Luxembourg reports 71 euthanasia deaths in 10 years. The euthanasia lobby want more death.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

RTL News reported that Luxembourg has had 71 euthanasia deaths in the past 10 years, but the euthanasia lobby want more.

According to RTL news, a recent survey found that only 40% of the people in Luxembourg know that euthanasia is legal. The response by the euthanaia lobby is to promote more euthanasia.

The legalization of euthanasia in Luxembourg resulted in a constitutional crisis. Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg refused to sign the bill into law forcing the Duchy of Luxembourg to change its constitution by removing the power of the Grand Duke to sign legislation before it becomes the law of the land.

Grand Duke Henri

Grand Duke Henri argued that the legalization of euthanasia was unnecessary because the fear of suffering for people with terminal conditions can be effectively treated by palliative care. He further argued that it was unjust to legalize the practise of killing people and that his conscience could not permit him to sign such a bill into law.

Grand Duke Henri was a Hero. Very few world leaders have had the strength to stand up for justice and oppose euthanasia. Even though the Grand Duke could not stop the legalisation of euthanasia, he forced the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies to change the constitution before it could enact into law the direct and intentional killing of its most vulnerable citizens by euthanasia.

Luxembourg euthanasia report.

By Alex Schadenberg
International Chair - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Luxembourg euthanasia commission has released its semi-annual report stating that 15 people died by euthanasia in 2013 - 2014, which was a slight increase from 14 people who died by euthanasia in 2011 - 2012.

Luxembourg is a small European country, with a population of 537,000 and approximately 3850 people deaths each year.

The media article states that no abuse of the euthanasia law occurred but the system of reporting euthanasia deaths, in Luxembourg, is not designed to uncover abuse.

In Luxembourg euthanasia reports are sent to the commission by the doctor who lethally injected the person, after the person has died. Since doctors are unlikely to self-report abuse of the law, therefore it is impossible to determine whether or not abuse has occurred.

A recent death study from the Flanders region of Belgium was published in the NEJM on March 19, 2015 found that 1.7% of all deaths in 2013 were intentionally hastened without explicit request and almost half of the assisted deaths were unreported in 2013. A similar study from 2007 found that 1.8% of all deaths were hastened without explicit request and almost half of the assisted deaths went unreported.

The Belgian death study was done by sending questionnaires to the doctors who certified the death certificates in 6188 deaths in the first half of 2013. The researchers received 3751 responses. Since the researchers are third-party researchers who investigated all deaths, they were able to uncover abuse of the Belgian euthanasia law.

In 2008, Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg refused to sign the euthanasia bill into law. The Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies reacted by removing his constitutional power.

• Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is a hero.
• More than 1000 Belgian deaths were hastened without explicit request in 2013.

Luxembourg palliative care guidelines promote euthanasia

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The recent legalization of euthanasia in Luxembourg has already resulted in a change to the role of palliative care in the tiny European nation.

Under the title: New Guide for Palliative care in Luxembourg, the information states:

A booklet has just been produced in Luxembourg explaining the new law that was passed on March 16th, relating to palliative care and end of life support, which is renowned from the law on euthanasia and assisted suicide. Information and documentation are being produced under the leadership of the National Commission on audit and evaluation set up to oversee the implementation of the law on euthanasia and assisted suicide of terminal or serious and incurable diseases.

The role of palliative care has been changed in the new guide to include: The provision of a substance to end life.

Grand Duke Henri

The legalization of euthanasia in Luxembourg resulted in a constitutional crisis because Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg refused to sign the bill into law forcing the Duchy of Luxembourg to change its constitution by removing the power of the Grand Duke to sign legislation before it becomes the law of the land.

Grand Duke Henri argued that the legalization of euthanasia was unnecessary because the fear of suffering for people with terminal conditions can be effectively treated by palliative care. He further argued that it was unjust to legalize the practise of killing people and that his conscience could not permit him to sign such a bill into law.

The newsreport went on to say that:

The aim of this "Guide to Palliative Care" is to explain the basic principles and key provisions of the law relating to palliative care, the advance directive and support purposes only. It also summarises the various possibilities that already exist or are under development.

To obtain the booklet or for more information, contact Omega 90 (Association luxembourgeoise de soins palliatifs et d‘accompagnement de personnes en fin de vie et en deuil)

138, rue Adolphe Fischer
L-1521 Luxembourg
Tel: 29 77 89-1
Email: omega90@pt.lu

Link to the news article: http://station.lu/newsDetails.cfm?id=23929

'Hero' unable to stop legalized killing

Charlie Butts from OneNewsHour called me the other day after I posted my blog comment on Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg who is our Hero for refusing to sign the legislation to legalize euthanasia in Luxembourg into law. In fact the Grand Duke was willing to give up his historical monarchial power in order to conscientiously object to the legalization of euthanasia in his tiny nation.

Since then I have received a plethora of emails from people wishing to thank the Grand Duke for his courage.

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition has decided to formally thank the Grand Duke for his fortitude and strength by sending him an official acknowledgment of his courage and by including with our official acknowledgement the comments by the many supporters who have sent us their comments.

Please send your comments thanking our Hero, the Grand Duke, for his fortitude and courage and his willingness to stand up against the direct and intentional killing of the most vulnerable by euthanasia.

You can do this by emailing the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition at: info@epcc.ca or mailing us at: Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, Box 25033, London Ontario Canada, N6C 6A8.

To link to the original blog comment about the Grand Duke Henri:

http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2009/03/grand-duke-henri-of-luxembourg-hero.html

The following is the text from OneNewsHour:

Luxembourg has become the third nation to legalize doctor-assisted suicide. While that isn't good news to pro-lifers, there is a pro-life hero in the story.

The vote on the bill was 30-26, but it was stalled for some time. Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition explains. "The fact is that they've now gone to extreme measures even to carry this out because the Grand Duke of Luxembourg originally refused to sign the bill into law," he says.

That forced Parliament to take drastic action to make it legal. "They went as far as to change their constitution in order to make sure that he didn't need to sign the bill into law for it to become law," says the pro-life activist.

Schadenberg believes Grand Duke Henri deserves recognition for standing his ground.

"I think the Grand Duke is a hero," Schadenberg shares. "And we've been thinking a lot about this and we've been discussing maybe we should be instituting a 'Grand Duke award' that would be awarded yearly to the person who has done their greatest effort to try and stop further promotion of euthanasia/assisted suicide on a worldwide basis."

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition provides information for people who want to send a communication directly to the Grand Duke for taking such a strong moral stand.

Link to the original article:
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=458380

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg - Hero

Grand Duke Henri

By Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg is a Hero. Very few world leaders have had the fortitude and personal strength to stand up for justice and oppose euthanasia. Even though the Grand Duke could not stop the legalisation of euthanasia in his nation, he did take a courageous stand by forcing the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies to change the constitution before it could enact into law the direct and intentional killing of its most vulnerable citizens by euthanasia.

In his December statement to the people of Luxembourg the Grand Duke said:

Nevertheless, in an issue dealing with life’s end, I made use of my right to freedom of conscience. To answer a fundamental question “en âme et conscience" basically means passing judgement on oneself. In this I sought only to stay true to myself.

The response that this brings is in no way a judgement on citizens who harbour a different opinion, on people who have other feelings or on those who have had other life experiences.

Above all I deeply sympathise with those who are facing the end of their lives and who are undergoing great suffering.

Nobody can accept this, especially since the means for avoiding it are indeed available.

For those who wish to congratulate Grand Duke Henri please write or email to the following contact address:
Maréchalat de la Cour - Palais grand-ducal
17, rue du Marché-aux-herbes, L-1728 Luxembourg
Adresse postale : B.P. 331 L-2013 Luxembourg
Service Communication : service.presse@gdl.etat.lu

You can link the the website for the Luxembourg Royal Family at:
http://www.monarchie.lu/fr/

To complain to Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg Minister of State
Adresse: 4, rue de la Congrégation, L - 1352 Luxembourg Europe
Adresse électronique: Ministere.Etat@me.etat.lu

On March 13, 2009, the tiny european nation of Luxembourg amended section 34 of its Constitution to remove the historical power of the monarch. According to the Luxembourg constitution, the Grand Duke was required to sign a bill before it became law.

On 2 December 2008 Grand Duke Henri announced that he would refuse to sign into law the act on euthanasia that had been voted on earlier in the year by the Chamber of Deputies. The vote to legalise euthanasia in Luxembourg passed by a (30 to 26) margin. After the final vote the signature of the Grand Duke would have been necessary to approve and enact the law. The Minister of State Jean-Claude Juncker decided to amend the Constitution, whereby the signature of the Monarch would no longer be necessary for a law to take effect. The Luxembourg royal house has tried to block a decision by parliament only once before, when the Grand Duchess Marie-Adelaide refused to sign an education bill in 1912. (With information from Wikipedia)

Link to the Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri,_Grand_Duke_of_Luxembourg
On March 17, 2009 the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies declared that the Euthanasia law had now passed making Luxembourg the third european nation to legalize euthanasia.

It is a very sad day for Luxembourg. The nation of Luxembourg has now approved the direct and intentional killing of its citizens at the most vulnerable time of their life. Whatever good intentions that may be related to the elimination of suffering, cannot justify the removal of the basic protection of a citizen to be free from lethal coercion, and the protection of life.

After many years of euthanasia in the Netherlands, it has now become very apparent that the euthanasia experiment is a failure. Children born with disabilities can be killed if the doctors and the family follow the Groningen Protocol. People with chronic depression can be killed and in the last government report in 2005 it stated that 550 people were killed by euthanasia without consent.

Now Luxembourg is following the path of the Netherlands. I lament the decision and I hope that other national leaders will have the fortitude, like the Grand Duke, to oppose the direct and intentional killing by euthanasia of their vulnerable citizens.

Link to the Luxembourg constitution:
http://www.legilux.public.lu/leg/textescoordonnes/recueils/constitution_droits_de_lhomme/CONST1.pdf