An 85 year old woman living on Bowen Island, British Columbia, killed herself with a drug overdose in the presence of her husband because she had developing dementia. She planned to make her death a political statement in favour of the legalization of assisted suicide, writing an extensive blog article explaining her decision and sending a letter to the editor of the Vancouver Sun for posthumous publication. Symptoms of dementia were reportedly progressing and she decided to kill herself before the condition became too advanced. [Vancouver Sun]
Category: Procedures & Services
Increasing resistance to assisted suicide among U.K. physicians
Daily Mail
Fewer than one in five doctors would be willing to help patients end their lives, according to a new poll. . . . a survey of 600 doctors by the Medix consultancy found that 60 % are against a change in the law to allow physician-assisted suicide.
This is a rise of 17 points from the last time the same question was asked – just 43% were against a change in 2004 . . . [See full text at Most doctors oppose assisted dying.]
Baby delivered at 25 weeks gestation in Ireland to avoid death by abortion
News reports indicate that an immigrant woman whom a friend says was raped in her country of origin discovered that she was pregnant after arriving in Ireland. The friend says that she asked for an abortion when she was eight weeks pregnant, but it is not clear that she was then eligible for the procedure under the new Irish abortion law. According to the reports, she again asked for an abortion in July, threatening suicide, and was found to be suicidal by a panel of two psychiatrists and an obstetrician.
The Irish Constitution and the Irish abortion law hold that the lives of both woman and child are of equal value, and both must be saved if practicable. Since the pregnancy was so far advanced, it was decided that the baby should be delivered by Caesarean section, since that would provide the baby an opportunity to survive. The woman initially refused and refused to take food or fluids. After medical authorities obtained a court order to rehydrate her she consented to the Caesarean and the baby was delivered at about 25 weeks gestation. The baby is now apparently in the custody of the state and being supported in a neonatal ward, while the mother is receiving psychiatric treatment.
The case has reignited the abortion controversy in Ireland.
- Why all eyes should be on the baby who survived our abortion laws
- Minister says abortion legislation will be ‘monitored’
- Woman denied abortion in Ireland ‘became pregnant after rape’
- Ireland: Woman forced to give birth by caesarean after being denied abortion
- Pregnant women face abortion ban in Ireland even if they’re a suicide risk
Canadian Medical Association Board of Directors confirms new assisted suicide, euthanasia policy
Two days after it was passed at an Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Medical Association, the CMA Board of Directors approved the following motion:
6. The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) supports the right of all physicians, within the bounds of existing legislation, to follow their conscience when deciding whether to provide medical aid in dying as defined in CMA’s policy on euthanasia and assisted suicide. (DM 5-6) (Confirmed by the Board of Directors on Aug. 21, 2014) [Source]
Richard Dawkins: ‘Immoral’ not to abort Down’s foetuses
BBC News
The Oxford professor posted the message on Twitter in response to a user who wrote she would be faced with “a real ethical dilemma” if she became pregnant and learned that the baby would be born with Down’s syndrome.
“Abort it and try again,” Dawkins tweeted in reply. “It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice.”
His comments have caused anger online and have been dismissed by charities, but he insists his views are “very civilised”, tweeting: “These are fetuses, diagnosed before they have human feelings.” . . . [Full Text]