EPC International Euthanasia Symposium - Sept 20 in Rome

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Instituto Maria Bambina
top of the hill beside columns

On Friday September 20, 2019 there is a one-day Euthanasia Symposium in Rome sponsored by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. The Symposium features recognized leaders and amazing speakers in an incredible location. The Symposium will be followed by a leaders meeting on September 21.

The euthanasia Symposium is organized with the Matercare 15th International Conference. The conference is at the Instituto Maria SS Bambina across from St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Link to register for the conference.

For more information contact: info@epcc.ca

The speakers include:

Alex Schadenberg

Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director and International Chair, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition will speak about the world-wide situation. Alex is an author, leader, and world expert. 

Dr Paul Saba, Coalition of Physicians for Social Justice in Québec will speak about child euthanasia and the expansion of euthanasia, in Canada, once legalized. Dr Saba is an author with experience as a physician in Québec. 

Dr Anne Hanson

Dr Annette Hanson is a forensic psychiatrist and assisted professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine will speak about euthanasia for psychiatric reasons. Dr Hanson has published research articles including the 12 myths about assisted suicide and medical aid in dying.

Catherine Glenn Foster, (lawyer) Americans United for Life, will speak about the culture shift after assisted suicide is legalized. She was the founding Executive Director of EPC-USA.  

Dr William Toffler

Dr William Toffler, Physicians for Compassionate Care Oregon, will talk about the effect of 20 years of assisted suicide in Oregon. Dr Toffler is a leading voice against assisted suicide in America. 

Amy Hasbrouck, (lawyer) Not Dead Yet leader and Euthanasia Prevention Coalition President will speak on eugenics and the concerns of people with disabilities. Amy has extensive experience as an American who now lives in Canada. 

Gordon Macdonald

Dr Gordon Macdonald, Care Not Killing Alliance UK, will speak about the politics of assisted suicide in the medical community. Dr Macdonald has extensive experience in the BMA debate on assisted suicide. 

Fabian Stahle, a researcher from Sweden will speak about Moral Disengagement and the legalization of assisted death. 

Register for the full conference or for one day at (Registration link). You can stay at the Maria Bambina. 

EPC has also organized a leaders meeting for September 21 at the same location.

Stopping Assisted Suicide in Your State

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is co-organizing a Campaign Training Session on Friday, January 25 and Conference on Saturday, January 26.

These events will be at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Midtown hotel in Albuquerque New Mexico. 

Book your hotel room by calling: 505-312-9842.

The Training Session on Friday, January 25 will go from 1:00 - 5:00 pm followed by a screening of the film -  Fatal Flaws at 7:00 pm with Kevin Dunn, the producer of the film.

The Conference on Saturday, January 26 will run from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. 

* We have added an impressive International speaker. Fabian Stahle, the Swedish researcher who uncovered the definition of terminal used by the Oregon Health Authority which extends assisted suicide to non-terminal persons. 

The cost to attend the Training Session is $35. The cost to attend the Symposium is $50. The cost to attend both events is $80. 

You can also watch the Conference simulcast with access code for $30.

Register online or download the  registration form  (fillable in Adobe Acrobat).

Speakers include:

Hon Nick Goiran, Member of Parliament from Western Australia. Nick authored the minority report opposing the legalization of assisted suicide in Western Australia.

Diane Coleman, President & CEO of the disability rights group Not Dead Yet. Diane is a leading voice opposing assisted suicide for more than 25 years.

Alexandra Snyder

Amy Hasbrouck, Founder of Toujours Vivant – Not Dead Yet and the President of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. Amy is also a trained lawyer.

Alexandra Snyder, Executive Director of Life Legal Defense Foundation and the lead lawyer in the challenge to the California assisted suicide law.

Kevin Yuill, Professor of History at the University of Sunderland, UK. He is the author of - Assisted Suicide: The Liberal Humanist Case Against Legalization.

Dr Annette Hanson

Annette Hanson, Forensic Psychiatrist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Hanson co-authored the article: Twelve Myths About Assisted Suicide and Medical Aid in Dying.

Fabian Stahle is the Swedish researcher who uncovered the Oregon Health Authority change in the definition of terminal. 

 
Catherine Glenn Foster, President and CEO of AUL and a lawyer. Catherine was the founding Executive Director of EPC-USA in 2016.

Nancy Elliott

Nancy Elliott, former New Hampshire State Representative and President of EPC-USA.

Margaret Dore, lawyer and President of Choice is an Illusion.

Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. He is an author and has done speaking tours throughout the world.

Kevin Dunn, Producer of Fatal Flaws: Legalizing Assisted Death and The Euthanasia Deception. Kevin is an award-winning filmmaker who operates DunnMedia & Entertainment.

Register online or download the registration form.

New Mexico legislation would allow assisted suicide for people with mental illness.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

New Mexico

House Bill 90 was introduced to legalize assisted suicide in New Mexico by Deborah Armstrong (Dem). The bill is also referred to as The Elizabeth Whitefield End of Life Options Act.

According to KRQE media, Armstrong's assisted suicide bill will permit assisted suicide for people with a mental health disorders, if a mental health professional signs the request.

Michelle Lujan Grisham, the recently elected Democrat Governor of New Mexico, stated during the election that she supports the legalization of assisted suicide.

New Mexico has been debating assisted suicide for many years. During the previous legislative session the New Mexico Senate defeated the assisted suicide bill by a vote of 22 to 20.

Several years ago an activist Judge claimed that there was a right to assisted suicide in New Mexico.

On June 30, 2016 the New Mexico Supreme Court, in a 5 - 0 decision, upheld the New Mexico Court of Appeal decision that assisting a suicide is a crime in Morris v Brandenburg.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition has organized the Stopping Assisted Suicide in Your State Conference in Albuquerque New Mexico with a campaign training session on Friday, January 25 and the Conference on Saturday January 26. (Information link).

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Symposium 2018

License to Care not Licence to Kill

Saturday October 27 - Winnipeg Manitoba (9 am - 4 pm) Central Time.
(watch the live simulcast from anywhere in the world) 

The 2018 Euthanasia Symposium features excellent speakers while providing you with the opportunity to attend the event live or to watch it remotely from anywhere in the world.

The cost to attend the event is: $50 (includes lunch) at the Best Western Winnipeg Airport Hotel or $30 (watch online live anywhere in the world) (we will send you the link).

Dr Paul Saba

Register for the Euthanasia Symposium 2018.

Keynote Speakers: Alexandra Snyder, lawyer who is fighting the California assisted suicide law and Dr Paul Saba: Québec physician - His topic is "Why I won't Kill."

Speakers include: Kevin Dunn - Co-Producer of Fatal Flaws, Amy Hasbrouck - EPC President (Toujours Vivant - Not Dead Yet), Taylor Hyatt, researcher Not Dead Yet, James Mahony - freelance journalist and former lawyer, Jen Romnes - painter and author of the books Entangled 1 & 2, and Alex Schadenberg.

Groups and individuals from anywhere in the world can organize a group Simulcast viewing. Last year more people watched the Symposium online than in person with several groups watching the Symposium online. All you need is: high speed internet, a good computer/projector and good speakers.

We are expecting more people to take advantage of this opportunity this year. 

More information is available at: info@epcc.ca or call the office: 1-877=439-3348.

Register for the Euthanasia Symposium 2018.

2017 Euthanasia Symposium - October 28, 2017

Join us for the 2017 National Euthanasia Symposium. 

It is an opportunity for us to learn from each other and network with like-minded people. It is happening this year on Saturday, October 28 from 9 am - 5 pm at the Best Western Premier Toronto Airport Carlingview Hotel. 

You can register online (Registration link) or you can also register by calling the EPC office at: 1-877-439-3348 or by emailing info@epcc.ca. 

Dr. Mark Komrad

The cost for the Symposium is $50, and includes lunch. 

New this year, we are live streaming of the Symposium to enable anyone to watch the Symposium live, anywhere in the world. We will send you the link and code to log in for only $30.

We have arranged for many amazing speakers:

Dr. Mark Komrad is an American professor and psychiatrist who will speak about opposing euthanasia for psychiatric reasons. He has written a book on how to convince troubled family members, loved ones and friends to get psychiatric evaluation and treatment. Mark specialized in medical ethics in mental health care.

Jen Romnes

Jen Romnes is an artist, author and advocate who will speak about her personal experience opposing euthanasia. Jen has recently released her second book entitled Entangled 2: Betrayed From Within which continues the story of how she fought to protect her Mom from abuse. Her advocacy focuses on protecting people who become vulnerable due to diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy

Dr Jacqueline Abernathy is Assistant Professor of Public Administration at Tarleton State University in Texas and an end-of-life researcher. She will talk about her analysis of the defeated assisted suicide legislation in the US.

Kevin Dunn

Kevin Dunn is a movie producer who co-produced The Euthanasia Deception and many other documentaries for social change. Kevin is currently working on two new films for EPC and will speak on the topic of using media to drive social and cultural change.

Taylor Hyatt

Amy Hasbrouck, President of EPC and Taylor Hyatt, Policy Analyst and Outreach Coodinator for Toujours Vivant-Not Dead Yet will speak about the federal debate on expanding the euthanasia law in Canada from the perspective of people with disabilities. 

Dr. Ramona Coelho

Dr. Ramona Coelho, a Medical Doctor in London, Ontario, will be speaking on physicians' conscience rights. 

Charles Lewis, a former columnist with the National Post and a member of the EPC Board, will be speaking about the need to care for and protect people from euthanasia.

Amy Hasbrouck
EPC President.

When booking your room at the Best Western, be sure to mention you are attending the Symposium to get the special conference rate of $109 (includes breakfast). Visit their website at www.bwptorontoairporthotel.com or call: 1-800-780-7234.

Please share this information with any family members and friends who may be interested in learning more about how they can better resist the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide in their community. We need you to become more involved in our work to create positive change.

For more information call: 1-877-439-3348 or email: info@epcc.ca
  

Euthanasia Symposium 2016 - October 29, 2016 - Resisting euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The EPC 2016 Euthanasia Symposium is Saturday October 29, 2016 at the Best Western Waterfront Hotel - 277 Riverside Rd West Windsor Ontario (next to the Windsor/Detroit tunnel). Book your hotel room for $139 by calling the Best Western at: 519-973-5555.

The Symposium runs from 9 am to 5 pm and  is followed by a dinner at 6 pm to honor Jean Echlin, our President.

The Symposium registration is $50. 

The cost to attend the dinner is $50. 

The cost to attend the Symposium and the dinner is $90.

Register for the Symposium and dinner by calling the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition at: 1-877-439-3348 or email: info@epcc.ca or register by paypal or credit card (link).

Download the registration form here: 2016 Euthanasia Symposium Order Form.

Jean Echlin
EPC President

The dinner to honor Jean Echlin, EPC President is at 6 pm at the Giovanni Caboto club - 2175 Parent Ave Windsor (Da Vinci room). Jean is a past director of the Hospice of Windsor, a past winner of the Dorothy Ley award for excellence in palliative care in Ontario and the founding VP of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

Speakers include:

• Catherine Glenn Foster - EPC USA director and lawyer. Catherine has submitted briefs in assisted suicide court cases throughout the US. 
• Nancy Elliott – Chair – EPC USA – Opposing assisted suicide. Talking points.
• Dr Kathy Pfaff Faculty of nursing, University of Windsor (Ethics and Conscience rights).
• Kevin Dunn (Dunn Media) The Euthanasia Deception - building a social movement.
• Diane Coleman – President, Not Dead Yet. A leading disability rights group world-wide.
• Amy Hasbrouck - Director and Founder of Toujours Vivant – Not Dead Yet.
• Aubert Martin - Director of Vivre dans la dignité in Québec.
• Alex Schadenberg Executive Director – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition. Resisting euthanasia and assisted suicide.

Tom Mortier: Surely you’re joking, Mr Denton - Belgian euthanasia is a problem free zone?

This article was published by Mercatornet on their Careful blog on November 4, 2015

Tom Mortier in Australia

By Tom Mortier

In May 2015 Paul Russell, of Hope, an Australian coalition opposing euthanasia and assisted suicide, invited me to come to Adelaide to speak about my experiences with the Belgian euthanasia law. It is now well known that my physically healthy mother was killed by a lethal injection given by the Flemish euthanasia practitioner Dr Wim Distelmans.

At the conference, Paul told me that someone called Andrew Denton wanted to interview me. I had never heard of Mr Denton, but Paul told me that he was very famous and that it would be a good opportunity to talk with him. So I did. I don’t remember much from the interview, but he did ask searching questions.

I told him that a staff writer from The New Yorker was also working on a piece about the suicide of my mother. When it was eventually published, I forwarded it to him because it gave a good insight into the Flemish euthanasia lobby.

When I spoke with Mr Denton in Adelaide, I didn’t realise that he was so well-known in Australia. He had even been featured pulling faces on the cover of Rolling Stone. I learned that he was both a comedian and a real television celebrity.

Tom Mortier's mother

But I was very disappointed in his treatment of euthanasia and assisted suicide. He mentioned me during a radio interview but he said that the story of my late mother was sad, but did not prove that the Belgian euthanasia law wasn’t working. Australia needed an euthanasia law as soon as possible and Belgium (and the Netherlands) is the model, he declared.

Most citizens support the law and “only five percent” of all deaths there are due to lethal injections, he claims. For Denton, it is all about “free choice”. He told TV viewers that he had attended a big “anti-euthanasia” conference and that everything that the people had been telling him during that conference was a lie. Belgian euthanasia is a problem-free zone.

No problems, Mr Denton? Really? Are you speaking as a comedian or as a journalist? Perhaps you should watch a bit more Australian television.

An SBS television documentary recently demonstrated how well euthanasia works in my country. An 85-year-old woman committed suicide on camera with the assistance of Dr Marc Van Hoey, an euthanasia advocate and chairman of the right-to-die with dignity movement in Flanders. Although the Belgian euthanasia law states that a psychiatrist should give advice (not necessarily approval) in the case of a non-terminal illness and a third doctor should be involved in the euthanasia procedure, Van Hoey said that these other doctors were not needed. After giving scores of lethal injections, he had enough experience to decide whether the old woman could die on camera.

Why involve family members? It was the woman’s choice. Her estranged daughter now had a nice memento: her mother dying on YouTube.

The SBS journalist interviewed me but when he tried to interview the co-chairman of the euthanasia commission, Wim Distelmans, he was snubbed.

The event at which Distelmans brushed him off gives you an idea of his stature in Belgium. He was being honoured as the Flemish “Humanist of the Year” and in his thank-you speech he praised his friends in the Flemish media. Unlike the foreign media, they understand what euthanasia is really about.

Auschwitz

In fact, only the foreign media does what Belgian journalists are paid to do: ask hard questions. The German magazine Der Spiegel followed Distelmans to Auschwitz when he organized an instructional tour to show the differences between his euthanasia policy and the killings of the Nazis.

Der Spiegel pointed out that the good doctor had been responsible for the death of hundreds, if not thousands, of people. But he told the magazine that a lethal injection should be seen as an act of “unconditional love”.

Now, can you, Mr Denton, after your eight months of research, explain the following: I loved my mother for more than 30 years and I wanted her to live; Dr Distelmans loved her so much – “unconditionally” – that after a few brief consultations over six months he gave her a lethal injection. It’s a funny sort of love our doctors have in Belgium, Mr Denton.

Mr Denton’s eight months of research also failed to uncover the corrupt conflicts of interest in Belgium’s Federal Evaluation and Control Commission for Euthanasia. Dr Distelmans has been the chairman or co-chairman of the commission since 2002, when euthanasia became legal.

The commission is stacked with euthanasia advocates like Gilles Genicot and Jacqueline Herremans who adore him. Distelmans has sent hundreds, if not thousands of cases for review to a commission of which he is the chairman. How is that possible?

According to Herremans, Distelmans is in the room, but says nothing when his own cases are discussed. Genicot told the SBS reporter that the euthanasia law was all about trust between the doctor and the patient and that we couldn’t put doctors on trial.

So, Mr Denton, does Australia really need euthanasia doctors? I heard that Australia’s Dr Death, Philip Nitschke, is now doing comedy and now you, a comedian, have become an euthanasia advocate. What’s your next trick? Filming a man jumping off a bridge?

Dr Tom Mortier lectures in chemistry at Leuven University College, in Belgium.

Montreal Euthanasia Symposium: Theory and Reality about Euthanasia

Media Release - October 30, 2015

The Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia, the Living with Dignity network and the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) are coming together for a one day conference on Saturday October 31, 2015 at the Best Western Ville Marie hotel in Montréal, to discuss our common concerns and directions.

The Quebec euthanasia experiment is scheduled to begin on December 10. The vast majorityof physicians around the world have always rejected euthanasia, above all because it is a public safety hazard: it can drive people to throw away years of their lives and provide caregivers and heirs with enormous power. Although it gives an illusion of control, the option of euthanasia will undoubtedly erode medical diligence and creativity in the medical care of people both chronically disabled and acutely disabled by illness.  

Most patients fear suffering at the end of life. This has always been the case. But we must find a less dangerous option than the constant availability of “death on demand” to address these fears. In extreme cases, i.e. for the small minority of patients for whom other options are not completely effective, palliative sedation can answer all symptom control problems.

Quebec has the only law in the world which attempts to coerce doctors to refer patients for euthanasia. Such pointless authoritarianism, of which we already had a taste in September, is a dangerous precedent which must be formally rejected.   

From a logistical point of view patients do not need help from their treating physician to access euthanasia: the government could easily set up a system of self-referral to voluntarily licensed doctors who are willing to practice euthanasia. This would avoid trampling on the professional judgment and conscience of the rest of the medical profession. 

We reject the concept that euthanasia is any kind of health care. We reject bullying physicians into referring their patients for death. And we reject the concept that intentional death is a solution to human distress.

Dr Catherine Ferrier – President, Physicians Alliance Against Euthanasia (514) 623-5737

Dr Will Johnston – Chair, EPC - BC (604) 220-2042

Dr Margaret Cottle – Vice President, EPC (604) 222-0288

Dr Marc Beauchamp – President, Living with Dignity Network.

Alex Schadenberg - Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (519) 851-1434

Symposium de Montréal : la théorie et la réalité sur l’euthanasie

Communiqué de presse 30 octobre 2015

Le Collectif  des médecins contre l'euthanasie, le réseau citoyen Vivre dans la dignité et la Euthanasia Prevention Coalition sont réunis pour une conférence ce samedi 31 octobre 2015 à l'hôtel Best Western Ville Marie pour discuter de nos préoccupations et de nos orientations communes.

Le 10 décembre marquera le début de l’expérimentation de l'euthanasie au Québec. Jusqu’à maintenant, la vaste majorité des médecins à travers le monde rejette l'euthanasie, entre autres parce qu’elle représente un danger pour la sécurité publique: elle peut pousser des gens à renoncer à des années de leur vie et donne un pouvoir immense au personnel soignant et aux héritiers. L’option euthanasie procurera certes une illusion de contrôle, mais il ne fait aucun doute qu’elle érodera la diligence et la créativité dans les soins médicaux, tant pour les personnes avec un handicap chronique que pour les personnes gravement affligées par la maladie.

La plupart des patients craignent de souffrir à la fin de leurs jours. Il en a toujours été ainsi. Mais nous devons trouver une solution moins dangereuse que la disponibilité constante de la « mort sur demande » pour répondre à ces craintes. Dans les cas extrêmes, c’est-à-dire pour la petite minorité de patients pour qui les autres options ne sont pas totalement efficaces, la sédation palliative peut répondre à tous les problèmes de contrôle des symptômes.

Le Québec a la seule loi au monde qui veut contraindre les médecins traitants à référer les patients pour obtenir l'euthanasie. Un tel autoritarisme inutile, manifesté publiquement en septembre dernier, constitue un dangereux précédent qui devrait être formellement rejeté.

D’un point de vue logistique, un patient n'a aucunement besoin de l’intervention de son médecin traitant pour avoir accès à l'euthanasie. Le gouvernement pourrait facilement mettre en place un système dans lequel le patient aurait accès par lui-même à des médecins certifiés et volontaires qui accepteraient de pratiquer des euthanasies. De cette façon, on ne foulerait pas aux pieds le jugement professionnel et la conscience des autres membres de la profession médicale.

Nous rejetons le concept que l'euthanasie constitue un quelconque soin de santé. Nous rejetons l'intimidation des médecins pour les forcer à référer leurs patients vers la mort. Et nous rejetons l'idée que la mort provoquée soit une solution à la détresse humaine.

Dr Catherine Ferrier - Le Collectif  des médecins contre l'euthanasie, (514) 623-5737

Dr Will Johnston - L'euthanasie Prevention Coalition - BC

Dr Margaret Cottle - L'euthanasie Prevention Coalition

Dr Marc Beauchamp - Vivre dans la dignité 

Alex Schadenberg

Directeur exécutif

L'euthanasie Prevention Coalition

(519) 851-1434

Euthanasia Symposium 2015

The Euthanasia Symposium 2015 is in Montreal at the Best Western - Ville Marie Hotel and Suites on October 31, 2015 from 9 am to 5 pm.

Book your room at the hotel for $119 single or $149 double by calling: 1-800-361-7791.

The Euthanasia Symposium 2015 is an event of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, the Physicians Alliance Against Euthanasia and the Living with Dignity.

Registration is only $50 and includes lunch and coffee breaks.

Margaret Somerville

Speakers include:

• Dr Margaret Somerville: She will be speaking from her new book: Bird on an ethical wire.
• Dr Margaret Cottle: Palliative care physician and Vice President of EPC.
• Dr Will Johnston: Family Physician, Chair of EPC - BC.
• Dr Patrick Vinay: Former Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal.
• Dr Catherine Ferrier: Geriatrician, President - Physicians Alliance Against Euthanasia.
• Amy Hasbrouck: Lawyer and Director of Toujours Vivant - Not Dead Yet Canada.
• Nic Steenhout: Former Director of Living with Dignity Québec.
• Albertos Polizogopoulos: Lawyer, who will be speaking on Physicians Conscience Rights.
• Alex Schadenberg: Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
• Hugh Scher: Legal Counsel - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
• Jen Romnes: Will be sharing her story (book) about caring for her mother.

Register by contacting the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition at: 1-877-439-3348 or info@epcc.ca

HOPE Ireland conference opposing euthanasia

On June 6th 2015 the inaugural Hope Ireland conference will take place in the RDS in Dublin. This free-to-attend conference will focus on how euthanasia laws are rooted in discrimination against disabled people of all ages and will highlight the terrible consequences of legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide in other countries.

Dr Kevin Fitzpatrick

Speaking in advance of the conference, Director of Hope Ireland Dr Kevin Fitzpatrick OBE said that the current law in Ireland protected vulnerable people and saved lives. ‘Those defences in law cover every citizen of Ireland and must be maintained, strengthened if possible, not overthrown.’

“We must look to the experience of other countries and states where we can see once euthanasia and/or assisted suicide is legalised those laws are very quickly extended to people who are not terminally ill at all, most often targeting vulnerable people. In Belgium one in twenty deaths are now deliberately caused. Euthanasia for children of any age is now legal. A Belgian government adviser stated publicly in 2013, their euthanasia law was drawn up specifically for disabled people who he believed were right to want to die. Now this includes considering euthanizing a man with bi-polar condition, and life-term prisoners who are fed up in jail.

Early this year Canada specifically legalised euthanasia even when the sole criterion was on the grounds of disability. Dr Fitzpatrick said that it was now impossible to deny euthanasia laws were rooted in discrimination against disabled people and were used to end the lives of people who were not terminally ill.

In the Netherlands some newborns are euthanised simply for being born with spina bifida and in 2013 42 people were euthanised even though they had mental health issues or a diagnosed psychiatric condition. In the US, Oregon is held up as a paragon but there too we shall show the terrible consequences of permitting third parties, doctors or not, to intervene in the end of any human life.”

“There are very good reasons why the disability rights movement is so opposed to such laws. We are the primary targets. In countries where laws enabling assisted suicide and euthanasia have been introduced, very quickly they are extended to end the lives of those who are not terminally ill, most of whom are, in fact, disabled people. The mere existence of such laws has become an invitation to see euthanasia as a form of ‘justifiable killing’.”

Dr Fitzpatrick said that most people who are offered the best end-of-life care turn away from their wish to die. This shows the vital importance of such care and support, and why it is essential that the current law needs to be protected supported and strengthened.

“In Ireland, as elsewhere, we should be proud of the hospice care movement, and our communities which offer such incredible support and proper end-of-life care. This is where end-of-life care truly prioritises dignity and respect while at the same time seeking to help people live as fully as possible. We must ensure that every possible health, social and human support is provided to those who need it. We perfectly understand why some people can fall into despair without that very best support. We think everyone should be striving to make the best end-of-life care available to every citizen of Ireland. The simple truth is: we can never legislate against mistakes, misguided help, exhaustion or financial pressures or even the cynicism that can enter every decision to end another human being’s life. But we must not allow that to happen and we certainly must not create the conditions in which it will happen more and more easily and routinely, by changing the law to permit it.”

Alex Schadenberg

The Hope Ireland Conference entitled ‘Saying No to euthanasia and assisted suicide” will take place on Sunday the 6th of June in the RDS conference hall from 9am – 4pm. Speakers at the conference will include:

Prof. Des O’Neill: Consultant Physician in geriatric medicine and Director of Centre for Ageing, Neuroscience and the Humanities, Dublin. (Keynote speaker)

Dr. Kevin Fitzpatrick: OBE Director of Hope Ireland, Director of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition International and a disabled activist.

William Binchy: Fellow Emeritus, Trinity College Dublin, Barrister at Law, former Commissioner, Irish Human Rights Commission, 2001- 2011

Alex Schadenberg : Executive Director and Chair of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition International. Other international speakers from Canada, France, Holland and Belgium.

Full details of the conference are available at www.hopeire.com.