Irish columnist changes his mind and now opposes euthanasia.

“What’s happened under the MAID programme in Canada is everything the anti-euthanasia brigade used to warn me about in debates,”

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Ian O'Doherty

The Irish parliament (Dáil Éireann) recently voted 76 - 53 to accept a report of an Oireachtas Committee that recommended the legalization of assisted suicide in Ireland.

Ian O'Doherty, who is a columnist for Mediahuis Ireland covering the Irish Independent and Sunday Independent has went from strongly supporting euthanasia to completely opposing euthanasia.

James Wilson published an interview on newstalk with Ian O'Doherty from Lunchtime live on October 24 concerning the legalization of euthanasia. As stated earlier, O'Doherty has changed his position on the issue.

O'Doherty told Wilson that he supported euthanasia when Diane Pretty, who had Motor Neuron Disease, sued the British government to overturn the law preventing assisted suicide. But since he has changed his mind. 

O'Doherty tells Wilson:

“There was a case in Belgium involving twins - the Verbessem twins,” he said.

“They weren’t terminally ill but they were deaf and they were going blind - they were suffering from macular degeneration.

“They decided that they wanted to get euthanised together.”

Although the twins’ family were against it, the pair went ahead and died together.

“I just thought that was wrong,” 

“They weren’t dying.”

O'Doherty then speaks about Canada:

In 2016, Canada legalised euthanasia and five-years later it broadened the eligibility to include people with incurable conditions.

The Medical Assistance in Dying or ‘MAID’ programme is something that has given Mr O'Doherty pause for thought.

In particular, he heard of a man with a severe disability who requested euthanasia because he was about to become homeless.

“What’s happened under the MAID programme in Canada is everything the anti-euthanasia brigade used to warn me about in debates,” he said.

“I would dismiss their warnings as being ‘scaremongering’ when they talk about the slippery slope.”

O'Doherty has been reporting on the issue of euthanasia for a long time. We hope that his knowledge and experience will help others understand why euthanasia, if legalized, cannot be controlled.

Sarco Selling Murder-Suicide

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Philip Nitschke with Sarco

Sarah Oliver and Sanchez Manning reported for the Daily Mail on September 7, 2024 that Peter and Christine Scott have decided to not only be the first people to die by assisted suicide with the Sarco pod, but that they intend to die together.

Peter and Christine Scott are part of a death campaign that romanticizes suicide where the "wish to die" is turned into a "love story."

The Sarco suicide pod was designed by suicide promoter Philip Nitschke, formerly known as Australia's Dr Death, to enable suicide by being gassed to death. The person activates the nitrogen gas which causes a suicide death by suffocation.

In July, the media reported that: 

Peter Sticher, a public prosecutor, cautioned that Mr Nitschke would face serious consequences for aiding, abetting, and inducing suicide, particularly if done for selfish reasons.

In a letter obtained by Swiss media, Mr Sticher said: ''There is no reliable information about the method of killing. [It is] completely unclear who has control over which mechanical process during the dying process.''

Since Peter and Christine Scott plan to "die together" the deaths would be defined as a murder-suicide, since one person would activate the nitrogen gas but both would die by suffocation, meaning one death is a self-murder while the other is clear murder.

The Sarco was developed by Nitschke as a way to gain media attention and to promote his websites that sell suicide books, materials and gadgets. 

Nitschke is 'making a killing' on selling suicide.

Couple euthanasia is modern sati.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Meghan McCallum wrote an article that appears to promote Duo-euthanasia that was published in mdlinx.com on August 15, 2024.

The article titled: Duo-euthanasia: To avoid facing life alone, focuses on how the spouse of a person who dies by euthanasia will often experience complicated grief and will have a higher potential rate of premature death. The article states:

For some individuals, euthanasia or physician-assisted dying (aka PAD or EAS) presents an option to end one’s life with some control and dignity while minimizing pain and suffering. Whether they are experiencing severe chronic pain, mobility challenges, or serious illness such as cancer, these people may be intrigued by the possibility of euthanasia or physician-assisted dying.

But for the surviving spouses, facing the future without their lifelong partner can feel overwhelming, and their quality of life may plummet.

The article states:

Patients may consider or request information about euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (EAS) as a way to take control of their death and dying experience and to end their pain and suffering. While this option presents a way for patients to die with dignity in the manner of their choosing, their death also creates challenges and risks for their spouse or partner. It is important to discuss all the risks and benefits with both partners and patients considering EAS.

History insists on repeating itself. In the past, some Hindu women would throw themselves on the funeral pyre (known as sati) to die with their husband. India banned the practise of sati.

But now the euthanasia lobby appears to be promoting a modern sati, that being couples dying by lethal poison. Similar to sati, some women "chose" to die on the funeral pyre while others were compelled to die.

By promoting couple euthanasia McCallum is undermining the nature of the human person, that being, to receive care and support from the community while grieving. 

Killing is not caring.

CBC News promotes couple euthanasia propaganda (MAiD).

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

CBC News published a story by Sara Fraser that cannot be ignored because it dangerously promotes couple euthanasia (MAiD) propaganda as a love story.

The story concerns Bob & Margi Wilson who recently died by euthanasia (MAiD). The story is also about a family who agreed to talk to CBC News about the death to celebrate their parents' "bravery" and to reduce any stigma around MAID.

The story states that the couples daughter, brought up the concept of MAiD with her mother, as her mother was approaching death.

Fraser really plays up the "perfect ending" to the love story. Fraser writes:

In the last weeks, the grandchildren gathered in their grandparents' room to keep them company, doing crafts and playing music. They reminisced about fun times the close-knit family had spent together. Nothing went unsaid. 

"It was bittersweet," Scott said of the scene. 

"I joked with my mom, I said it's almost Romeo and Juliet without the poison," Scott said. "We use humour in our family as a coping mechanism. In a way, there was somewhat of a relief that a decision had been made, because it was very up and down."

Even with this "love" story, death does not come without controversy. Fraser reports:

Margi lost consciousness in the days before, and the family thought she might die naturally before the agreed-upon date...

At 7 a.m. on May 25, doctors came into the room for a final check. They took the family to a different room, away from their parents, and briefed them on the procedure.

Even though Margi wasn't able to verbally consent, recent changes to the assisted dying law made it possible for doctors to carry out her wishes. Bob indicated to the doctors that he wanted to go through with it, too. 

Margi was not able to consent at the time of death and yet death was her "choice."

This story was written to sell the idea of couples dying by euthanasia.

You may remember the 2007 assisted suicide propaganda film, the suicide tourist featuring George & Betty Coumbias. George had significant medical issues but Betty was healthy. George wanted to die by assisted suicide at the Dignitas assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland and Betty, who was healthy, wanted to die with him, because she couldn't live without him. Betty died of cancer, in 2009, and George, who Betty couldn't live without, remarried and lived until his death in 2016.

Stories that are designed to sell more euthanasia have a "contagion" effect and create a false portrayal of what euthanasia is, that being, killing people with lethal drug cocktails.