Category Archives: Euthanasia

An industry-wideshortage of the main drug used for euthanasia is forcing veterinarians to conserve supplies and consider using alternate methods to humanely end animals lives.

Pentobarbital, the active ingredient in the most commonly used euthanasia drugs for horses and small animals, has been in short supply since the beginning of the year. It was added to the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations list of animal drug shortages this month. The shortage was not reported widely at first; veterinarians around the country began to notice the issue as they tried to replace dwindling supplies, only to learn the drugs were backordered and largely unavailable.

None of us knew. I went to order a bottle; it was out of stock, said Jill McNicol, DVM, of Cool Springs Equine LLC in Leetonia, Ohio. She soon learned from her drug distributor representative that they, too, were scrambling to fill orders.

In response, organizations including the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners and the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy are urging veterinarians to conserve supplies by adhering strictly to dosage guidelines and have shared guidance on alternative euthanasia methods.

The AAEP is aware of the shortage and has published guidelines for preferred humane euthanasia methods that offer practitioners a number of alternatives, including gunshot, captive bolt or several other combinations of drugs, spokesperson Sally Baker said.

The AAEP joins the AVMA and other veterinary organizations in closely watching how the pentobarbital shortage may affect veterinary care, Baker said in an email. We are not at this time receiving phone calls from our members about this issue, and so right now practitioners appear to be managing the situation. The AAEPs euthanasia guidelines provide information to veterinarians about options other than pentobarbital for the humane euthanasia of horses.

Horse owners should recognize that those alternative methods, while they may involve a different process from pentobarbital euthanasia, are humane in a veterinarians trained hands.

I would encourage horse owners to bear with their veterinarian and be open to alternative methods that this shortage will inevitably necessitate, said Bonnie Kibbie, VMD, cVMA, cIVCA, of Balanced Care Equine in Unionville, Pennsylvania. The AAEPs guidelines for humane euthanasia and accepted methods are well-researched and designed to minimize animal suffering. Things like gunshot or captive bolt sound scary, especially compared to a simple injection, but when done correctly are instantaneous and do not cause suffering or pain.

While veterinarians hope the shortage will be resolved this summer, the FDAs Center for Veterinary Medicine said it is too soon to speculate on exactly when pentobarbital and pentobarbital combination drugs will be readily available again.

FDAs Center for Veterinary Medicine is aware of the issue and has reached out to sponsors/manufacturers of pentobarbital products to determine the extent of the shortage and possible avenues for resolution, spokesperson Anne Norris said in an email. Although we continue to evaluate the situation, it appears that various market factors are impacting the supply of finished product.All parties are working cooperatively with the FDA and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to address the availability of pentobarbital active pharmaceutical ingredient. This is an ongoing process, and until the agency learns more, it would be premature to speculate about when the shortage will be resolved.

Euthanasia solution is still being manufactured, she noted.

Until the supply chain is back to normal, however, veterinarians are taking extra steps to preserve their supplies.

To conserve euthanasia solution, a wise choice is to dial back how much is used, CAETA founder Kathleen Cooney advised in a recent blog post addressing the shortage. When euthanasia is warranted to end patient suffering, only using the recommended dose is called for.Many practitioners give a little extra to ensure death is complete, but its really not needed.

McNicol, who treats both small animals and horses, says she and her fellow veterinarians have been able to stretch supplies thus far by adhering strictly to AVMA guidelines, and they are getting new orders, albeit infrequently. Veterinarians are doing their best to ensure that the euthanasia process remains as smooth as possible for animals and their owners alike, she said.

From a veterinarians perspective, we deal with [medication shortages] often; its just usually not so impactful, McNicol said. The reason pentobarbital has been used so long is its worked so well.

Most of the alternative drug combinations that can be used in place of pentobarbital solution involve anesthetizing the animal first, which, particularly for small animals, changes the look, the time and potentially the cost of the process, all of which could be upsetting for the pet owner.

Be kind to your vet, she said. Ive put down a lot of animalsa lot of horses, a lot of small animals over the yearsand its still tough. When its harder on us, its harder on the client; when its harder on the client, its harder on us.

Link:

The Chronicle of the Horse - The Chronicle of the Horse

Photo credit: Piron Guillaume, via Unsplash.

In an essay in Slate in March 2020, Dahlia Lithwick bemoaned a legal strategy to protect women and unborn children from abortion. Her commentary was on the legal case of June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, decided by the Supreme Court, which ultimately rejected by a vote of 5 to 4 the constitutionality of a Louisiana law that required abortionists to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of their abortion clinic.

The legal issues raised are labyrinthine, although the principles are very straightforward. Louisiana required abortionists to be close enough to a hospital in which they had admitting privileges to protect the safety of the women undergoing abortion. Regulations of this nature are common for physicians performing dangerous procedures outside of a hospital setting and the rationale is quite obvious. Should a woman who was a victim of abortion suffer severe bleeding during the procedure, it is obviously vitally important that she be near a hospital and that the doctor involved in the procedure have privileges at that hospital to care for the complication caused. The law also had the effect of making it more difficult for abortionists to commit abortions in Louisiana which obviously protects unborn children who would otherwise be their victims.

Abortion proponents characteristically lobbied against the safety and welfare of women just as they of course lobby against the lives of the children who are aborted. Lithwick inadvertently gets to the heart of the issue:

Once again, womens reproductive freedom is more concerned with doctors than women. Following the briefing and oral arguments inJune Medical,the Louisiana case that calls into question the continued force ofPlanned Parenthood v. CaseyandWhole Womans Health,its now quite clear that the primary questions opponents of reproductive freedom are asking have nothing to do with maternal autonomy or decision-making, and everything to do with abortion providers and whether they are bad people and unfit doctors.

That abortionists are unfit doctors is self-evident. The practice of medicine by its very nature precludes the deliberate taking of innocent human life. Deliberate killing is never a medical procedure, and merely because a licensed physician commits it for profit in a legally sanctioned environment doesnt make abortion a bona fide medical treatment.

The medical profession should take a clear stand on this issue: doctors who deliberately kill whether by abortion or by physician-assisted suicide or by euthanasia are not practicing medicine when they kill. Medical practice always entails the maintenance of health, the treatment of disease, and the relief of suffering. Ending the life of a patient or of the child in his mothers womb is neither the maintenance of health nor treatment of a disease nor the alleviation of any suffering. It is simply the killing of an innocent unwanted child.

I am realistic, of course, and I realize that in our current political and moral environment the practice of abortion will continue to be sanctioned widely by the medical profession. Abortion is generally sanctioned in the U.S., physician-assisted suicide is gaining acceptance in many nations and is permitted in several states, and euthanasia has been accepted in many countries and undoubtably will eventually be accepted in the United States. Their acceptance as medical practice is a grave development and reflects shame on our culture and particularly shame on the medical profession.

If abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia are to be sanctioned in our rapidly degenerating culture, I plead with the medical profession to wash its hands of any kind of deliberate killing. If the American people insist upon abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia, doctors as healers should refuse to play any role.

Go here to see the original:

Are Abortion, Physician-Assisted Suicide, and Euthanasia Medical Practice? - Discovery Institute

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.

Sign up for afree trial to The Week magazineby Monday and youll get a free coffee table book, The Art of The Week, as well as your first six issuesfree. The Art of the Week contains more than 250 sketches and paintings by our cover artist Howard McWilliam, spanning more than 30 years of political coverage. Visit theweek.co.uk/offer and enter promo code HOLIDAY

In this weeks episode, we discuss:

A company which rents out clothes instead of selling them is experiencing a surge in demand as lockdown comes to an end. Is fashion about to undergo the sort of cultural shift as music, with people subscribing to subscribing to a library instead of owning individual outfits or tracks? And if people really are willing to borrow clothes, how will this affect what we wear?

A surge in demand for consumer electronics, combined with disruption to supply chains and a combination of freak circumstances has led to a severe shortage of microchips. The knock-on effects has resulted in delays to production lines building everything from cars to games consoles - and is likely to lead to higher prices

A private members bill which received its first reading in the House of Lords this week proposes legalising assisted dying in England and Wales for adults who are terminally ill, mentally competent and in the final six months of their life. Its the first time the issue has been debated in Westminster for more than five years - and while it is unlikely to become law without government backing, it restarts the debate at a time when public opinion appears to be shifting.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped on theGlobal Player,Apple podcasts,SoundCloudor wherever you get you get your podcasts.

Read more:

Fashion for rent, a chip shortage and euthanasia - The Week UK

The edifice of public support for euthanasia is built on a lie, that people know what they might want in the face of dying. The truth is almost all of us dont, especially in a culture where there is a marked taboo around death.

Our inability to consider broader risks in the wake of the pandemic highlights our aversion to even consider facing our mortality. This feeds further misconceptions about painful death and end-of-life care, corrupting informed debate about assisted dying.

It is quite the contradiction when hundreds of millions of dollars are being spent on suicide prevention, yet the act is deemed perfectly rational in the face of life-limiting illness. Existential suffering remains at the heart of both.

There is overwhelming public support for assisted-dying laws. Public surveys in recent years hover around ninety per cent in favour.

Only this month South Australia passed a Bill in its Upper House. Victoria and Western Australia already have laws permitting assisted dying. Draft legislation in Queensland offers earlier access and includes the amorphous concept of mental trauma as a category. New South Wales is likely to introduce a bill in the coming months.

Doctors and religious groups are increasingly the last line against laws for assisted dying, defending what French author Michel Houllebecq calls the honour of civilisation. The Australian Medical Association is officially opposed but says it will cooperate with the public will, as long there is a right for individual doctors to undertake conscientious objection.

Yet the public arent entirely aware that the pain most people associate with choosing an early death is usually more psychic than physical.

We wrongly associate those who choose euthanasia with intolerable physical pain, but they usually report an existential suffering, of being a burden or feeling abandoned by loved ones, says Associate Professor Leeroy Williams, President of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine.

The existential torture is worsened in a society that does not have obvious idioms to process suffering. The modern climate is more therapeutic than religious.

The steep rise I see in diagnoses like post-traumatic stress disorder is in part because a psychological language replaces a lost metaphysical one. This is especially the case if life is framed as a quest for pleasure and its associated parallel, an avoidance of suffering.

In a pandemic era when the application of science in public policy has become central, one branch of medicine remains sidelined in the euthanasia debate.

That is the practice of palliative care. While doctors saving lives rightly enjoy hero status, helping people die better is neither sexy nor well paid.

Williams says its not just the public. Most health professionals are also poorly trained in end-of-life care. Monash University devotes one day in a six-year course to its medical students. Other medical schools or training programs dont fare much better.

Yet in the past two decades managing nerve or bone pain has become more advanced. The delivery methods for artificial feeding have improved. There are also better strategies for minimising vomiting associated with cancer medications.

It is also the branch of palliative care that is best aware of the inaccuracies associated with giving a prognosis. Many patients are told they only have six or twelve months to live, yet survive years or even decades. A sizeable minority of patients, as much as between 15 and 20 per cent I am told, who are under palliative care are discharged home and not to the Pearly Gates.

Given how poor our feelings are in computing probability and mathematics, you can bet a percentage of sufferers who go through with assisted dying would have otherwise survived. This is especially the case in the draft laws drawn up in Queensland where if youve received advice that death is likely within twelve months the assisted dying laws may apply.

Discussions about death are taboo in Western culture, something that is brought into striking contrast when burning pyres of corpses are broadcast from India. Cultures like India more readily accept that death is thoroughly intertwined with life.

In a world where assisted dying is legal, doctors are forced to contend with a new medical environment where assisted dying becomes thoroughly intertwined with the curing of illness. The so called double effect of increasing pain medications like morphine knowing they are likely to induce death, something I have undertaken in hospital wards and in nursing homes, is in a very different legal and moral territory.

While politicians and well-meaning advocates are cautiously assuring us of the opposite, there can be little doubt there is indeed a slippery slope.

In Netherlands there is now the tired of living movement where there are demands that any elderly person over a certain age should be allowed to administer drugs leading to their death. In Belgium, fifteen thousand deaths have occurred throughout the process since the law was instituted in 2002.

There are multiple cases being fought in Europe over people euthanased for diagnoses like autism, deemed a form of unbearable suffering and therefore meeting the legal test.

It is generally accepted that people should be allowed to do what they like with their bodies and their lives as long as they dont harm others.

But a key facet of modern conservatism must be placing limits on the corrosive hyperindividualism of progressives, including many on the moderate side of the Liberal party.

This principle of autonomy reaches its zenith for rational suicide.

The act is fundamentally at odds with the field of mental health which frames suicide as pathological. There is a marked societal contradiction in prioritising suicide prevention and euthanasia simultaneously. We consider existential suffering unacceptable when there is no defined life-limiting illness, yet perfectly rational in the alternative setting.

But we live in a culture that struggles to process suffering and avoids all confrontation with death. Few people know what they might think about death when faced with its stark reality.

The polls suggesting widespread euthanasia support, views which inform enthusiastic legislation, wrongly assume the opposite.

Read more here:

The lies of euthanasia - The Spectator Australia

TRAVERSE CITY, MI A black bear that caused mischief in Traverse City for months before it was relocated in April apparently got homesick, the Associated Press reports.

A radio collar indicates that the bear trekked 90 miles back to Grand Traverse County from the Alpena area, according to AP and the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

The bear had raided bird feeders and trash cans, and evaded several capture attempts by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources before he was finally lured by birdseed in April. Wildlife officials gave him a lip tattoo, ear tag and an electronic collar before he was taken to the less populous eastern Lower Peninsula.

RELATED: Black bear making mischief in Northern Michigan city for months captured by DNR

The DNR used weekly plane flyovers to track the collar heading back west.

For some reason he likes the Lake Michigan coast, said Steve Griffith, a wildlife biologist for the DNRs Traverse City office.

Sightings of the ear-tagged bear have been reported by residents, but there hasnt been any plundering any birdfeeders or trashcans.

Hes stubborn. But hopefully hes a little bit reformed, Griffith said. Well keep our fingers crossed.

In April, Griffith said the DNR might have to consider euthanasia if the bear showed up in neighborhoods again.

Michigan is home to approximately 12,000 black bears. About 10,000 live in the Upper Peninsula, while 2,000 are in the Lower Peninsula, according to the DNR.

The bears can be attracted to residences by the smell of birdfeed even if the feeder is currently empty grills, trash and pet food, Griffith said.

READ MORE:

$25.3M mixed-use development to provide year-round housing in downtown Traverse City

Northern Michigan wildfire continues to burn on third day, now 78% contained

Surprise winner tops Torch Lake for Michigans Best Inland Lake in Northern Michigan.

Rare tick is becoming more common in Michigan, and it could give you a red meat allergy

Two Michigan men fined $8.5K for poaching hundreds of walleye, panfish, perch

Man who allegedly stomped parakeet to death charged with felony animal killing

Continued here:

Homesick black bear treks 90 miles back to Northern Michigan town after DNR relocation - MLive.com

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has urged US bishops to proceed with caution in their discussions about formulating a national policy "to address the situation of Catholics in public office who support legislation allowing abortion, euthanasia or other moral evils."

Cardinal Luis Ladaria, congregation prefect, reiterated what he said he had told several groups of U.S. bishops during their 2019-2020 "ad limina" visits, namely that "the effective development of a policy in this area requires that dialogue occurs in two stages: first among the bishops themselves, and then between bishops and Catholic pro-choice politicians within their jurisdictions."

In the letter to Archbishop Jos H. Gomez of Los Angeles, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Ladaria also insisted: such a policy cannot usurp the authority of an individual bishop in his diocese on the matter; the policy would require near unanimity; and it would be "misleading" to present abortion and euthanasia as "the only grave matters of Catholic moral and social teaching that demand the fullest level of accountability on the part of Catholics."

Subscribe to your daily free newsletter from UCA News

Thank you. You are now signed up to Daily newsletter

The letter, dated May 7 and obtained by Catholic News Service in Rome, said it was in response to a letter from Archbishop Gomez informing the doctrinal congregation that the bishops were preparing to address the situation of Catholic politicians and "the worthiness to receive holy Communion."

Cardinal Ladaria warned that without the unanimity of the bishops, a national policy, "given its possibly contentious nature," could "become a source of discord rather than unity within the episcopate and the larger church in the United States."

The cardinal also suggested the discussion "would best be framed within the broad context of worthiness for the reception of holy Communion on the part of all the faithful, rather than only one category of Catholics, reflecting their obligation to conform their lives to the entire Gospel of Jesus Christ as they prepare to receive the sacrament."

Given the importance of the issue, which goes beyond the boundaries of the United States, Cardinal Ladaria also said, "Every effort should be made to dialogue with other episcopal conferences as this policy is formulated in order both to learn from one another and to preserve unity in the universal church."

The cardinal's letter also mentioned a reference by Archbishop Gomez to a letter then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger sent in 2004 to then-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington about Catholic politicians and Communion. The letter, Cardinal Ladaria said, was in "the form of a private communication" to the bishops and should be read only in the context of the formal 2002, "Doctrinal note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life."

When the U.S. bishops made their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican in 2004, Cardinal Ladaria said, "it was clear that there was a lack of agreement regarding the issue of Communion among the bishops."

"At that time, the development of a national policy was not under consideration, and Cardinal Ratzinger offered general principles on the worthy reception of holy Communion in order to assist local ordinaries in the United States in their dealings with Catholic pro-choice politicians within their jurisdictions," he said.

"Cardinal Ratzinger's communication," he said, "should thus be discussed only within the context of the authoritative doctrinal note which provides the teaching of the magisterium on the theological foundation for any initiative regarding the question of worthy reception of holy Communion."

The 2002 note said, "Those who are directly involved in lawmaking bodies have a 'grave and clear obligation to oppose' any law that attacks human life. For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them."

The 2002 note did not, however, mention reception of the Eucharist.

Cardinal Ratzinger's 2004 letter, which was never published by the Vatican, said, "Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person's formal cooperation becomes manifest -- understood in the case of a Catholic politician as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws -- his pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the church's teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist."

"When 'these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible,' and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the holy Eucharist, 'the minister of holy Communion must refuse to distribute it,'" Cardinal Ratzinger wrote, quoting from a declaration of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts on the issue of Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.

Writing to Archbishop Gomez, Cardinal Ladaria said the U.S. bishops need an "extensive and serene dialogue" among themselves and between individual bishops and Catholic politicians in their dioceses who do not support the fullness of the church's teaching to understand "the nature of their positions and their comprehension of Catholic teaching."

Only after both dialogues, the cardinal said, the bishops' conference "would face the difficult task of discerning the best way forward for the church in the United States to witness to the grave moral responsibility of Catholic public officials to protect human life at all stages."

"If it is then decided to formulate a national policy on worthiness for Communion, such a statement would need to express a true consensus of the bishops on the matter, while observing the prerequisite that any provisions of the conference in this area would respect the rights of individual ordinaries in their dioceses and the prerogatives of the Holy See," the cardinal said, citing St. John Paul II's 1998 document on bishops' conferences.

Cardinal Ladaria specifically pointed to paragraphs 22 of the document, "Apostolos Suos," which says bishops' conferences may publish doctrinal declarations when they are "approved unanimously," but "a majority alone" is not enough for publication without the approval of the Vatican.

He also cited paragraph 24, which says the bishops' conference cannot hinder an individual bishop's authority in his diocese "by substituting themselves inappropriately for him, where the canonical legislation does not provide for a limitation of his episcopal power in favor of the episcopal conference."

More here:

US bishops warned over politicians' support for abortion, euthanasia - Union of Catholic Asian News

Park Animal Hospital, like many veterinary facilities, had a challenging year. But there was finally light at the end of the tunnel. Dr Hays, the clinics owner, was strategizing how to transition her team back to pre-COVID-19 normalcy and decided to perform a detailed assessment of staff performance during the pandemic.

Mistakes were made, innovations were created, and policies were changed, all topics Dr Hays decided to discuss in 3 separate COVID-19 exit meetings.

There was no shortage of mistakes presented by the staff to the clinic administration in the mistakes meeting. Staff members also expressed their concerns about mandating COVID-19 vaccination. Hospital leadership decided that they would strongly recommend vaccination, but refusal was not grounds for termination.

Staff members also noted that were overwhelmed by the increased client load during the pandemic and suggested that hours be shortened and new clients temporarily suspended to ease the burden.

During the innovations meeting, team members highlighted the benefits of pandemic protocols on their overall health and safety. For example, all team members were assigned a pen for their personal use. Additionally, on-duty staff was given personal cell phones, and social distancing was maintained in the breakroom and lunch area at all times. Anyone with a non-COVID-19 illness was encouraged to self-quarantine.

Curbside innovations were the most dramatic, according to hospital staff. Parking spots were enhanced with signage with specific instructions for client check-in. The team also offered amenities and frequent updates to clients who had to remain in their cars for extended periods. Some euthanasia procedures were performed in larger vehicles such as SUVs and vans so that family members could still be present. The goal of these innovations was to maintain staff safety without compromising compassionate pet owner and pet care.

The final meeting focused on new normalcy policies. This new normal would never equate to pre-COVID-19 normal. Although the pandemic would eventually get better, the threat would not fully disappear. That's why Dr Hays and the team created several new normalcy policy practices, all of which would be incorporated into existing practice procedures. They are the following:

Dr Hays thought these meetings and decisions were great first steps for navigating the post-pandemic world. She felt that planning and being prepared was the practices primary directive. Her hope was to not have to repeat the panic and chaos that occurred when the pandemic first struck the community and the clinic.

Do you agree with conducting COVID-19 exit meetings before returning to a new form of normal at your practice?How would you have handled this situation? Let us know your thoughts by emailing dvm360news@mmhgroup.com.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges to the veterinary profession, since we face crises and emergencies every day, we were able to be resilient and continue to provide a high quality of care to our patients. Dr Hays responded like most of her colleagues and became a wartime leader. What I found most impressive was her foresight. She knew that a peacetime was coming, and she wanted her clinic to be prepared. Planning is the best way to prepare for future success. My hat goes off to Dr Hays.

Dr. Rosenberg is director of the Voorhees Veterinary Center in Voorhees, New Jersey. Although many of the scenarios Dr. Rosenberg describes in his column are based on real-life events, the veterinary practices, doctors, and employees described are fictional.

Read more here:

The dilemma: Lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic - DVM 360

Stealing the show with life hacks for teens Bye-bye Magpies? Port boss issues SANFL ultimatum Disturbing rate of SA Aboriginal children sent to court Drilling company to exit Adelaide after massive debt restructure SA medicinal cannabis cancer trial wins $1.5 million funding

A bid to seize the agenda on euthanasia coupled with the latest failed foray into shop trading reform smacks of a Government seeking a legacy and, writes Tom Richardson, getting its timing all wrong.

Politics is all about timing, as the well-worn clich goes.

Steven Marshall has, generally speaking, timed his run in government to perfection.

That is, if youre in the governing during a global pandemic is a Great Thing camp.

But, of course, weve seen around Australia time and again that incumbents during the coronavirus era have been returned and in the case of Western Australia returned so emphatically that the Liberal Party was reduced to a minor partner in a Nationals-led Opposition of just six MPs.

So while it certainly has its challenges, politics in the Age of COVID-19 has certainly favoured the party in government.

Which stands to reason its a bit like when the work-from-home edict went out last year, and all of a sudden all those extraneous noises in our collective lives were immediately silenced.

For me, the litany of extra-curricular activities to which I had to remember to ferry my children on any given day were all of a sudden shut down, as our familys focus shifted solely to adjusting to that strange new reality.

That situation, I guess, was a microcosm of what was happening in domestic politics.

Suddenly, all the issues that tend to dominate the news agenda were thrust into the background, if not forgotten entirely.

Which means, for an Opposition, that theres not a lot to talk about.

But 2021 is proving different to its much-maligned predecessor.

While COVID rages on worldwide, locally it has settled into its political niche.

Perhaps its fatigue, maybe just a greater understanding of what living with COVID entails, but there appears to be a renewed interest in the life of the state BC (beyond coronavirus).

Which is why issues such as voluntary euthanasia have once again found their way to the forefront of public debate.

Current and former MPs and supporters who have attempted to legalise euthanasia. Photo: Tony Lewis / InDaily

Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation, whose passage through the House of Assembly became an unfortunate own-goal for Marshall in the past few days, elicits strong responses in the community, both for and against.

Yet, successive polls suggest that euthanasia is supported by a strong majority of South Australians.

Thats as may be, but every MP is entitled to vote according to their own conscience and belief on the Bill as indeed they should.

And as, indeed, many of those who dont support the introduction of voluntary euthanasia have pointed out, its important that their voices arent silenced in the debate.

That, in essence, was what prompted last weeks party-room rebellion by a motley crew of mostly (but not merely) Right-aligned MPs, incensed that the Premier had unilaterally announced that the legislation would be fast-tracked by debating it in the time allotted for Government Business.

This was seen as the latest in a series of moderate-faction snubs to not merely the views of the partys conservatives, but to their right to properly present those views in the due process of parliamentary debate.

Initially, Marshall doubled down.

After all, were less than 12 months before an election, and while the euthanasia Bill is sponsored by Labor MPs in both houses, what better way to take some ownership of it than to effectively label it Government Business?

Ultimately thats a decision for the Premier we control the Government agenda, he said on Friday presumably not employing the Royal Pronoun, but its entirely possible.

However, at some point over the weekend the penny dropped that he is actually the leader of a minority government these days, and actively encouraging internal dissent may not be the wisest move less than 12 months out from an election.

So, the euthanasia Bill will be debated in private members time, and will pass parliament presumably after the traditional marathon late-night sitting sometime next month.

It already passed the Upper House last week, when Marshalls Treasurer Rob Lucas was among the minority who voted against it.

I just dont believe in euthanasia, Lucas told ABC Radio after the vote.

My position hasnt changed, and whilst my position was a majority for most of the duration of my parliamentary career, in recent years Ive had a minority position.

He noted I know its not shared by many in the media and many in the community, but reiterated that Ive got a preference for keeping people alive for as long as they can and thats just been my view.

Rob Lucas: likes deregulated shopping hours, dislikes voluntary euthanasia. Photo: David Mariuz / AAP

Lucas also has a view about shop trading hours.

And similarly, its a view hes maintained during his many years in parliament.

In fact, the zeal with which the Marshall Government has pursued the deregulation of shopping hours is no doubt driven by Lucass determination to deal with his political bugbear before he retires next year.

But, you know politics is all about timing.

As the well-worn clich goes.

And in a week dominated by parliamentarians determination to have their proper say on a euthanasia Bill that they acknowledge more than three quarters of South Australians want passed, maybe its not the best timing to push the whole shop trading deregulation should pass because its popular angle.

But, sure enough, Lucas chose that very week to launch his latest gambit in the eternal battle for more flexible shopping hours: a parliamentary bid for a referendum on the subject.

In the face of a political roadblock in the Upper House for his reforms, a poll of the people was necessary, he argued, because: We know that sensibleshoptrading hours reform has overwhelming public support.

Unfortunately for Rob, the same MLCs who blocked his reforms in the first place also get to vote on his referendum, which means the launch of his latest offensive went about as well as that rocket launch in Koonibba last year.

Get InDaily in your inbox. Daily. The best local news every workday at lunch time.

Thanks for signing up to the InDaily newsletter.

Personally, Im sympathetic to the arguments for deregulation.

Ive occasionally found myself on a Sunday morning, preparing to host a lunch and finding myself short of a crucial ingredient and having to wait until 11am for the local supermarket to open.

And sure, thats a bugger.

But its not life and death.

Moreover, while Lucas has maintained the rage on deregulation for his decades in parliament, the world around him has kinda moved on.

These days, we have this newfangled thing called the internet, which means if I want to shop for something in the middle of the night, I can and without leaving the house.

So while the added convenience of deregulation would be nice at times, its not the burning issue it was in the 1990s and perhaps isnt worthy of the states first referendum since that same era.

Still, the real purpose of this weeks renewed shop trading push was as much about politics as it was policy.

Which was evident when the Liberal Partys social media channel created a meme depicting Labor leader Peter Malinauskas as a puppet of the shoppies union.

Malinauskas, of course, was previously the boss of the shoppies union, so the argument seems to be that hes a puppet of an organisation he used to run.

But in any case, the morning after Marshall was forced to kowtow to a handful of pissed-off rebel MPs seemed an odd time to be asking questions about who runs political parties.

A bit like Lucas and his we must respect the majority call for a referendum, while opposing the majoritys views on euthanasia on deeply-held principle.

The timing is all off.

And, as the well-worn clich goes, politics is all about timing.

Tom Richardson is a senior reporter at InDaily.

Media diversity is under threat in Australia nowhere more so than in South Australia. The state needs more than one voice to guide it forward and you can help with a donation of any size to InDaily. Your contribution goes directly to helping our journalists uncover the facts. Please click below to contribute to InDaily.

Powered by PressPatron

See the rest here:

Richardson: Government times its run to imperfection - InDaily

A terminally ill Dundee man says securing the right to die changed his life and believes all Scots should be afforded the same dignity in death.

Dave Finlayson, 71, who has motor neuron disease (MND), is resigned to the fact he only has a few years left to live.

Despite this, he says he feels free.

Two years ago, he arranged what he calls an escape route meaning he can end his life whenever he chooses at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland.

Why should anyone need to suffer? he says.

We dont allow an animal to suffer. God, they have a better deal than we have.

Assisted dying is illegal in Scotland and the rest of the UK but proposed new laws will likely come before MSPs after the election.

It will be the third attempt after previous votes were defeated in 2010 and 2015.

Dave says Scotland must catch up with the growing number of countries to have passed laws legalising forms of euthanasia.

The most recent is New Zealand where residents were asked in a world-first euthanasia referendum in November 2020.

Black Watch veteran Daves incurable condition means he is slowly losing strength in his muscles. His biggest fear is ending up completely paralysed but still conscious.

Life expectancy of someone with MND after diagnosis is one to five years, with 10 per cent of people living 10 years or more.

Dave, a former heating surveyor, was diagnosed in 2015 but his health has not deteriorated as much as he expected.

Remarkably, he remains mobile enough to walk up the Hilltown one of Dundees steepest streets.

The former Logie School pupil also regularly swims at Dundees Olympia Leisure Centre.

But he knows this could change at any point and is essentially playing a waiting game.

When he feels his condition may soon prevent him from travelling, Dave says he will step on to a flight to Switzerland with the help of Dignitas to end his life by drinking a small dose of a lethal drug.

The divorced dad-of-two has already paid 3000 for the privilege with the total cost expected to be around 10,000.

If the law changed here I would wait until I was in a bad way, he said.

As it stands, I will need to go to Switzerland earlier than I would like so Im well enough to travel.

Thank God for Switzerland.

He added: Im glad Ive got this in place. No matter what lies in front of me, Ive got this escape route, for want of a better word.

I was very concerned about not having everything in place and that was continually on my mind.

When I got the green light, mentally, that was life changing.

There are thousands of others with a terminal illness across the country and its believed more and more people are travelling abroad to die at clinics.

UK health secretary Matt Hancock has requested figures from the UKs chief statistician detailing exactly how many.

Arguments against assisted dying include whether such permissions send society down a slippery slope, potentially leading to vulnerable people being pressured.

Some also claim adequate end-of-life care should mean assisted suicide is unnecessary.

A religious argument is also often made that those dying deserve special care and protection.

Despite attempts to change the law failing in the past, the public appears to be supportive.

The British Medical Association (BMA), the UKs leading trade union for doctors, found shifting attitudes among medical workers.

It found overwhelming support for a change to the BMAs current stance of opposition to an assisted dying law (61%), and half of doctors personally supporting a change in the law (50%).

In Scotland a poll by campaigners shows more than three quarters of Scots (76%) want the Scottish Parliament to debate assisted dying after the parliamentary elections in May.

Tayside campaigner Moira Symons cared for her mother for five years but watched her suffer and was unable to fulfil her wish to speed up her death.

Ms Symons, a trustee and Tayside group coordinator at Friends at the End, says shes never been more confident change is on the horizon.

I am extremely confident that an assisted dying law will get across the line during the life of the new parliament, she says.

Lessons will have been learned from the first two attempts, so that the third one will be the right law for Scotland.

Ally Thomson, director of Dignity in Dying Scotland, says the current law is not working.

She said: Daves experience shows that we need a new law that allows dying people to die with dignity here in Scotland.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing, says the most vulnerable in society must be protected and said no new laws allowing assisted suicide should be introduced.

He said: It is disappointing that in the midst of the COVID pandemic, which has seen discrimination against the elderly and disabled people, that there is another push to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Our current laws protect the most vulnerable in our society, the elderly, the sick and disabled from feeling pressured into ending their lives, exactly as we see in the handful of places around the world that allow assisted suicide or euthanasia.

Indeed, in the US State of Oregon, six in ten (59 per cent) of those ending their lives in 2019 cited the fear of being a burden on their families as a reason and further 7.4 per cent cited financial worries.

He also claimed legalising assisted suicide in parts of the USA appears to have contributed to a rise suicide rates in the general population.

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

More:

Dundee MND sufferer will travel to Dignitas but says its time Scotland embraces the right to die - The Courier

A man in his 80s who took his wife from a care home and tried to enact what he says was a failed suicide pact has been sentenced to home detention.

After decades of marriage, Roy Ernest Morton, 82, became increasingly concerned about how his wife was being looked after in a Waikato care home in the months following a severe stroke.

His desperation came to a head on October 12, 2020, when he took her out under the pretext of a walk, and made an attempt on both of their lives.

He was sentenced to four-and-a-half months of home detention by Justice Paul Davison QC, in the High Court at Hamilton on Friday.

Mortons life started to fall to pieces after his wife had a severe stroke in mid-August 2020, which left her unable to move without help, and made communication very difficult.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

Roy Morton was sentenced in the High Court at Hamilton, to four-and-a-half months of home detention.

He couldn't bear to watch his wife of almost 60 years suffer, Justice Davison said, and wanted to end her diminished quality of life.

He also planned to take his own life, which speaks to the depth of his love for his wife, the judge said.

Without her, you had no desire to keep going on your own.

Speaking after the sentencing, Morton described his wife as a beautiful mind trapped in a body thats no use to her.

I hope, one day, that shell be able to come home to me because I need her far more than she needs me, he said.

On the day the charges relate to, Morton asked care home staffers for a wheelchair, ostensibly to take his wife for a walk in the garden.

Instead, he took her home and emailed close friends and his wifes family about his frustrations, saying they were going to take their own lives, court documents say.

His wifes sister in the UK was deeply shocked and couldnt believe her sister would agree to a suicide pact, a victim impact statement said.

She valued her life, regardless of any deficiencies, the court heard.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

A passing motorist interrupted Mortons plans in October 2020, and police caught up with him and his wife near Lake Karpiro.

Morton and his wife were interrupted by other motorists, and police caught up with him near Lake Karapiro.

His wife suffered no physical harm, court documents say.

Morton pleaded guilty to attempted murder in March.

In early police interviews, Morton said the pair had a joint suicide pact, and later that his wife had indicated she wanted to end her life.

However, a Waikato DHB assessment found she didnt show signs of reasoning and had significant difficulty understanding information.

The court doesnt accept and can't accept your explanation, that there was meaningful communication from [your wife] that provided a reasonable or justifiable basis that there was a joint suicide pact, Justice Davison said.

He also said the offending was planned, and the woman was especially vulnerable as she depended on others for her care.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/Stuff

I've done other [cases] like this, and Im always left with the feeling that the law is a bad fit, Hamilton barrister Roger Laybourn says.

But its a conundrum that Morton had pleaded guilty to trying to murder a woman he loved deeply, defence counsel Roger Laybourn said.

[He was] confronted with an unexpected tragedy of a severe stroke and losing his companion in the golden years they had been looking forward to.

Police also found an iPad recording showing Morton had made an attempt on his and his wifes lives on October 11.

Speaking after the sentencing, Laybourn said the judge balanced the sanctity of life and his clients difficult situation well in a case which is extremely difficult for the courts.

Morton was arrested the day the euthanasia referendum came out, and Laybourn felt the vote to legalise euthanasia showed society may have moved faster than the law.

I've done other [cases] like this, and I'm always left with the feeling that the law is a bad fit When we have somebody who acts out of love and then is charged with attempted murder, it doesn't seem to compute.

It had been a dreadful ordeal for his client, who is 82 years old, has medical issues of his own and had shown courage, he said.

He's seen the impact on his wife. Shes been his partner for 57 years of marriage. No children. Their life revolves around each other.

Justice Davison ordered that Morton would be able to visit his wife only with prior permission and in the presence of a supervisor.

Go here to read the rest:

Man who admitted attempting to kill his ill wife in apparent suicide pact sentenced - Stuff.co.nz