Daily Archives: May 2, 2017

Brussels, Belgium, May 2, 2017 / 02:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Following a decision by the board of several Belgian Catholic psychiatric hospitals to start performing euthanasia, the religious brothers who operate the hospitals said the policy change is unacceptable and cannot be implemented.

We deplore this new vision, said Brother Ren Stockman, the superior general of the Brothers of Charity. Brother Stockman is himself a Belgian and a leading opponent of euthanasia. The Brothers of Charity in Belgium run 15 psychiatric hospitals with 5,000 patients. The board controlling their institutions has said it will now allow euthanasia in these hospitals.

Brother Stockman said he has informed the Belgian congregation that as general superior we cannot accept this decision, because it is going totally against our charism of the charity. He said the decision can not at all be justified in a Christian framework. It is a real tragedy, he told the Australian-based website MercatorNet in an interview published April 28.

The Belgian Brothers of Charity board announced the decision on its website. We take seriously unbearable and hopeless suffering and patients request for euthanasia, the board said. On the other hand, we do want to protect lives and ensure that euthanasia is performed only if there is no more possibility to provide a reasonable perspective to treat the patient.

Brother Stockman said only a few brothers are still involved on the board governing the Belgian facilities. The majority of the members are lay people. Yes, there was a lot of pressure, but pressure doesnt mean that we have to capitulate, he said, charging that secularization is poisoning the congregation in Belgium.

Raf De Ryce, chairman of the board overseeing the institutions, contended that the new policy was not a major change, the bioethics site BioEdge reports, citing Belgian newspapers. It is not that we used to be against euthanasia and now suddenly are for it. This is consistent with our existing criteria, he said. We are making both possible routes for our patients: both a pro-life perspective and euthanasia.

De Ryce said the inviolability of life is an important foundation but for the board it is not an absolute. This is where we are on a different wavelength from Rome, he said. Brother Stockman, however, said the decision of the Belgian organization has had a big impact. It has drawn praise from backers of legal euthanasia. All those who were against us are now singing that finally the group of the Brothers of Charity capitulated and came into their camp, he said.

The Catholic hospitals previous policy was clear about opposition to euthanasia.

When someone asked for euthanasia, the question was taken seriously; everything was done to help the patient to change his vision of things, Brother Stockman said. If the situation remained unchanged, the patient was transferred. This transfer was done with respect, but always convinced that a signal was given to society that inside our institutes no euthanasia was possible, he said. This was very important.

The Brothers of Charitys general congregation has informed the Belgian bishops conference and the apostolic nuncio to Belgium about the matter. Brother Stockman said he is in contact with the bishops conference president Cardinal Jozef De Kesel.

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Religious brothers push back on euthanasia directive for Catholic hospitals - The Tidings

Catholic World News

May 01, 2017

Belgian psychiatric hospitals run by the Brothers of Charity will now allow doctors to euthanasize patients.

The Brothers of Charity, whose hospitals care for about 5,000 patients in Belgium, announced that we respect the freedom of doctors to decide whether or not to perform euthanasia and freedom of other caregivers to choose whether or not to participate. The board of the hospitals issued a statement saying that we take extreme caution on requests of patients for euthanasia, but also take the unbearable and hopeless suffering seriously as well.

Brother Ren Stockman, the international leader of the Brothers of Charity (and, ironically, a Belgian), said from Rome that the decision of the Belgian institutions was at odds with the policy of the order. We deplore this new vision, he said.

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Belgian Catholic hospitals to offer euthanasia : News Headlines ... - Catholic Culture

A Belgian Paralympic champion wheelchair racer and sometimes euthanasia campaigner expressed her delight at making her dream Japan visit a reality.

Marieke Vervoort said in a recent interview in Tokyo she wanted to come to Japan ever since she started learning jujitsu when she was in her teens.

Despite suffering from a degenerative spinal disease that makes travel difficult, the 37-year-old Vervoort said she is currently in good health. However, with her future uncertain she wants to experience as much as she can, while she still can.

Vervoort has penned an autobiography and she is also planning to open a museum where she will display her race wheelchairs, race records and other paraphernalia, she said.

She has won four Olympic medals, including gold in the London 2012 T52 wheelchair category 100 meters and silver in the 200 meters.

Using a profile built through her exploits in Paralympic sports, Vervoort began a serious conversation on the topic of euthanasia at the Rio Paralympics when she revealed she had signed paperwork to allow a doctor to end her life.

After winning silver and bronze medals in Rio and then announcing her retirement, she made worldwide headlines when reports emerged that she would begin proceedings to end her life soon after, something she immediately quashed.

But she did not shy away from the topic, using the platform to provide perspective.

Speaking in Tokyo, she said she signed the euthanasia papers to give herself the option to end her own life, something that has provided her with peace of mind.

Without those papers, I think I would be depressed because you live in that (limbo), unsure about whats going to happen next, she said. I dont want to quit (life) now, but with (euthanasia) papers I have it in my own hands. Its enough, I can say now is the moment, thats truly important.

Diagnosed as a teenager with a progressive spinal condition that resulted in paraplegia, she signed euthanasia documents in 2008 in Belgium the second country in the world to permit euthanasia by law.

The message I want to give to every country is that euthanasia is not murder it gives people a kind of a feeling of (peace) in mind because they know when its too hard, they have a way out and its going to be very softly. You choose your people to be with and its going very softly, you can say goodbye.

Although she will not compete in the Tokyo Paralympics, her experience gives her a unique perspective on the citys level of preparedness for the games, and it is not a five-star review for the 2020 host.

I think everywhere is the same, the same problem, said Vervoort about the challenge stairs provide to wheelchair access. Here its really extreme. I couldnt even go (into) one shop because it was made with two steps (up). When you are just alone standing over there, you cant get in.

Despite the challenges of travel around Japan, Vervoort is not going to let it slow her down. Her two-week trip was scheduled to include a meeting with fellow Rio Paralympian Yuka Kiyama in Hiroshima and visits to tourist spots in Kyoto, Osaka and the hot springs resort of Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture.

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Getting the most out of life, Paralympian and euthanasia advocate fulfills Japan travel dream - The Japan Times

NewsBusters (blog)

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Lifetime's Euthanasia Drama Has 15-Year-Old Boy Beg for Sick ... - NewsBusters (blog)

Faribault Police Chief Andy Bohlen says he has been inundated with positive and negative feedback from people with opinions on how the city should handle its roaming cat population.

After Tuesday nights meeting, however, he walked away from Faribault Council Chambers with a plan, more offers to help and the councils support.

The city began looking through the citys perceived feral cat problem last year when Zulema Delgado, the manager of Evergreen Estates in Faribault, brought the problem before the City Council, asking the city for a solution to the large number of roaming cats in her community.

After some discussion, city staff prepared a plan to address the issue, nimbly avoiding the problem that the city cannot, per its own ordinance, re-release a cat into an area from which it was removed.

Last week, the Faribault City Council was peppered with concerns about the plan to euthanize cats that cannot find a home, even though the Minnesota Humane Society stepped in at the last minute with an offer to help fund a trap, neuter and release (TNR) program.

On Tuesday night, Bohlen told the crowd his revised plan, which aims to work with local partners to reduce the number of cats that would need be euthanized, all of which could be funded without the Humane Societys help, although he indicated the city still plans to work with that entity.

Helping with Bohlens new plan are some local rescues and sanctuaries like Rescue 55021 and Furball Farms in Faribault.

If anything, the last two weeks have shown that there are a lot of people who are willing to take a large number of these animals, said Bohlen.

One of those people is Julie Marvets, the owner of Furball Farms, a sanctuary on a farm southeast of Faribaults downtown.

Marvets, who bought the farm in October after she and her husband started Carbones Pizza and Sports Bar in Faribault last year, has a number of buildings on her farm that she plans to turn into a sanctuary. In fact, Furball Farms is already functioning, with cats living in a converted garage with an attached catio, or an enclosed outdoor space.

Furball Farms has offered to take some cats in, although right now, Marvets does not know if her property is ready for the large numbers that could come her way. Plans to ready her property are in the works, she told the Daily News.

Marvets said she has already been receiving calls from people who want to drop off their cat. This, she said, she cannot do, as each cat she accepts must go through the Humane Society, or another entity that will clear the cat through the veterinary process.

According to Bohlens plan, through the Faribault Veterinary Clinic, the city will undergo that clearing process. After that, they will be posted on social media and the Police Departments website for adoption. The others will hopefully be sent to places like Furball Farms, he said.

The program would be a year-round, Monday through Friday endeavor that officials hope will get some cats off the street. As Bohlen indicated, however, the problem will never go away.

We are not going to ever rid the city of stray cats, said Bohlen. But it will be a manageable issue and it will reduce the cats that are roaming in our neighborhoods.

While TNR is not an option due to the city's ordinance, Mayor Kevin Voracek amended TNR to mean trap, neuter and relocate, instead of release.

In addition, the city is staying open minded about groups like the Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program, or MN SNAP, which provides TNR services to various communities. Bohlen said a date in July has been proposed to work with MN SNAP, though he cautioned the city regarding the cost.

If the Humane Society is willing to work with MN SNAP to come and pay for that, wonderful, he said. Im certainly willing to do that. I dont know if we want to incur spay, neuter costs to the city. I dont think the city should take that on.

Teresa Fuld, of Rescue 55021, took the microphone during the citizen comment period to offer her help providing microchipping to Faribaults cats, which she indicated would reconnect cats with their families.

We are willing to step up in any way we can, she said.

Lori Christensen, who previously worked for Patricia Olson, a Faribault-born veterinarian who is on the forefront of feral cat issues nationwide, said she believes veterinarians would donate their time to set up a TNR clinic, only asking for compensation for equipment and materials.

A woman who identified herself as Mary said that she works for a Northfield veterinarian who could match the 40 cats that MN SNAP said it would handle in its Faribault stop in July.

Marvets, who was at Tuesdays meeting, also took the mic and offered help, taking the time to thank the council for taking on the problem and not opting to euthanize the cats.

Those who offered to help added a plea for the city to begin educating the public about neutering its animals.

Besides the public service announcement (proposed in Bohlens plan), run an educational piece to inform people, said Christensen. Include the facts about how many kittens are produced over time. Put something in on a regular basis to educate people on how important it is.

Others agreed, and some councilors indicated something had to be done. Councilor Steve Underdahl was one of those agreeing councilors, but he did not see it as the citys role.

Thats not the citys responsibility to do that, he said, asking for a collaboration between the city and the rescues and animal organizations like the Humane Society. These groups should be doing that.

However, Underdahl praised the plan that had unanimous council support.

I like the plan Chief Bohlen has put forward to us here, he said. It certainly is rooted in every effort to not euthanize. It does reduce the number of cats in the areas, which is really why this came before us.

With the cat organizations leaning on the city, asking staff and councilors not euthanize the citys roaming cat population, the city is now leaning back, asking the groups for their help.

Gunnar Olson covers city government, public safety and business for the Faribault Daily News. Reach him at (507) 333-3128, at golson@faribault.com, or follow him on Twitter @fdnGunnar.

Continued here:

Plan reducing euthanasia, using community partners has Faribault council support - Southernminn.com

Gallery: County shelter aims to drop euthanasia rates 2015-16 euthanasia rates

Walker County: 48.8 percent of 5,291

Catoosa County: 38 percent of 2,775

Gordon County: 14.5 percent of 4,648*

Murray County: 46.4 percent of 5,963*

Whitfield County: 47.7 percent of 4,776

* Includes first four months of 2017

Source: Animal shelters of Catoosa, Murray, Gordon and Walker counties; Target Zero

Spaying and neutering

Families wanting to spay or neuter their cats and dogs can drop them off Monday mornings at the Walker County Agricultural Center, located behind the Civic Center at 10052 U.S. 27, Rock Spring, Ga.

Spaying is $65 for dogs and $53 for cats. Neutering is $60 and $45, respectively. You can schedule the surgery through Wallys Friends at 423-877-9966.

CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. Amorous animals have gone too wild.

With an overpopulation of dogs and cats, the Walker County Animal Shelter hopes to curb the baby-making this year. Because while county officials love puppies and kittens, they say, too much of a good, tiny, fuzzy thing can cause unexpected problems.

An overabundance of dogs and cats is hard to keep healthy in the community. And by the time they get to the shelter, Director Alison Smith said, workers can't help them. As a result, over the last two years, the shelter has euthanized about half the dogs and cats in their building.

To curb the problem, shelter workers met with consultants from Target Zero, a national nonprofit aimed at lowering shelters' kill rates to 10 percent. The consultants, who are also working with Whitfield and Murray counties, recently shared their assessment of the shelter on North Marble Top Road.

The key suggestions? Promote adoptions, move animals out of the shelter faster and prevent as much mating as they can.

"It's an ambitious goal to be Target Zero," Smith said. "I see where our numbers are now. But despite the fact that we have limited funding, despite the fact that some animals have greater needs than just a dog you can't keep anymore because you're moving or having a baby, I believe it can happen. I have dreamed of this for far too long."

When he took office Jan. 1, Commissioner Shannon Whitfield came in with promises to reign in overspending the county's debt jumped in Bebe Heiskell's last years with a $15 million bond and an $8 million bill from Erlanger Health System. But to lower the shelter's euthanasia rate, Whitfield may have to boost its funding for the fiscal year that starts in October.

Target Zero consultants recommend shelter workers more aggressively spay and neuter the dogs and cats they encounter. For now, Smith said, the shelter will charge an extra fee for adoptions and pets will be spayed or neutered before the new owners pick them up.

This is a change from prior policy, where adopters signed a paper promising to spay or neuter their animal within 30 days and provide proof after the surgery.

"I have a stack of unresolved contracts," she said Friday. "And when we call to the number given to us sorry, there's nobody there. The phone doesn't work."

The county is also resuming a partnership with Wally's Friends to spay and neuter local animals. Every Monday morning, people can drop off their dogs and cats at the county's agricultural center off U.S. Highway 27 in Rock Spring.

Target Zero recommends the county pay for spaying and neutering all animals leaving the shelter. County spokesman Joe Legge declined to say how much money would be put into the budget, but he said the county is looking at grants, in which advocacy groups would donate money if Whitfield set some aside for the shelter.

"You talk about unknown surprises coming in as commissioner: This is one of them," Whitfield said of the high kill rate during a Chamber of Commerce luncheon last week. "I knew we had a shelter. I knew we had a euthanasia program; you just about have to. But this was a tragedy to me."

The People for Ethical Treatment of Animals group has criticized no-kill shelters, saying they emphasize numbers instead of some animals' health. Sometimes, PETA representatives argue, sick animals need to be put down. Plus, no-kill shelters can become too crowded, a hazard for all the animals.

Target Zero consultants believe a shelter reasonably can try to pull its euthanasia rates down to 10 percent, though. And one of the keys is taking in fewer animals. For example, they encourage moving animals to rescue centers after three days. And they recommend not holding feral cats for long at all instead, they should sterilize and vaccinate them, then release them back in the area where they were found.

Smith said that idea won't work because Georgia Department of Agriculture rules say she can't put those cats back in the wild.

But she hopes to follow through on another recommendation: Getting some decent technology in the shelter.

Legge said the internet signal is weak out there, and Smith's computer needs a new operating system. If the county can fix those problems, Smith can buy software to input data on every pet that comes in.

Right now, shelter workers have to track animal trends on paper. If they log it into the system, they can see where the animals are coming from and how long they've stayed at the shelter. Plus, they can automatically upload the animals' information and pictures onto adoption websites, encouraging more people to buy a dog or cat.

"It's like looking at 'Car Finder' or 'Busted,'" Smith said. "You see pictures. You get excited."

She added that most of the recommendations are ideas she pushed for in 2006, when she let the LaFayette Animal Clinic run the shelter. For years, she said, funding wasn't streaming in, and she eventually grew weary.

"Every day was a fight," she said. "I was tired of killing animals."

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.

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Walker County shelter aims to drop euthanasia rates [photos ... - Chattanooga Times Free Press