African physicians reject euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

A

Professor Mike Ogirima

t the African Regional Meeting of the World Medical Association meeting on Saturday February 3, 2018 in Abuja Nigeria, physicians agreed to improving palliative care while clearly rejecting euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The report by Felicia Imohimi published by NAN news  stated that Professor Mike Ogirima, President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) rejected euthanasia and assisted suicide as contrary to the physician's oath. Imohimi reported Prof Ogirima as stating:

The oath stipulates “I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties even under threat’’,  

Euthanasia is ending the life of another person through various actions which included injecting the person, giving an overdose and withdrawal of food. 

...physician assisted suicide is a practice where doctor provide patients with the knowledge to kill themselves which could be in form of drugs among others.

Professor Ogrima further stated:

“We Africans reject Euthanasia and physician-assisted-suicide. We cannot assist patients, who may wish to end their lives, because the law of the country and WMA ethics of physicians does not permit us to take life.’’

The African physicians understand the issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide in a clear manner. They recognize that to intentionally kill or intentionally assist in a suicide is always wrong.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition promotes caring for people and never killing.

Speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand – Part 3

I arrived in Australia on June 23, speaking in Melbourne, South Australia and then Tasmania.

On June 29 I left Australia and arrived in Auckland New Zealand to speak at a conference, organized by a local steering committee that was titled: Legalized Euthanasia: Do we need it?

The conference on Saturday, June 30 was very impressive with approximately 100 attendees from across New Zealand.

Dr Huhana Hickey

The conference had several excellent speakers including a member of the New Zealand parliament, Dr. Huhana Hickey, who spoke about euthanasia from a legal perspective as well as from a Maori (native) perspective, Russell Vickery, a disability leader, who spoke about Euthanasia and the disability community, John Kleinsman who spoke about euthanasia from a New Zealand and world perspective, and then myself who spoke about how legalizing euthanasia is a threat to vulnerable persons.

Russell Vickery

Russell Vickery who is a leader in the disability community in New Zealand and Internationally was also the MC for the day.

I was incredibly pleased with the quality of the presentations and the excellent questions that were asked by the participants during the Open Forum.

I found the Maori perspective to be a fascinating perspective on life and I think they, as a people, will be great allies to opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide in New Zealand.

After the conference ended a group of people met to discuss organizing a group similar to HOPE or EPC. There were many talented people in the room and several of those people agreed to be part of an organization.

After the meeting ended I was brought to the TVNZ studio in Auckland where I had the opportunity to debate Maryan Street, the New Zealand politician who plans to introduce a bill to legalize euthanasia, on the Q + A TVprogram.

The show was a set-up. It first featured an interview with Sean Davidson, the man who assisted the suicide of his mother Patricia. Sean is now campaigning to legalize assisted suicide in South Africa. Secondly, the moderator decided his role was to debate me rather than moderating the debate between myself and Ms. Street. Finally Ms. Street was a formidable debating opponent herself. Link to the program.

I predict that a very effective organization will form in New Zealand and the bill to legalize euthanasia introduced by Maryan Street will be defeated.

Thank you to the organizers of the conference in Auckland for giving me the opportunity to speak and to help them form a cohesive and effective coalition in New Zealand.

Speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand - Part 1.
Speaking tour of Australia and New Zealand - Part 2.

Peddlers of death look to Africa

This is a copy of Mark Mostert's blog comment on the push by the peddlers of death look to Africa:

For the last several years, ground zero for the promulgation of assisted suicide and euthanasia has been Europe.

The Netherlands now legally sanctions assisted suicide for almost anyone for any reason. There’s also lots of evidence that hundreds of Dutch patients are euthanized against their will every year.

In Switzerland, Dignitas, whose sole purpose is to facilitate the deaths of its clients, routinely hosts patients from other countries where assisted suicide is illegal.

Belgium recently legalized assisted suicide. It’s being seriously considered in almost every European capital.

In the UK, proponents of assisted suicide are waging a fierce battle to have it legalized. A Scottish parliamentarian is calling for legalized assisted suicide for children.

The warriors of the culture of death are now looking to make their ideas mainstream in Africa.

No surprise there.

However, they’re using a novel, utilitarian argument.

From east Africa's Business Daily:

Mr John Hurst, a British investor and the managing director of Dignity International, is the man behind the plans to introduce the Doctor Assisted Suicide (DAS) in Kenya. He says the logic behind assisted-suicide is that since the terminally ill patient will eventually die, it would be better to hasten their death to save the patient from pain and the family from the financial burden that may arise after prolonged treatment.

Note, Hurst is an investor. Could it be that he wants to make money on killing people? (Of course).

Note the logic:

The patient is going to die (so, why not kill them sooner rather than later?)

Killing earlier saves suffering later (no mention that not every terminally ill person is in pain, let alone unbearable pain)

Killing is a cost saving measure (particularly appealing t people in the developing world who are poor).

How crass.

How brutal.

How absolutely predicable.
Africans need to begin mounting opposition to this horrible influence – NOW.

Link to Mark Mostert's Blog comments:
http://whatsupwithbioethics.blogspot.com/2009/01/peddlers-of-death-look-to-africa.html