Author Archives: admin

Motorists heading north on I-77 into Cleveland have noticed a head-turning billboard that asks, “Irreversible illness?” and “Unbearable suffering?” followed by the suggestion to contact the Final Exit Network. WKYC Television “Cleveland: ‘Die with Dignity’ billboard sparks controversy February 9, … Continue reading →

A Hawaii legislative panel on Monday unanimously voted down a bill that would have legalized physician-assisted suicide. Kevin Inouye who spoke in opposition to the bill from his wheelchair wore a yellow sticker saying, “No doctor prescribed death.” CNBC “Hawaii … Continue reading →

After citing numerous examples of loved ones who outlived a doctor’s terminal diagnosis or of their own victory over suicidal depression, opponents of a proposal to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Hawaii applauded as a Senate committee defeated the measure last … Continue reading →

Responding to a commentary about health care rationing, Nussbaum writes,”Dale repeatedly belittles the high quality of our health care system….I suspect the tens of thousands of survivors who are now five-plus years free of breast cancer, lymphoma or childhood leukemia … Continue reading →

Many medical examiners and coroners have stopped doing autopsies on people over the age of 60 unless it’s an obvious violent death. In Oklahoma, the age is 40. An investigation found that there is a trend to assume that the … Continue reading →

The issues of assisted suicide and palliative care in Canada should be discussed in the context of human rights according to a commentary in the Canadian Medical Association Journal…”The equalization of palliative care must occur before legalization of assisted suicide, … Continue reading →

Ohio is set to become the first state to execute condemned inmates with a surgical sedative sometimes used in assisted suicides….The drug has been used in 200 of the 525 assisted suicides in Oregon since 1998, according to data compiled … Continue reading →

Minnesota pathologist Virginia Dale writes, “The new health care law may be a fine first step, and it is high time we took a first step. But we continue to ignore the elephant in the room. We should ration health … Continue reading →

The European Court of Human Rights has unanimously held that there was no violation of the right to respect private life when a Swiss national was denied the right to obtain a lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital for use in … Continue reading →

In 1997, Harry Kiernan was tried for assisted suicide after taking his wife who had multiple sclerosis to Michigan’s Jack Kevorkian. In September 2010, Bruce Brodigan was charged with assisting the suicide of his father who had Alzheimer’s disease. Assisting … Continue reading →

Baroness Mary Warnock has warned that the UK law on assisted suicide could lead to the worst possible “botched death.” After testifying that current guidelines are “particularly bad,” she argued that “the complex procedure of mercy killing should only be … Continue reading →

Author Martin Amis, who caused an outcry last year when he called for euthanasia booths says euthanasia is nothing less than “an evolutionary inevitability”. According to Amis, “We are living too long.” Claiming that public opinion is on his side, … Continue reading →

“MT State Senator Anders Blewett (D-Great Falls) introduced a bill on Wednesday in the Montana Legislature which would allow terminally ill patients to choose aid in dying.” [Aid in dying is the label of choice for those who favor doctor-prescribed … Continue reading →

Supporters of an Oregon-style assisted suicide law have reason to believe they could win passage for a similar bill in VT. “Unlike in past years, when it failed to take hold in Vermont, ‘death with dignity’ now has an important … Continue reading →

“Like many parents in their situation, they were devastated to learn their child would grow up with a disability. But unlike most parents, this couple raised the possibility of euthanasia….The father later said that the toddler was ‘dragging us down’ … Continue reading →

Even as House Republicans vow to repeal the health care law, government advisers are preparing this week to wade into one of the most contentious questions the legislation raises. What benefits must insurers cover? The answer will affect tens of … Continue reading →

The Wisconsin Medical Association is proposing that, as the state prepares to plug a $1.3 billion Medicaid hole, it should look beyond cutting enrollment, payments and entire benefit programs to another option: rationing care, as Oregon does…Physician-assisted suicide, which because … Continue reading →

Vermont’s legislative biennium beginning this week presents myriad opportunities for Democratic policy gains as Gov-elect Peter Shumlin takes office and both chambers maintain strong Democratic majorities. Supporters of a physician-assisted suicide bill believe such a law can pass under Shumlin’s … Continue reading →

Vermont’s legislative biennium beginning this week presents myriad opportunities for Democratic policy gains as Gov-elect Peter Shumlin takes office and both chambers maintain strong Democratic majorities. Supporters of a physician-assisted suicide bill believe such a law can pass under Shumlin’s … Continue reading →

“As a physician, I can tell you that we doctors do routinely have end-of-life discussions with our patients.But we do it when it is appropriate and indicated by the clinical situation.,, The whole idea [of required end-of-life counseling] is to … Continue reading →

Once again, Portland Congressman Earl Blumenauer is on the losing end of his fight to get Medicare to allow doctors to be paid for doing advance planning on end-of-life care….Blumenauer said he understands the administration’s reluctance to engage in a … Continue reading →

The Obama administration will revise a Medicare regulation on end-of-life planning. This reversal takes place only days after the new policy took place on Jan. 1. “We will amend the regulation to take out voluntary advance care planning,” explained an … Continue reading →

A regional criminal court in Boudry, canton Neuchatel, ruled that a doctor had no choice when she took the final step to end the life of a terminally ill patient….The court ruled that as there was no doubt about the … Continue reading →

Medicaid budget limits lead to what some call “death panels.” Medicaid is a single payer system in which budgets are limited. When the money runs out, people’s options shrink. Government can get away with treatment restrictions that would never be … Continue reading →

The assisted-suicide advocacy group, Final Exit Network, has erected a billboard in Pittsburgh, PA that says, “Die with Dignity — the Final Human Right.” The organization — which provides “exit guides” to be with suicidal individuals when they take their … Continue reading →