2022 EPC Year in Review. Stories and changes.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

2022 was a year of victories, defeats and changes. The most important victory was the Massachusetts Judicial Supreme Court decision that there is no right to assisted suicide in their state Constitution. Possibly the sadest defeat was Oregon agreeing to remove it's assisted suicide residency requirement, essentially extending assisted suicide nationally in the US. 

In Canada, 2022 will mark the year that Canadians woke up to the fact that, after passing Bill C-7 in March 2021, Canadians with disabilities are being killed by (MAiD) euthanasia because of poverty, homelessness and an inability to obtain necessary medical care. The stories related to euthanasia for disabled Canadians, veterans with PTSD and people who are unable to access proper care resulted in the government delaying the implementation of euthanasia for mental illness.

Article: 2021 Year in Review (Link).

2022 Year in Review.

In January - We learned about assisted suicide being approved for anorexia nervosa (Link) and Andrew Coyne wrote about Canada's assisted suicide slippery slope (Link).

In February - Kelly Block (Canadian MP) sponsored Bill C-230 - The Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act (Link). Sadly, Bill C-230 was defeated in October on a party-line vote (Link).

In March - Canada's euthanasia lobby launched a campaign to force religious medical facilities to participate in euthanasia (Link) and the state of Oregon extended assisted suicide nationally by eliminating the residency requirement (Link).

In April - A 51-year-old woman died by euthanasia based on Multiple Chemical Sensitivies (MCS) and inadequate housing (Link), a Winnipeg Church hosted a euthanasia death (Link) and EPC launched a petition opposing Child euthanasia (Link). The Delta Hospice Society also elected a Board of Directors that oppose euthanasia (Link).

In May - An article was published in China asking: Why is Canada euthanizing the poor? (Link) and a 31-year-old woman with MCS who was approved for euthanasia, changed her mind after she with provided a clean place to live (Link).

In June - A BC woman was approved for euthanasia even though she couldn't access treatment (Link). This was the same woman featured by Simons in their euthanasia promoting commercial in October (Link). In late June a 20-year-old BC man, with an undiagnosed condition, was approved for euthanasia (Link) and the Netherlands Health Minister proposed a protocol for euthanasia of children under 12 (Link).

In July Dr Ramona Coelho wrote an excellent article on why Canada's euthanasia law is the most permissive in the world (Link). 

In August The National Post published an article on how  Canada is getting comfortable with killing people with disabilities (Link) and I wrote an article about a baby who was declared "brain dead" but began to breath on his own (Link).

In September a mother prevented the euthanasia death of her 23-year-old son (Link) (Link).

In October a bereaved mother spoke out against the euthanasia death of her son (Link) and Infant euthansia was proposed by the Quebec College of Physicians (Link) (Link). An article about the euthanasia death of Alan Nichols was titled: Why did they kill my brother (Link). In late October I wrote an article about Canada's Bill S-248 that would permit involuntary euthanasia by advanced directive (Link).

In November an article was published about Roger Foley who was pressured to request euthanasia (Link) and an article promoting euthanasia featured Ellen Wiebe who has killed more than 400 people by euthanasia (Link).

In December a man who was approved for euthanasia changed his mind after receiving a wheelchair lift (Link) a food bank client asked for euthanasia because of poverty (Link) and the great news is that a California judge dismissed a case seeking to permit euthanasia within the assisted suicide law (Link)

In 2022, Amy Hasbrouck resigned as EPC President after many years of excellent service while Gordon Friesen became the new EPC President. 

The Euthansia Prevention Coalition continued to be the world leader opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide and we organized the first meeting at the European Parliament opposing euthansia.