Sunday, December 30, 2018

Euthanasia and assisted suicide (2018) a year in review.

There were many developments in 2018. This list represents a year in review with the most important articles on euthanasia and assisted suicide. 


In January, Sweden researcher Fabian Stahle uncovered the hidden problems with the Oregon assisted suicide law (Link).

In January a 29 year-old Dutch woman died an assisted death for psychiatric reasons (Link).

In January an Ontario Court decided to force doctors to refer patients to euthanasia. A group of doctors have appealed the decision (Link).

In February Sick Children's Hospital (Toronto) included a session on child euthanasia at a Paediatric Palliative Care Symposium (Link).


In February the BC Health Authority ordered the Delta hospice to participate in euthanasia. The Delta hospice has refused. (Link).

In March, Dutch prosecutors were investigating an assisted group after a 19-year-old died (Link).

In March a Canadian man launched a case stating he wants an assisted life not an assisted death (Link).

In April, Nancy Elliott wrote the article, people who qualify for assisted suicide are not necessarily dying (Link).

In May, the American Medical Association (AMA) Ethics Committee said no to assisted suicide (Link).

In May a Judge ruled that the California assisted suicide law is unconstitutional (Link).


In June the Canadian report indicated that Medical Aid in Dying had increased by 30% in Canada (Link).

In June, the article Fatal Flaws Film will change the way you view assisted death was published (Link)

In July  Ronald W. Pies, MD and Annette Hanson, MD published the article: 12 myths about assisted suicide and medical aid in dying (Link).

In August a Canadian man released tapes of a London Ontario hospital urging him to die by euthanasia (Link).

In August, A Belgian euthanasia report stated that three children ages 9, 11 and 17 died by euthanasia (Link).

In September, a euthanasia society leader was charged with the murder of a disabled man. (Link).


In October I published an article about a woman who was grieving the euthanasia death of her grand-father: Grief and suffering associated with death by euthanasia (Link).

In October Sick Children's Hospital (Toronto) published an article that they would euthanize patients with or without parental consent if euthanasia is extended to children. This is the most popular article ever written on euthanasia and assisted suicide. (Link)

In November, Deborah Binner published a book where she stated how she was devastated by husband's assisted suicide death (Link)

In November, a Nova Scotia woman's euthanasia death was promoted by the euthanasia lobby in a campaign to expand euthanasia in Canada (Link).

In December House Bill 90 was introduced in New Mexico to legalize assisted suicide. HB 90 is the most dangerous assisted suicide bill that I have ever seen (Link).

In December, the third report from the Quebec euthanasia commission was published. There were 142 unreported deaths (Link).

In December, a euthanasia activist started a campaign to force a Catholic hospital to participate in euthanasia (Link).

Important articles:
Is child euthanasia next in Canada? (Link).
Is euthanasia psychiatric treatment? (Link).
Leo Alexander: Medical science under dictatorship (Link).
Fatal Flaws: A must see film (Link).

This list does not include every great article.
In 2018 the blog had 750,000 hits.

1 comment:

Chuck said...

It seems to me that if one of the key criteria for receiving euthanasia is that one must be experiencing unbearable and unremitting suffering, claiming that one must choose to die "early" is a direct admission that one's suffering is not, in fact, unbearable. What else would it mean to call one's death "early"? If one were actually experiencing unbearable suffering, would he not then consider death timely? What I'm getting at is if people are being killed "early" simply to outrun mental incompetence, they are admitting that they don't actually meet the primary criterion and thus the doctor and any other participants are are carrying out an act other than the one contemplated by the law. It is simply death by agreement with little but the most superficial regard for the actual law. I think our indifference to this violation means that we have little reason to be hopeful that euthanasia will not expand in Canada.