The Latest ITF Update:

• Pending lawsuits in MT and CT
• Assisted-suicide bills in NH and PA
• Washington death toll mounts
• Canada debates euthanasia and assisted suicide
• UK's emerging death culture
• More... View 11/09 Issue

Contents

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 Watch Rita Marker, director
of the ITF, on Fox News.
Aired: February 27, 2009

   

Recent Developments...

Health Care Reform -- on the back burner, but still pending.

"Martin Amis in new row over 'euthanasia booths'"
( The Guardian - - January 24, 2010 )
British author says a "silver tsunami" of increasingly aging people puts pressure on society. Stating there will be a population of demented very old people, "stinking out the restaurants and cafes and shops," Martin Amis calls for euthanasia booths on every corner. More

"NH House defeats assisted suicide bill"
On  Wednesday, January 13, 2010, the New Hampshire House defeated H.B. 304 by a vote of 242-113.  More

"Montana to Permit Assisted Suicide"
( Philadelphia Bulletin - January 12, 2010 )
Montana's highest court ruled on Dec. 31 that physicians who help terminally ill patients commit suicide cannot be prosecuted, thus making it the third state in the U.S. to allow the practice. More

Montana Supreme Court:  Doctors can prescribe drugs for assisted suicide.   Rights granted under the state's living will law, "The Rights of the Terminally Ill Act," are the basis for permitting physician "aid in dying."  (December 31, 2009)
Text of opinion.

Connecticut court asked to redefine "suicide"
Blick v. CT centers on persuading the court that assisted suicide is not assisted suicide when it involves a physician and a patient who is dying. Assisted-suicide advocates argue that such a death should be considered "aid-in-dying" and claim that "'aid-in-dying' is a recognized term of medical art." The Complaint asks the court to find that an assisted-suicide death "does not constitute 'suicide'" within the meaning of the law.

The Connecticut Attorney's office has filed a Motion to Dismiss the Complaint and a Memorandum in Support of the Motion to Dismiss.

Every assisted-suicide bill that has been introduced in the United States this year is modeled on Oregon's "Death with Dignity Act." Proponents claim assisted suicide is working well in that state, but facts about Oregon's law indicate their claim is false.

News and Views...

"Dial 911 for Suicide Assistance?"
( American Thinker - WA, USA - September 28, 2009 )
If a suicidal cancer patient calls 911 in Washington State, will she be provided with all "end-of-life options," including a referral to the assisted-suicide advocacy group, Compassion & Choices? More

"Talking Seniors to Death"
( American Thinker - September 6, 2009 )
Seniors will have less money to spend next year but they may not have to live on such meager funds for long. The government is going to help them plan how they want to die....Section 1233 of the current House bill (HR 3200) didn't just show up on the doorstep of health care reform, but was packaged and delivered by Compassion & Choices, the assisted-suicide advocacy group previously known as the Hemlock Society. More

"Sentenced to death on the NHS"
( The Daily Telegraph - London, UK - September 2, 2009 )
Patients with terminal illnesses are being made to die prematurely under an NHS scheme to help end their lives, leading doctors warn today. More

More News Articles

Important...

"Public health, populations and lethal ingestion" 
( Disability and Health Journal - - January , 2010 )
Public health should address institutionalized violations of data integrity and patient vulnerabilities, while rescinding policy supporting the institutionalization of lethal means. More

"Assisted suicide laws create discriminatory double standard" 
( Disability and Health Journal - January , 2010 )
Double standard for who gets suicide prevention and who gets suicide assistance. More

"No, we don't think our doctors are out to get us" 
( Disability and Health Journal - January , 2010 )
Responding to the straw man distortions of disability rights arguments against assisted suicide. More

"Killing us softly" 
( Disability and Health Journal - January, 2010 )
Impact of legalized assisted suicide on people with disabilities and the broader public. More

"Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon: A Medical Perspective" 
( Michigan Law Review, Vol. 106 - June 8, 2008 )
While previous articles have examined assisted suicide from legal and ethical perspectives, this article examines the Oregon law from a medical perspective. More

"Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide & Health Care Decisions: Protecting Yourself & Your Family."

    • Table of Contents
    • Part 1: Detailed and extensively documented report about
     the latest in attempts to legalize assisted suicide and
     euthanasia, along with tips for addressing these topics.
    • Part 2: Facts and practical information about advance
     directives including the difference between the Living Will
     and the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.

Popular Site Areas

•  Assisted Suicide Laws
•  About the International Task Force
•  Detailed Site Index
•  Frequently Asked Questions
•  Do You Need an Advance Directive?
•  Euthanasia in Holland
•  "Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide & Health Care Decisions"
•  International Task Force Update
•  Assisted Suicide in Oregon
•  Facts about "Artificial Feeding"
•  "Assisted Suicide: The Continuing Debate"
•  "Assisted Suicide & Death with Dignity: Past Present & Future"

 

   

Euthanasia: False Light
 

A look at euthanasia and assisted suicide through the eyes of five people -- three patients, a doctor, and a hospice nurse, all of whom speak from their hearts, not from a script. 15 Minutes View

 

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