Saturday, March 5, 2016

Hospice and Hospital will not participate in euthanasia.

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The recent report of the federal government's Special Committee on Assisted Dying stated (recommendation 11) that every publicly funded healthcare institution should be required to allow assisted death on its premises.

On March 5, the Windsor Star published an article by Brian Cross concerning Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital and the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County, since both institutions oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Carol Derbyshire the CEO of the Hospice of Windsor stated that their philosophy of ca supports:

respect for the dignity and sanctity of human life,” and ... that it’s (assisted death) not part of palliative care.
Janice Kaffer, the CEO of Hotel Dieu, that also operate a hospice, stated:
As a faith-based Catholic hospital, it does not believe it should participate in physician-assisted suicide.
Jean Echlin
Jean Echlin who is the President of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition and a registered nurse who was instrumental in founding the Hospice of Windsor clinical and volunteer programs and recently co-authored a book titled: It's not that simple told the Windsor Star:

most Canadians don’t understand how dignified death can be when pain and symptoms are well managed. She fears the push for assisted suicide is being driven by a desire to control health costs. Little consideration is given to the “death squads,” the doctors and nurses expected to deliver the deadly drugs,
Dr Brad Burke
While Dr Brad Burke, a physical rehabilitation expert told the Windsor star:

Whether I’m the executioner or I’m made to to refer someone to an executioner, I feel I’m still responsible,”
Burke is concerned that the Ontario College of Physicians would revoke his medical license if he refuses to kill his patients. The Windsor Star stated:
He worries that if he follows his conscience he may contravene the rules of the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons and end up losing his licence.
The Canadian Medical Association recently urged the federal government to respect the conscience rights of healthcare professionals.

Healthcare professionals and institutions must not be forced to participate in killing their patients. If Canada imposes euthanasia upon the nation, there needs to be "safe havens" where people can go and not be pressured to die by lethal injection.

5 comments:

greensea said...

I am posting from the US, and I hope you all at this decent hospital will send your message over the border. Seniors here don't realize how dangerous their situation is becoming, given that the US is a deeply, overwhelmingly ageist society. My husband had a cardiac arrest while he was in an allegedly Catholic hospital = St. Anthony's in St. Petersburg, FL. They did not notice his CA, because they were negligent. Therefore, he suffered brain damage. From that moment on, their sole effort was trying to get me to sign papers for them to put him "to sleep". They didn't want to bother working with him, (he was able to respond to commands by squeezing fingers, and he could track with his eyes.), they didn't want to try and improve his situation, they just wanted him gone and out of an expensive bed. They had no respect for life at all, and didn't understand why I wanted to keep him alive. This is a true story, and an experience I haven't recovered from. Please stand against this kind of value system.

Rachael said...

In an article recently read by me there was comment made on capital punishment and euthanasia .It was infered that prolife people were hypocritical on this ie supporting the former while decrying euthanasia. My response to this is in capital punishment the person was judged , sentenced and found guilty of a heinous crime, by a judge and 12 members of his/her peers. In euthanasia granny and grandpas only crime.......they are alive.

Rachael said...

Todays society is obsessed with death and violence, ne only has to view movies, videos, and tv to elicit this reactionthrough visionary process.
It is possible then, no wonder that death in an Euthanasia environment has now become a predominant equation in our journey through life.
Death is an inevitability and how we greet it is in the measure of time spent on how we acted throughout our lives. Action determines our value.
A line from Shakespeare states"Death where is thy sting",an apt description of deaths throes.
There is a phrase used by both sides in this issue "Death with dignity".This does not suffice. Would not the phrase "Dignity til death" be more appropriate and fitting ideal. ?
Regarding the government : does their recommendations not cause the Canadian populace to think Eugenics as a factor in the recommendations.
Where have we heard this philosophy before?Lest we forget!

Rachael said...

Has anyone considered that, if you eliminate the reason for something, you ultimately eliminate the need for it.
So ,what becomes of the helping agencies ie:palliative care and such other??

greensea said...

I don't know if Canadian media has covered the case of Novus Hospice, in Frisco, TX. Everyone needs to be aware of this case, because it's the tip of the iceberg, and an instance where de facto murder, or attempted murder has become public. Obama's health care advisor, Ezekiel Emanuel, stated publicly, in articles he wrote for both the Atlantic magazine and the New York Times, that he considers seniors a waste of resources, and wants hospital staff to "pressure" them towards going into "palliative" care before their time. Hospitals are seeing that as a directive, and are acting accordingly.