EuthaNEWSia (www.euthanewsia.ca)

http://tinyurl.com/6d5ullw

http://www.kxlh.com/news/mt-lawmaker-sponsors-bill-to-address-aid-in-dying-/

Also see:

Advocates Praise Sen. Blewett's Bill to Protect Patient Rights [Compassion & Choices Blog]
http://blog.compassionandchoices.org/?p=1212

An excerpt: "My dad wanted to do what was legal," said Roberta King, daughter of Bob Baxter. "He wanted his doctor to help him, without lies and without secrecy. That is why he went to court to seek a legal right to aid in dying. People in this state pretty much believe that we know how take care of ourselves without government interference. We trust our doctors to give us the best possible medical advice."

Steve Johnson, a Helena brain cancer patient, said, "I think I should have something to say about my ending. End-of-life medical choices are private. It's only compassionate to let me make the choice about how much suffering to endure, based on my own values and beliefs. I want my physician to be able to respect and honor my choice to die with dignity. I don't know whether I would ultimately take medication to end my life peacefully, but I'd like to have the choice."

Rep. Dick Barrett, who would carry the legislation on the House floor, said, "Each of my parents faced death in a way that was in harmony with how they lived their lives. I think every Montanan, when approaching the end of life, should have the right to choose his or her own path."

Montana Ruling Bolsters Doctor-Assisted Suicide [EuthaNEWSia: Jan.4, 2010]
http://www.euthanewsia.ca/archive/2010/01/enid201001043521.4.html

The Montana Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that state law protects doctors in Montana from prosecution for helping terminally ill patients die. But the court, ruling with a narrow majority, sidestepped the larger landmark question of whether physician-assisted suicide is a right guaranteed under the state's Constitution…. by avoiding the question of constitutional rights entirely, the court kept the debate in the Montana Legislature, where passions over the issue run high and where tinkering with existing laws is much easier than changing the Constitution.

Montana Senate Bill 116 - The Elder Abuse Prevention Act [Euthanasia Prevention Coalition]
http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2011/01/montana-senate-bill-116-elder-abuse.html

Alex Schadenberg posts a message from Montanans Against Assisted Suicide and For Living with Dignity, in which they say:

Let Your Montana Legislators Know that You are for Senator Hinkle's SB 116, the Elder Abuse Prevention Act, to Prohibit Assisted Suicide.("an act prohibiting aid in dying")

aid in dying

legislation

Montana

U.S.A.

Barcelona man commits "assisted suicide" in Switzerland [TheReader.es]
http://thereader.es/en/spain-news-stories/5680-Barcelona-man-commits-assisted-suicide-in-Switzerland.html

An 80-year-old Barcelona man with severe respiratory problems has perished in Switzerland in an "assisted suicide" overseen by the Dignitas association and with the help of his two daughters.

Nuria, one of the daughters, told journalists from "El Periodico de Catalunya" today that her Her dad had perished on October 18th in a house in a little village to and from Basel and Zurich.

The man's daughter, who is being given legal advice by the association "Derecho a Morir Dignamente" (the correct to Die with Dignity), has decided to make her father's case public in order to put pressure on the police sources here in Spain to legalise assisted suicide and dignified deaths.

Jordi, the octogenarian in impeach, read a letter to his two daughters in April last year, explaining that he felt he had "no life left" and asked for their help in an assisted suicide.

USA: Anti-Choice at the End of Life [The Nation]
http://www.thenation.com/article/157751/anti-choice-end-life

Ann Neumann writes about the context in which the American national government has failed to provide Medicare coverage for advance care planning counseling. Extracts:
Opponents of the healthcare bill got the White House running scared by spreading the "death panel" meme from conservative legal groups to Fox to right-wing blogs and back again, both after the Affordable Care Act passed and after Christmas. But they weren't building a messaging chain from scratch. Instead, they worked the same network that has been mobilized since the 1970s to fight legal abortion. For the past decade, those same religious organizations have begun working to limit treatment choices for those facing the end of their lives, a development that increasingly impedes meaningful healthcare, and resigns countless elders-including millions of aging Baby Boomers-to "healthcare" that does little for, or even damage to, their quality of life.

And:
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is far from the only anti-choice group now also fighting patients` choice at the end of life. The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) has taken up opposition to health care reform and advance care planning with abandon; their Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics, named for the disabled early vice president of NRLC, "serves as NRLC's arm in fighting to protect the vulnerable born from both direct killing and denial of lifesaving medical treatment, food and fluids." They've maintained a blog about end of life issues and healthcare reform since June of 2009. These groups have long held that the legalization of abortion has cheapened the value of life; in their eyes Death with Dignity does the same, and legitimizes their fear that the United States is on a "slippery slope" toward state-sanctioned killing of "innocent life" among us.

A collective American reticence to frankly discuss death enables organizations like the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network and NRLC to misinform the public about existing government programs like hospice, Medicare, and other legal tools for the elderly, like advanced directives and medical proxies, which can provide more control over how they age and die. Combined with a paternalistic medical profession that's only recently begun training new doctors on how to talk to patients about how to plan their end of life care and a Republican party dependent on the support of anti-choice groups, "pro-life" groups have been able to fundamentally shape state and federal legislation.

USA: Hello Patients Rights Council [Blog of Wesley J. Smith]
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2011/01/08/hello-patients-rights-council/

The International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide has changed its name to the Patients Rights Council to better reflect its mission. From the Council's statement:

Those familiar with the work of the International Task Force know that we're committed to providing documented research and information on euthanasia and doctor-prescribed suicide, practices that abandon patients when they are most vulnerable. But the actual scope of our work is even broader than that. It encompasses all end-of-life issues - from the withholding of food and fluids from vulnerable patients to the denial of wanted, life-saving treatment deemed futile by health care providers; from the creation and dissemination of our state-specific durable power of attorney for health care (the Protective Medical Decisions Document to publication of the book Power over Pain: How to Get the Pain Control You Need.

What all of this has in common is our strong commitment to protecting patients' rights. That's why, starting in January 2011, the name, International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, changed to the Patients Rights Council.

Connecticut: Son Arraigned in Death of Father with Alzheimer's [West Hartford Patch]
http://westhartford.patch.com/articles/son-arraigned-in-death-of-father-with-alzheimers

This report begins: A Massachusetts man accused of manslaughter in connection with the death of his father, a prominent retired West Hartford lawyer, was arraigned Thursday in Hartford Superior Court. The state's case against Bruce F. Brodigan, 56, of 63 Linden Ave., Somerville, was continued until Jan. 27, when a plea hearing is scheduled.

Brodigan, who is free on a $250,000 bond, is charged with second-degree manslaughter, a Class C felony, tampering with evidence, making false statements to police and interfering with police.

His father, George D. Brodigan, who had Alzheimer's disease, died Sept. 14 in his bed at 50 Timberwood Road, West Hartford police said. He was 82.

The cause of Brodigan"s death was an overdose of alcohol and amitriptyline, police said. The state Medical Examiner"s office was unable to determine the manner of death, West Hartford police Det. Dawn Lascari said in a 12-page affidavit that resulted in an arrest warrant.

And: A toxicology study indicated Brodigan"s blood-alcohol level was .13, far exceeding the legal definition of impairment. The antidepressant medication amitriptyline was prescribed to Bruce Brodigan, Det. Lascari said in the arrest affidavit. Evidence collected at the house included a half-bottle of rum, do-not-resuscitate orders, financial documents and a copy of "Final Exit," a how-to guide for suicide.

According to the police report, Brodigan told investigators that his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer"s "four to five years ago." He said his father "confided in him that he had planned to take his own life before he became completely incapacitated."

Britain: Eminent surgeon joins right-to-die campaign [The Independent]
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/eminent-surgeon-joins-righttodie-campaign-2180290.html

The heart transplant pioneer Sir Terence English has joined the right-to-die campaign. As one of Britain's most eminent surgeons, and a former president of the Royal College of Surgeons, Sir Terence's involvement will give added impetus to demands for doctors to be allowed to assist terminally ill patients to take their own lives.

Sir Terence, who performed Britain's first successful heart transplant at Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire, in 1979, said he would be personally prepared to assist a patient to take their own life provided that he knew the patient was terminally ill, of sound mind and had not been "got at" by friends or relatives.

The former master of St Catherine's College, Cambridge, has joined the Healthcare Professionals for Assisted Dying group. "I would want there to be safeguards," he said yesterday. "I understand there are many doctors who, as with abortion, would not wish to have anything to do with assisted dying. [But] I think there are enough doctors who feel as I do."

Book: Review of "What You Wish For" [Amazon.com]
http://tinyurl.com/4lxahgs

From a recent review by Michael Cycle of Bill Pieper's novel "What You Wish For":

Bill Pieper's new novel offers keen insight into a mournful topic - euthanasia. The story is gripping and a good read while challenging the reader to sift through his/her ideas about what one would do given a similar set of circumstances. It was even more poignant for me as I attend to a parent in hospice. Personal risk, legal and ethical consequences, family and small town drama all come together in a novel I highly recommend. As a unique bonus, enjoy the wind in your hair tour through the Napa Valley and the coast just north of San Francisco.

Canada: Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care receives input in Montreal [Euthanasia Prevention Coalition]
http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2011/01/parliamentary-committee-on-palliative.html

Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition reports on the latest activities of the ad hoc Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care, and looks forward to its report.

Scotland: Call for less aggressive treatment for elderly [HeraldScotland]
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/health/call-for-less-aggressive-treatment-for-elderly-1.1078823

A leading public health expert has called for the NHS to give elderly people less treatment as they approach the end of their lives.

Professor Phil Hanlon, a former adviser to the Scottish Executive, believes the health service is in danger of collapse unless drastic action is taken to halt its soaring costs.

In a controversial new book, he argues the elderly should be prescribed far fewer drugs and given fewer tests and procedures as they reach serious physical decline.

This, he says, would not only save money but would also offer health benefits - for example, reducing the risk of frail pensioners catching hospital superbugs.

Mr Hanlon, who continues to serve on ministerial working groups, also suggests hospitals should stop throwing away surgical instruments because of the small risk they could spread disease such as variant CJD, the human form of mad-cow disease.

He told The Herald: "The risk of a collapse of the health service because it is not sustainable is a lot bigger than the risk of prion disease."

Called the Future Public Health, Mr Hanlon's forthcoming book is the result of a sabbatical he took last summer. Although he acknowledges his recommendations come at a time when public-sector finance is being squeezed, he claims his aim is not to save the Government money.

Wisconsin: Quadriplegic fighting for right to die moving to care facility [JSOnline]
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/113145759.html

Dan Crews, the quadriplegic fighting to have his ventilator removed, is planning to move to a long-term care facility sometime this week, he said. He must sell his Antioch, Ill., home in order to pay a mountain of medical bills from the last several months.

"I feel horrible about it, but it doesn't look like there are many options," Crews said. Even if he somehow managed to pay off his bills, he estimates that he would need $10 million to live out his life.

Crews, a quadriplegic since he was in a car accident at age 3, uses an artificial respirator to breathe. He began a battle to die over a year and a half ago with Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. Crews wanted the hospital to remove his ventilator because he deemed his quality of life poor and did not anticipate it ever improving. Physicians at the hospital worried that depression and money concerns were clouding his judgment. He initiated a hunger strike last summer, which ultimately failed.

After the Journal Sentinel published Crews' story, he was inundated with supportive letters and phone calls. Some people even offered to help him with his expenses.

Wisconsin: State should ration health care, doctor association proposes [madison.com]
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/article_b87932d4-1b51-11e0-82a8-001cc4c03286.html

As the state prepares to plug a $1.2 billion Medicaid hole, it should look beyond cutting enrollment, payments and entire benefit programs to another option: rationing care, as Oregon does.

That's what the Wisconsin Medical Society, the state's doctor association, is proposing. Oregon ranks services and refuses to cover a fourth of them because of budget constraints.

In Oregon, Medicaid covers ear tube surgery for chronic ear infections, for example, but not medications for pink eye. Treatments for vaginal cysts barely made the cut this year, while drugs for a skin rash fell just below.

The goal is to save money without removing people from Medicaid, the state-federal health plan for the poor. Wisconsin's $6 billion Medicaid program, which expanded significantly under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, now covers 1.2 million people, or one in five residents.

The Medicaid budget gap for 2011-2013 is estimated to be $1.2 billion, said Seth Boffeli, spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It's inevitable the state will have to make cuts, said Dr. Tim Bartholow, a senior vice president of the medical society.

"We want as many people as possible to have access to some care, rather than let some have terrific access and other people have none," Bartholow said.

The proposal, approved by the medical society board after the November election of Republican Gov. Scott Walker, will be offered to the Walker administration as an alternative to payment cuts for doctors, Bartholow said.

Taiwan approves law to allow relatives to end life support [Monsters and Critics.com]
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/health/news/article_1610562.php/Taiwan-approves-law-to-allow-relatives-to-end-life-support

Taipei - Taiwan's parliament Monday approved a revised bill to allow close relatives to request the withdrawal of life support for patients who are both terminally ill and non-cognitive.

Each request would then be assessed to check that the patient had no chance of recovery or regaining consciousness.

The legislation revises the Hospice and Palliative Care Act, which previously required the patient to have given prior approval for life support to be turned off in case of terminal illness.

The bill was passed two weeks after an elderly Taiwan man euthanized his ailing wife. It was expected to address concerns that Taiwan law prevents the terminally ill from dying with dignity.

Australia: Talk of euthanasia just distress, inquest hears [Sydney Morning Herald]
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/talk-of-euthanasia-just-distress-inquest-hears-20110114-19r8w.html

Talk of euthanasia and murder-suicide by a couple whose daughter showed signs of disability was only ''an extreme reaction'' to distressing news, not evidence they wanted to harm the girl, their lawyer told an inquest yesterday.

Two-year-old Maia Comas drowned in a blow-up pool at her family's Curl Curl home on December 3, 2007. Three months earlier she was tentatively diagnosed with Rett syndrome, a severe developmental disorder that leaves patients requiring full-time care.

The Coroners Court in Glebe has heard that Maia's parents, Pablo Comas and Samantha Razniak, had asked about legal euthanasia. Ms Razniak threatened to jump off a cliff with Maia and told a Department of Community Services worker she would be ''better off asleep forever''.

A deputy state coroner, Scott Mitchell, is examining whether or not her death was accidental.

Australia: Parents raised possibility of euthanasia for disabled child, inquest told [The Sydney Morning Herald]
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/parents-raised-possibility-of-euthanasia-for-disabled-child-inquest-told-20110110-19l7s.html

Like any parents in their situation, they were devastated to learn their child would grow up with a disability.

But unlike most parents, this couple raised the possibility of euthanasia.

An inquest heard yesterday that after their two-year-old girl was tentatively diagnosed with Rett syndrome, an incurable developmental disorder, the despairing parents asked a paediatrician whether there was legal or medical support for euthanasia. Told that it was not a legal option, the mother then spoke of jumping off a cliff with the girl.

The father later said that the toddler was ''dragging us down'' and asked: ''Why do they keep children with these disabilities alive? It doesn't seem fair on the child.''

Less than three months later, in December 2007, the girl drowned in an inflatable pool at her family's Curl Curl home. Whether her death was accidental, or was caused by a deliberate act, is the focus of an inquest at the Coroner's Court in Glebe. For legal reasons, the girl cannot be named.

Rett syndrome almost exclusively affects girls, who develop normally before regressing, losing their language skills and suffering problems with movement and intellectual disability. Most require full-time care.

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