Research published in the BJPsych Open Journal has revealed that people with autism and intellectual disabilities have been legally euthanised in the Netherlands as part of that country’s assisted-dying program. This is setting a very dangerous precedent, not only within the Netherlands but for other countries which have legalised euthanasia. Between 2012 and 2021, approximately 60,000 people were euthanised in the Netherlands, according to the Dutch government. A sample of documents, relating to more than 900 of those people, were released for scrutiny. Specialists at UK’s Kingston University ..read more

Euthanasia became legal in Canada in 2016. If we want to see where New Zealand could be headed , then looking at the trend of Canada’s experiment is a good place to start. And as expected, it’s not pretty. The post McBLOG – Canada’s 6-year experiment with euthanasia appeared first on Reject Assisted Suicide NZ ..read more

When the euthanasia law was being promoted in New Zealand, disability groups were very concerned about the underlying message it sent. Disability rights groups said, “There are endless ways of telling disabled people time and time again that their life has no value.” So what happens when you combine disability, cost and euthanasia. You only need to look at Canada to see where we may be headed. TRANSCRIPT: When the euthanasia law was being promoted in New Zealand, disability groups were very concerned about the underlying message it sent. Disability rights groups said, “There are endless ways ..read more

Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Denny Thomas and Suzanne Goldenberg (Reuters) Lisa Pauli wants to die. The 47-year-old has wrestled with the eating disorder anorexia for decades; she says she has had a warped relationship with her body since age 8. These days, Pauli says, she weighs 92 pounds and may go days without eating solid food. She says she is too weak to carry groceries home without stopping for breaks. “Every day is hell,” she said. “I’m so tired. I’m done. I’ve tried everything. I feel like I’ve lived my life.” Pauli cannot legally get medical help to die – yet. An expan ..read more

The time following a declined assisted dying application is one of heightened mental health risk, says psychiatrist and University of Auckland senior lecturer Gary Cheung. Patients who request assisted dying are at a higher risk of suicidal thoughts, Dr Cheung told a GP CME audience in Rotorua last month. A 79-year-old with pancreatic cancer, who lived alone and had very little independence, was the first case study. The patient contacted his GP and enquired about assisted dying, but he did not meet the criteria because his condition was not deemed irreversible. The man went home and attempted ..read more

Yet another tragic story that highlights the dangers of liberal euthanasia laws (aka “assisted suicide”). A Belgian woman, aged 23, was recently euthanised after being ‘traumatised’ by the 2016 ISIS attack on Brussels Airport. She was physically healthy but was euthanised due to ongoing mental health issues. Shanti De Corte developed depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being caught up in ISIS attack on Brussels Airport, which killed 32 people. She survived the March 2016 terrorist attack, but ongoing depression and PTSD led to her request to die being approved by psychia ..read more

This is why we opposed legalising assisted suicide. Vulnerable people can live without it. But when it’s an option on the table (as it now is), coercion, depression and a feeling of having a ‘duty to die’ make the law harmful and deadly. “lan Nichols had a history of depression and other medical issues, but none were life-threatening. When the 61-year-old Canadian was hospitalized in June 2019 over fears he might be suicidal, he asked his brother to “bust him out” as soon as possible. Within a month, Nichols submitted a request to be euthanized and he was killed, despite concerns raised by hi ..read more

The first official report on the assisted suicide law in NZ has been released. It only covers the first five months of the law, so it’s difficult to determine any trends. But what has been interesting is the comments made by euthanasia supporters about the law already needing to be expanded to allow for even non-terminal patients to access it. And the media only seems to want to tell us the ‘good’ stories about assisted suicide – but they ignore the ‘not-so-happy’ ones. The post McBLOG: The slippery slope of assisted suicide appeared first on Reject Assisted Suicide NZ ..read more

Why is it that Euthanasia is fully-funded by the Government, yet Palliative Care is only partially funded and now in serious threat of dying from government neglect? Too many New Zealanders are unable to access acceptable end-of-life care, and thus tragically die in pain and suffering. The situation is dire, and projected to get much worse. Nobody should suffer unnecessarily towards end of life. Our hospices are an essential service, providing palliative care that prevents and relieves suffering, right through to end of life. Yet, hospices are simply not able to fundra ..read more

This is a sad story that illustrates the dangers of liberal euthanasia laws…  A Canadian woman suffering from Long Covid has applied for assisted dying. Tracey Thompson has already received one doctor’s approval and is now awaiting a second specialist’s approval to then proceed with assisted dying.  Extreme fatigue and a lack of financial support caused Thompson to apply for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) – Canada’s voluntary euthanasia program. She is unable to work and expects to run out of money in five months. “(MAiD) is exclusively a financial considerat ..read more