experience. Her husband was 69 when he died.

Two months after his death, Susan herself was diagnosed with lung cancer. She embarked on an aggressive treatment program, fear-filled that her end of life journey would be as horrible as her husband's. She decided that she would rather die than experience her husband's journey. She began looking for an assisted death, found the group Dying With Dignity and got a lot of support.

"Knowing I could control my death gave me strength," she says. "Even though my lung cancer had spread and they said I had a 5-per-cent chance of surviving, I did. I'm cancer free and healthy today."

Susan Bracken's web site is at http://www.susanbracken.ca/.

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