Newsletter, September 2017

Physicians’ Alliance against Euthanasia

Newsletter, September 2017
Improve care. Make Euthanasia unimaginable.

 

Dear friends,

Healing is a miracle of nature. Just as the germination of a seed is such a miracle. But these miracles require a supportive environment in which to accomplish themselves. The seed needs soil and water, warmth and light. Healing requires protection of the fragile flame of life. Manipulation of chemical balance. Artificial delivery of food and oxygen. Replication of the function of whole organ systems.

Sometimes healing is complete; a crisis is past and no further support is required. Frequently, however, survival will never again be possible without some degree of purposefully modified environment… (continue reading editorial comment)

Sincerely,

Catherine Ferrier
President


 

Doctors’ voices

  • Dr. Nancy Craig responds in the CMAJ on August 29 to euthanasia enthusiasts’ reference to the “staggering” gratitude of euthanized patients and their families and patients.
  • Dr Catherine Ferrier reacts on September 27 against the notion that it better to die than to be placed in a nursing home (CHSLD):

 

In the news

 

From the trenches

What’s the prognosis, doc? Dr. Roger Ladouceur reflects in the Canadian Family Physician on how poor we often are at predicting a patient’s prognosis, a serious problem now that we have a law in which euthanasia is permitted for those expected to die soon.

According to a survey of 306 family caregivers of people with Alzheimer disease, 91% are in favour of euthanasia by advance request.

Excellent commentary by Mathieu Bock-Côté.

Heated discussion in France about euthanasia in cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), after the public statement of a writer diagnosed with the disease. The Association pour la recherche sur la SLA firmly opposes it.

Does death have a meaning? Interview with Yale bioethics professor Lydia S. Dugdale:

Elder abuse – a real and present danger:

How the media promotes (some) suicides:

If you have experiences related to our work that you would like to share with your colleagues, please send it to info@collectifmedecins.org.

 

Resources

Cambridge University Press, Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Lessons from Belgium. Jones DA, Gastmans C and MacKellar C, editors.

 

Events

 

In the literature

BMC Psychiatry, June 23, 2017: Euthanasia for people with psychiatric disorders or dementia in Belgium: analysis of officially reported cases.

British Medical Bulletin, July 13, 2017. Physician-assisted suicide – a clean bill of health? Examined annual reports of the Oregon Health Authority and published research papers. Found that not all recipients of lethal drugs use them to end their lives and that there were improvements in palliative care provision. However, also observed “rising numbers of deaths from PAS. Emergence of ‘doctor shopping’ and multiple-prescribing. No oversight when prescribed drugs are ingested. Recent pressures to extend Oregon’s PAS law.”

Journal of Oncology Practice, August 29, 2017. Reasons to Reject Physician Assisted Suicide/Physician Aid in Dying“This editorial distills the arguments against PAS/PAD and the adverse implications it has for oncology professionals and persons with advanced terminal cancer.

Healthcare Quarterly, July 2017. The Delivery of Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Ontario“Most Ontarians received limited palliative and end-of-life care in the community, despite prior findings that many older adults with a terminal illness want to spend their last days at home. Overall, fewer than 1 in 5 received palliative home care and fewer than 1 in 10 received a palliative physician home visit in their last year of life.”

If you come across articles that could be of interest to colleagues in the Alliance please send the reference to info@collectifmedecins.org.

 


 

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