Category Archives: Euthanasia

WA Liberal MP Nick Goiran, a key opponent of euthanasia who was instrumental in amending the WA legislation, counselled caution for other states considering the change.

Mr Goiran lost an amendment delaying the introduction of the laws until the effects of Victoria's voluntary assisted dying regime could be analysed.

"It's verifiably the case that this is the most dangerous legislation that's ever passed," he said.

"What does that mean for other jurisdictions in Australia that are going to be contemplating this, whether it be Queensland, South Australia, whoever wants to be next?

"Even for those jurisdictions, why would you even go down this path until you've actually got some data from Victoria and Western Australia on what's working and what's not working?

"To just go and launch on some perceived momentum is just reckless."

On Friday former prime minister Kevin Rudd urged the state governments to "hasten very slowly" on voluntary assisted dying.

"If it takes a much longer period of time than some of the legislative proponents would want to achieve a reasonable consensus on these questions through parliamentary deliberation, then let's take the time, Mr Rudd told The Australian newspaper.

"My instinct on any life question is to hasten very slowly.

"These are complex bioethical questions. Nothing is more fundamental than life."

In a written statement released after the passage of WA's laws, Go Gentle took aim at Christians who had opposed them.

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It said WA had rejected "the paternalistic demands about how we die, prosecuted by the hierarchies of Australias Catholic and Anglican churches and so fiercely defended by their surrogates in medicine and politics".

"Their outdated insistence that only their compassion is true compassion has been, as in Victoria in 2017, firmly rejected," the Go Gentle statement said.

"A vocal and powerful minority remains fiercely opposed to assisted dying and would repeal, or make unworkable, this law if they could; they must not be allowed to undo what the people of WA so clearly want."

Perth Catholic Archbishop Timothy Costello said accusing those who opposed voluntary assisted dying of lacking compassion for those who suffered was a "callous and unworthy smear".

"Do people really believe that so many members of the medical profession who have raised concerns about VAD are cold-hearted and unfeeling?" he said.

"Do we really think that ministers of religion, so many of whom have accompanied dying people in their last days, do not feel the anguish of watching someone in pain and distress?

"Do we really imagine that only those who speak in favour of VAD, often because of personal experience of watching their loved ones die, are the only people who have accompanied parents, partners, children and friends as they die, sometimes in great suffering and distress?"

Nathan is WAtoday's political reporter.

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Eastern states urged to wait as campaigners say they now have 'no excuse' on euthanasia - The Age

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and Sultana Afdhal, CEO of the World Innovation Summit for Health, during a symposium at the Vatican to discuss faith and ethical considerations around palliative care and care of the elderly.(Photo: WISH)

A symposium taking place at the Vatican has challenged society to walk side by side with the weak, the ill and the elderly in the face of a growing "culture of euthanasia".

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, said that the "terminally ill and elderly, especially those affected by mental health issues, are being pushed to the margins of society" as if "they have nothing more to offer, they are not necessary, they are a burden on society".

"This is a cruel society," he said.

The Archbishop made the comments in an address in Italian to open a two-day symposium on religion and medical ethics at the Vatican organised by Qatar's World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), the British Journal of Medical Ethics, and the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Speaking through a translator, he quoted the words of Pope Francis in calling for an end to a "culture of waste" and a "culture of neglect" around the care of the weakest as he challenged medical professionals and ethicists at the symposium to refuse the "temptation to take shortcuts" through practices like euthanasia and assisted suicide.

"We need to promote a culture of care, a culture of accompaniment, a culture of palliative care everywhere in the world," he said.

"It is fundamental to develop a culture of care that allows us to offer love until the time of death."

While pro-euthanasia campaigners have championed the so-called 'right to die', Archbishop Paglia countered this notion by saying that every man and every woman had a right to live in the human family.

"Palliative care is a human right," he said.

He went on to call for a renewed understanding of medicine that does not regard it as a failure if a patient cannot be healed.

"It is not true that there is nothing more to do," he said.

"Presence is important, accompanying is important, relieving people from suffering, showing love, holding the person's hand," he said.

He went on to warn that the elderly were "particularly exposed to the risks" of a society increasingly open to euthanasia, at a time when the population of Western countries is increasingly ageing.

"We the elderly, we are too many, too expensive, and we become a burden. They ask us to go away," he said.

"It is fundamental to rediscover the culture of accompaniment until the time of death."

The symposium also heard from Catholic palliative care specialist Professor Carlos Centeno, who sought to reclaim the language of "dignity" in dying from pro-euthanasia campaigners who argue that assisted suicide offers this for the terminally ill.

"We are in favour of a death with dignity. But is dignity to choose the moment of death? For Christians, no," he said.

"For Christians it is to affirm that natural moment of death. For Christians, the dignity is in the person; it is intrinsic. It cannot be taken."

He argued, though, that the dignity of the terminally ill could be compromised if they were not well cared for, if their symptoms were not managed properly, or if the person felt alone in their suffering.

He said that from his own experience of working in palliative care, "Many times, they [the terminally ill] want to live because they are being cared for."

He said that the parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a man has been robbed and left to die, offered an important lesson in how society should care for those who are weak, poor or close to death.

"Dignity is a truly Christian value," he said. "We Christians recognise the dignity in every human being, always."

Sultana Afdhal, WISH CEO, said that interfaith dialogue around these issues could lead to a more holistic understanding of care "that considers a person's spiritual needs as well as their physical and mental needs".

"Interfaith and medical interdisciplinary dialogue about palliative care and the mental health of older members in our community is essential in helping to establish a common ground to find more effective ways to bridge differences in faith-based ethical approaches," she said.

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'Palliative care is a human right' - symposium at the Vatican challenges 'culture of euthanasia' - ChristianToday

DELTA, British Columbia, December 12, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) British Columbias government is threatening to penalize a non-faith-based hospice if it fails to follow its directives and allow its patients to be killed on-site through a medically-assisted death program.

The province could go as far as to shut down the Delta Hospice Society, which operates the 10-bed Irene Thomas Hospice in Ladner, BC, says Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

New Democratic Party (NDP) health minister Adrian Dix has given the society until Thursday to produce plans to comply with the Fraser Health Authoritys policy that all its facilities excepting faith-based institutions that can object on religious grounds provide euthanasia, the Globe and Mail reported.

Its the latest turn in a long-running battle that began in September 2016, when Fraser Health Authority adopted its policy on euthanasia, euphemistically referred to as medical aid in dying (MAiD), which the Justin Trudeau Liberal government legalized that June.

Hospice founder and then-executive director Nancy Macey refused to allow euthanasia at Irene Thomas, arguing that patients would need to be transferred to another facility to be killed because lethally injecting them was incompatible with palliative care and violated the hospices constitution, which states that it will not hasten a patients death.

The hospice is under contract with the health authority, which funds it $1.3 million annually, or slightly less than half its operating budget the rest of which comes from private donations and owns the land on which the building sits, which it leases to the hospice, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Fraser Health Authority then issued an edict in February 2018 that the hospice provide euthanasia onsite, but the society said it would not do so.

Macey and Janice Strukoff, an administrative leader for society, told the Vancouver Sun at the time that euthanizing patients not only is against the hospices constitution, but also stoked fears and anxieties of vulnerable patients and would traumatize not only them, but also staff and volunteers.

Hospice palliative care is not about hastening death and we object to the bullying currently taking place in B.C., Strukoff said.

The health authority then mandated in September 2018 that hospices could not transfer a patient to another facility to be euthanized, according to the Vancouver Sun.

And in September 2019, the hospice board fired Macey and voted to allow euthanasia, it reported.

However, following a membership drive, a new board was elected at the November 28 annual general meeting. It voted to reverse the policy to allow euthanasia, arguing that doing so was against the societys constitution, dismissed the acting executive director, and appointed a new one.

The Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians and Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association backed the Delta societys decision in a joint November 27 Call to Action.

Hospice palliative care and MAiD substantially differ in multiple areas including in philosophy, intention and approach. Hospice palliative care does not seek to hasten death or intentionally end life, the statement said.

MAiD is not part of hospice palliative care; it is not an extension of palliative care, nor is it one of the tools in the palliative care basket. National and international hospice palliative care organizations are unified in the position that MAiD is not part of the practice of hospice palliative care, it added.

Fraser Health Authority responded to the decision by insisting the hospice had to comply with its policy and met with members of the board on December 5. Now Dix is suggesting the province will pull funding if not more drastic punishment if the hospice doesnt bow to the euthanasia rule.

[W]e do live in a free society, Dix told the Globe and Mail.

Delta Hospice Society can decide that it doesnt want to continue to receive support from the Fraser Health Authority in its mission. They can choose to do that. You can absolutely have it your way. But you cant have it both ways.

But Schadenberg says the minister and the health authority are overstepping their roles by forcing and bullying the hospice to provide euthanasia.

He has launched a petition to Dr. Victoria Lee, president of the Fraser Health Authority, and to minister Dix supporting the society.

The results of this battle will be far-reaching, Schadenberg told LifeSiteNews.

If the Delta Hospice closes, the residents of Delta will lose the 10-bed hospice that is known for providing excellent end-of-life care, he said.

If the Delta Hospice is forced to do euthanasia, then all Canadian hospice groups will be forced to do euthanasia.

To sign the EPCC petition supporting Delta Hospice, go here.

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Provincial govt tries to bully Canadian hospice into killing sick patients - Lifesite

QUEBEC CITY, December 6, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) The Quebec government is opening public consultations on allowing doctors toeuthanize sick people with Alzheimers, dementia, and other degenerative diseases who are no longer able togive their consent.

Coalition Avenir Qubecs Health minister Danielle McCann announced at a press conference last week that all parties support consultations on the recommendations of an expert panel that spent 18 months studying the issue of prior consent, reported the Montreal Gazette.

The panel recommended that individuals who received a diagnosis of a serious and incurable illness, including Alzheimers or dementia, can give an advance directive to be killed at some future time when they are no longer competent to consent.

It also recommended authorizing a third party to inform physicians of the existence of a prior consent in the event a person loses their faculties. The third party authorization would be kept in a government registry as a permanent record, the Gazette reported.

Quebecs current euthanasia law specifies that Quebecers cannot be euthanized unless they fulfill all the following criteria: They are at least 18 years of age; suffer from a serious, incurable illness; are in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability; experience constant and unbearable physical or psychological suffering that cannot be relieved in a way they deem tolerable; are at the end of life; and can give informed consent.

We dedicate this announcement to all those Quebecers living with serious and incurable illnesses and who are saddled with persistent and intolerable suffering, McCann said at the conference.

We are giving them the power and the freedom to decide and we do this while respecting their will, values and dignity, she added.

But Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, warned that advance directives means people will be killed against their will.

This is absolutely crazy, because it will allow euthanasia of someone who may never have wanted it, who might have in fear in an earlier state felt this was what they wanted, and when the time comes, they lose their right to change their mind, he told LifeSiteNews.

The euthanasia lobbyists say its all about freedom of choice and autonomy, thats how they sell it. But once you become incompetent, you wont have a right to change your mind, and this becomes the problem, added Schadenberg.

Schadenberg's concerns are echoed by Quebec anti-euthanasia group Vivre dans la Dignit.

Quebecs current law requires that people be allowed to change their minds until the last moment, it said in a press release rejecting the panels recommendations.

A new incapacity implies that we can no longer respond to this demand, often to the displeasure of relatives, the Vivre dans la Dignit statement said.

But this principle of consent to the end is paramount, it stressed. Remember that it makes the difference between execution and euthanasia.

Indeed, advance directives led to the horror of a 74-year-old Dutch woman being forcibly euthanized in 2016, Schadenberg pointed out.

The woman had been diagnosed with Alzheimers four years earlier, and wrote a statement saying she wanted to be euthanized before entering a care home, but added: I want to be able to decide (when to die) while still in my senses and when I think the time is right, according to the BBC.

Deciding the time was right, a doctor slipped a sedative into her coffee, but the woman came to and began struggling. The doctor then told relatives to hold her down while lethally injecting her.

She didnt want to die, but they did it anyway. This is exactly what theyre talking about allowing in Quebec, Schadenberg told LifeSiteNews.

Moreover, a court in The Hague exonerated the doctor September 11, 2019.The judges ruled the physician acted in the patients best interests, and that not euthanizing the woman would have undermined her wishes, the BBC reported.

The same day as the Dutch ruling, a Quebec judge struck down as unconstitutional the requirement that an individual must be near death to be legally euthanized.

Quebec Superior Court Justice Christine Baudouins ruling quashed both the federal Bill C-14 eligibility requirement that an individuals death be reasonably foreseeable, and Quebecs end of life requirement.

Baudoin gave both governments six months to revise their legislation, but Quebec opted not to appeal the judgment.

Moreover, Trudeau said during the election campaign that if re-elected, his government would act on Baudouins decision.

And the federal Liberals are also talking about having consultations on advance directives, Schadenberg told LifeSiteNews.

The euthanasia lobby is pushing for that, he said. So the question is, whos going to get it done first, the federal government or the Quebec government?

Quebec, he noted in a recent blog, has its share of problems with euthanasia.

Between Dec. 10, 2015, and March 31, 2018, 1,664 people were euthanized in the province. Between April 1, 2018, and March 31, 2019, there were 1331 reported euthanasia deaths according to the most recent provincial euthanasia report, Schadenberg wrote.

Thirteenof the reported deaths did not fit the criteria of the law and three of the euthanasia deaths were for hip fractures.

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Quebec considers allowing doctors to euthanize dementia patients without their active consent - Lifesite

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Christian Bickel/Wikimedia Commons

A poll conducted in November this year shows that 77.7% of Icelanders support the practice of assisted dying. The study was made by Lfsviringar (Life of Dignity), an Icelandic association for the education about assisted dying, and conducted by Maskna. Icelanders also showed to favour the Dutch method for the practice.

In 2017, Lfsviringar was born with the purpose of creating awareness and bring forward discussion and education into the subject of euthanasia. The theme was not new to Icelandic society, for already in a 2015 poll 75.5% of the respondents showed support for the practice. Also in 2017, seven members of Parliament, from different parties, came forward in an effort to legalize assisted suicide in the country. For their proposal to be successful they needed 58 letters of support, they received some, including one from the National Association of Senior Citizens, but failed to go forward with the bill.

The Dutch method is the one that retains more popularity between voters. The Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act is in practice in The Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, and Luxembourg. The Dutch were the first to legalise the practice in 2002, making assisted suicide viable if a physician holds the conviction that the request by the patient was voluntary and well-considered if he holds the conviction that the patients suffering was lasting and unbearable, and if the patient holds the conviction that there was no other reasonable solution for the situation he was in.

From the 2015 poll to the one conducted this year, there were changes in the way that the question was asked, making it more detailed. While in 2015, Icelanders had to answer to Are you in favour or against that an individual can get help to end their life if he has an incurable disease (palliative death)?. This year, the people surveyed were asked to respond the following Do you agree or disagree that an individual can be helped to end their life (assisted dying) if they are suffering from a condition or disease that has been assessed incurable and that they are experiencing to be unbearable?.

Granted that, in 2019, the majority chose to respond positively, 6,8% said they were highly or rather opposed, and 15.4% were not sure. When questioned about why they opposed assisted suicide, some of the respondents said that it was contrary to the moral and professional obligations of doctors (23.5%), others believed that palliative care was sufficient to alleviate suffering (21.7%), some even stated it was against their moral beliefs (20.4%), but only 3.6% claimed religious reasons. The top concern between participants was that the legalisation of the practice would lead to the misuse of it.

Curiously, people from different age groups, locations and even political parties responded very differently to the survey. While 85% of 18 to 29-year-olds responded in agreement, only 63.4% of people older than 60 years were on the same page. People in Reykjavk represented the biggest percentage of people answering in favour (80.7%), while it was in the citys neighboring municipalities where the lowest percentages were seen (74.4%), followed by the north of the country (75.5%). Regarding the political views of the participants, a great percentage of The Pirate Partys voters (86.8%) were positive to the poll in contrast with the voters for The Progressive Party (68.3%).

Assisted suicide raises a lot of questions from all sides of the subject. While some believe it shouldnt be done by medical professionals because they consider it goes against the Hippocratic oath, others would say that if these professionals swear to do no harm, the assisted suicide of patients in irreversible pain is in agreement with the oath.

In 2017 an Australian reader of The Grapevine responded to one of our articles on the same subject with his own experience. He wanted other readers to know that enforced prolonged life, when the quality of life is lost, is a fate far worse than death.

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Over Three Fourths Of Icelanders Support Right To Assisted Dying - Reykjavk Grapevine

Every voter and politician must resist attacks on the right to life, and Catholic politicians must do so as both a human rights matter and as a fundamental matter of our faith, Northern Irelands Catholic bishops have said ahead of the December 12 UK general election.

We have consistently said that the equal right to life, and love, of a mother and her unborn child is so fundamental to the common good of every society that citizens deserve the fullest participation in the democratic debate about the legislation which governs it, Northern Irelands bishops said on December 5.

Northern Irelands strong laws against abortion were drastically weakened Oct. 21, under an act of the UK Parliament that took effect due to the absence of a ruling executive in the devolved Northern Ireland Assembly.

This was a tragic day for the unborn children who will now never bless our world with their unique and precious lives, the bishops said. It was also a sad day for our local democracy as this draconian Westminster abortion legislation was introduced over the heads of local citizens.

The right to life is not given to us by any law or government, and any law that removes this right is unjust and must be resisted by every voter and political representative, they continued. For Catholic politicians this is not only a matter of protecting the human right to life but also a fundamental matter of our faith. Voters have a duty to inform themselves on the position of election candidates in respect of their willingness to support and cherish equally the lives of mothers and their unborn children.

The general election will be the UKs third since 2015. Normally they would be held every five years.

The elections in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland will determine who will fill a total of 650 parliamentary seats in the House of Commons.

Brexit is a central issue. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes the early election will increase the number of Members of Parliament for his Conservative Party, making his Brexit plans easier to achieve.

The Conservative Party currently leads a governing coalition, with confidence and supply from Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party. The Conservatives Party has not mentioned abortion in its most recent party platform.

Sinn Fein, a nationalist party putting forward MP candidates in Northern Ireland, backs legal abortion up to 12 weeks into pregnancy. However, its MPs do not take their seats in parliament.

Two UK opposition parties, Labour and the Liberal Democrats, have made the full decriminalization of abortion part of their party platforms. Recently, the Liberal Democrats deselected a former MP as a candidate because of his Catholic faith and views on same-sex marriage and abortion.

Party members are required to support these party platform stands on abortion. The move has drawn criticism from Church leaders like Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury.

As Christians, we must express the gravest concern that a number of political parties have dispensed with considerations of individual conscience making unequivocal manifesto commitments to deny the unborn child the right to life, Davies said on December 5.

I cannot fail to draw your attention to this further radical assault upon the sanctity of human life, presented as a program for government and the danger of discarding the rights of individual conscience in determining the right to life of the unborn child, he said.

The bishop asked for prayers for candidates and for light in making the difficult choices which an election involves.

Both Catholic and Anglican leaders have criticized the pro-abortion rights party platforms.

Christine Hardman and James Newcombe, who are Church of England bishops, have written an open letter on behalf of the House of Bishops promising the Anglican bishops will vigorously challenge any attempt to extend abortion provision beyond the current 24-week limit. Their letter responded to 383 clergy and laity who in their letter to The Times objected to the manifesto promises to decriminalize abortion.

The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales issued a November 29 statement urging voters to consider issues of human rights and the dignity of human life.

The English and Welsh bishops laid out several criteria for voters to consider when choosing their new MPs, foremost of which is respect for human life, including in the womb, and including care for those who are terminally ill and dying while resisting the false compassion of assisted suicide or euthanasia.

The fate of Northern Ireland as the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union was another major focus of Northern Irelands Catholic bishops. They said the outcome of Brexit will have a significant impact on our fragile peace and on our political, economic and social life.

Competent voices are needed to enunciate our concerns and we encourage voters to choose candidates who value positive relationships within and beyond these islands, they said.

Other topics of the bishops letter included welfare reform, housing and homelessness, and human trafficking.

The major significance of the approaching election brings an even greater responsibility on us, as followers of Jesus, to reflect in a conscientious and informed way on the breadth of issues involved, the bishops said. They called for prayers for political candidates and respectful discussion about the issues at stake.

The Bishops Conference of Scotland also stressed the right to life as fundamental. The bishops pre-election message did not endorse any political party or candidate, but said abortion, assisted suicide, and euthanasia are always morally unacceptable, and that all politicians should be urged to resist the decriminalization of abortion, which leads toward abortion on demand for any reason.

The Catholic Parliamentary Office, an agency of the Scottish bishops conference, also reports on its website the votes of politicians on several bills, organized by parliamentary constituency.

These votes include the decriminalization of abortion, which the office said would clear the way for abortion on demand, for any reason, up to birth. MPs votes on a bill to legalize assisted suicide are also recorded, as are how MPs voted on the parliamentary act which imposed permissive abortion laws and same-sex marriage on Northern Ireland.

Distributions of a leaflet version of this information by priests in the Angus area prompted accusations of favoritism towards the local Conservative Party candidate because the leaflets noted the Scottish National Party candidates pro-abortion rights stand, the newspaper The National reports.

A spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Church rejected this claim.

As you will be aware 59 different messages were sent out each one referencing the voting record of the incumbent MP. They show a range of voting behavior and do not indicate support or otherwise for any candidate, rather they offer publicly available information to parishioners on the most fundamental moral issues addressed in the last parliament, the spokesman said.

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As general election nears, bishops across UK stress right to life - Catholic Herald Online

ROME Helping society move from a throwaway culture to one that cares is the goal of a Dec. 11-12 conference being co-organized by the Vatican.

The sick and the elderly are considered people who have nothing left to offer, said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the head of the Vaticans Pontifical Academy for Life.

They are not productive, they are not useful, they constitute a weight for our societies that have efficiency as the absolute goal. This is a challenge denounced by Pope Francis: The throwaway culture.

Titled Religion and Medical Ethics Symposium: Palliative Care and Mental Health of the Elderly, the event will have the participation of 250 people from all over the world.

The conference is being co-hosted by Qatars World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), created in 2012, with the support of the BMJ, the UKs most prominent medical journal.

The interfaith nature of this event, and the involvement of experts from both faith and medical backgrounds, will provide a priceless opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the very real ethical dilemmas experienced by healthcare practitioners from different spiritual backgrounds across our world when dealing with these sensitive and yes, difficult subjects, said Dr. Sultana Afdhal, Chief Executive Officer of WISH.

Afdhal, Paglia and BMJ executive editor Dr. Kamran Abbasi spoke to journalists about the conference on Tuesday.

Although the Catholic Church is both in favor of palliative care and against assisted suicide and euthanasia, Afdhal said Islam doesnt have one singular position; though in Qatar, a fatwa was introduced in 1999 regarding a patients right to choose not to be resuscitated.

According to Paglia, what brings all three organizations together is the goal of creating a culture of palliative care, both to respond to the temptation that comes from euthanasia and assisted suicide, but above all, to grow a culture of care that is able to offer loving care up until death.

The prelate noted that, on the one hand, society is growing old and on the other hand, theres a proliferation of the culture of euthanasia because terminally ill patients and the elderly are considered disposable in a world that is centered on profit and economy, and healthcare often cedes to a mentality of accountants.

Even when a patient is terminally ill, Paglia argued, medicine can still care for the human person, even when it cant heal it.

Afdhal, who flew in from Qatar for the symposium, said that she is convinced the sharing of knowledge between religions and medical healthcare experts can enrich both, as we will all gain from understanding how faiths respond to these issues.

There are Christians in Qatar, and there are Muslims outside of our country, she said.

The dialogue, she said, can help build a common ground, that will help find more effective ways to bridge differences in ethical approaches based on faith, whether actual or perceived.

The actual alleviation of suffering, she said, requires a willingness to consider a persons spiritual needs, as well as their physical and mental ones.

Abbasi said that the conference is in line with the core values of the BMJ: Being transparent, open and trusted; patient-centered; evidence-based; and, more broadly, promoting a healthier world.

When it comes to caring for the elderly and the terminally ill, he said, religious beliefs and evidence must work in harmony to help patients and families face challenges that come with old age and disease.

At a moment of global discord, disharmony and danger, Abbasi said, it is symbolic that we are gathering here at the Vatican to show the power of people from all faiths and backgrounds in coming together to solve the worlds problems.

Afdhal acknowledged participants would be discussing some very emotive matters during the two-day conference, such as suicide among older members of society and the end of life care for children.

I realize these will be very difficult areas for us to debate. However, it is both right and important that we do not shy away from these topics, and I believe our discussions can only benefit those who are affected and afflicted by such issues, she said.

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Vatican to host interfaith meeting on end-of-life issues - Crux: Covering all things Catholic

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife shares a goal with the Bear League and others in the Lake Tahoe basin: decreasing the number of black bear depredation permits requested.

Still, we have always been straightforward about our legal obligations and the policies that are in place for issuing bear depredation permits.

Recently in Tahoe Vista, a black bear depredation permit was issued to a homeowner after several unsuccessful efforts to resolve the problem, and a bear was trapped and euthanized.

This outraged Bear League activists and others. We have responded to the Bear League directly regarding their reaction to this incident, including violent posts on their social media accounts about our employees. But we also want residents of Tahoe to know where we stand.

Black bear depredation permits are covered by section 4181 of the Fish and Game Code. Subdivision (a) of this section states the department, upon satisfactory evidence of the damage or destruction, actual or immediately threatened, shall issue a revocable permit for the taking and disposition of the animals under regulations adopted by the commission.

Subdivision (b) requires these permits to state why issuance of the permit was necessary, what efforts were made to solve the problem without killing the bear, and what corrective actions should be implemented to prevent reoccurrence. The Fish and Game Commission has established additional requirements for depredation permits via regulation. (See California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 401.)

State law clearly defines the criteria for the department to issue a depredation permit for bear. In addition, the departments Black Bear Depredation Policy further solidifies our response to black bear depredation issues. In all depredation permits issued by CDFW, we work with the person who requests the permit to ensure that issuance of the depredation permit meets all state laws and policies on the matter.

The key to decreased requests for black bear depredation permits lies in educating the human residents and visitors to the basin. CDFW has a long-running campaign called Keep Me Wild, the purpose of which is to educate anyone in bear country to eliminate bear attractants.

This means bear proofing garbage cans, properly cleaning barbecues, disposing of dropped fruit from trees, never leaving trash, groceries or pet food in vehicles and this is our responsibility, as humans, to the ecosystem, to the basin, and to ensure that bears can continue to live and thrive in their natural habitat.

More Tahoe residents support the states policy and CDFWs response to depredation issues than not. We are obligated to uphold the law. In fact, 13 depredation permits were issued in the basin this year about half of which ended with euthanasia. However, the Bear Leagues fearmongering tactics and demonstrated history of targeted personal attacks has residents frightened to seek out depredation permits.

After this most recent event, depredation permits previously approved were surrendered because the residents determined they were more afraid of backlash from the Bear League than they were troubled by damage to property, or themselves from a bear.

Still, as with all department policies, the Black Bear Depredation Policy is undergoing review and we anticipate completion of that review mid-2020. While we believe our policy is strong, regularly reviewing and updating it is good government.

As in the past, CDFW will continue to engage, at every opportunity, with multiple stakeholders in the Tahoe area. Its important that these are cooperative working relationships. There are many local agencies aligning interests to coordinate policy and law to manage human-bear encounters.

We hope to achieve regionwide compliance with local ordinances on trash and other policies and procedures that will reduce human-bear encounters. We need to find steps toward resolution to address this growing problem and will encourage our staff many of whom have spent their lives studying bears and work to protect them daily to participate with constructive, positive efforts. Because its by working together that we can promote bear awareness and help reduce such conflicts in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Charlton H. Bonham is the Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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CDFW, Bear League have something in common, neither wants bears to be euthanized - Tahoe Daily Tribune

Sixty-three percent of Irish people would favor euthanasia in certain circumstances.Getty

A recent Amrach polling company poll of the Irish revealed that 63 percent of Irish people would favor euthanasia in certain circumstances.

That is about the same majority as favored abortion rights and same-sex marriage when both were approved, making it quite likely that assisted suicide will be the next great cultural, moral and political battle in Ireland.

Six countries and six states in America allow euthanasia or assisted suicide and New Zealand last month introduced an End of Life bill which will be the subject of a referendum there in 2020, at the same time as their parliamentary election.

In Ireland, the champion of the discussion on the issue is Vicky Phelan, the heroic woman who exposed the cervical cancer scandal, where inaccurate results were given to many women who believed they had the all-clear but who subsequently discovered they had cancer. Some of these women have since died of their illness.

Read more: Euthanasia for elderly and disabled next says bishop, if Ireland passes abortion vote

Vicky Phelan. Image: RollingNews.ie.

Phelan was one of them but has survived due to a new drug that is holding the disease at bay. No one knows for how long, however.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, she said, "I would be pro-euthanasia, definitely. I would hate to be in a position where I was in a lot of pain, or lingering, as can happen a lot, that people are waiting four or five days for somebody to die. It's terrible for the patient. It's terrible for the family having to sit and watch their loved one dying in pain. It's not a nice sight to see people when they are dying."

When the issue becomes center stage, as it inevitably will, the 2013 case where MS sufferer Marie Fleming failed in her Supreme Court bid to die will no doubt be discussed. The courts decision to deny Fleming the right to die in a matter of her own choosing will be seen as a landmark.

Marie Fleming. Image: RollingNews.ie.

There was tremendous sympathy for Fleming and her partner Tom Curran, who were in a terrible bind because of the pain she was in. She has since passed away.

In another case in 2015, a Dublin woman, Gail O'Rorke, was found not guilty of helping her friend Bernadette Forde die.

Forde died in 2011 after taking a daily dose of barbiturates ordered by ORorke from Mexico. She had been suffering from multiple sclerosis for a decade

Read more: Apology after Irish priests homily that likened homosexuals to zombies

Gail O'Rorke. Image: RollingNews.ie.

Current Irish law, as pointed out by journalist Ian Doherty, makes it a criminal offense to even travel with someone to a euthanasia clinic, the best known of which is the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland.

Vickie Phelan says she may eventually face that kind of test and the awful dilemma of telling your family members knowing they risk arrest if coming back home from being present at the death.

The debate is a very old onea belief there is validity in suffering against a view that unnecessary pain is plain cruelty. Most Irish, according to the new poll, believe being alive and being in mortal pain is completely unnecessary if the person has made their opinion clear.

Anyone who has seen close relatives die with their bodies racked with pain knows there is no dignity whatever in prolonging life in such circumstances.

Hospices are a wonderful invention and have helped millions around the world die peacefully but at the end of the day, they reach only a fraction of the population.

There are huge caveats, especially regarding those disabled and seriously ill who may be pressured to agree to die. Likewise, people with deep depression, who have no technical physical ailment must be protected.

But the times they are a-changing. Twenty years ago, it seemed impossible that same-sex marriage and legalized abortion would be voted for overwhelmingly in Ireland but both happened.

Within a few years, however, Ireland could well be in the midst of a major debate on the right to die with dignity. It seems a debate well worth having not just in Ireland but everywhere.

Sixty-three percent of Irish people would favor euthanasia in certain circumstances.Getty

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The Right to Die is the next big Irish issue - IrishCentral

Updated December 04, 2019 09:58:40

Western Australia's bid to become the second Australian state to legalise voluntary euthanasia has hit its most crucial juncture, with MPs facing two all-night sittings this week in a bid to get to a final vote on the contentious legislation.

Upper House MPs have been warned to expect to sit from lunchtime today until well into Thursday as the McGowan Government makes a last-ditch bid to reach a vote on the voluntary assisted dying (VAD) bill before the Christmas recess.

There are plans for another all-night sitting on Friday, with a week of marathon sessions set to add significantly to the more than 150 hours State Parliament has spent on the bill so far.

The Government has been frustrated by the extremely slow pace of debate in Parliament so far, blaming Liberal MP and staunch opponent of the bill Nick Goiran for what they have labelled needless filibustering.

When the bill does get to a final vote it is expected to pass, having been overwhelmingly backed in the Lower House and then passing the first stage of debate in the Legislative Council 25-11.

That means eight Upper House MPs who previously voted for the legislation would have to change their mind for it to be blocked.

But the pace of debate during line-by-line consideration has become a serious concern for the Government, with it already having taken 60 hours to get through the first 60 clauses of the bill, with another 124 to go.

Premier Mark McGowan has pleaded with the Upper House to get to a final vote by the end of the week.

"This has been a long road and hopefully the light is at the end of the tunnel," he said.

"I urge the Upper House to deal with the issue this week and respect the wishes of the people of Western Australia."

The proposed WA voluntary euthanasia scheme would allow terminally ill West Australian adults who are likely to die within six months to legally access a lethal drug to end their life.

The bill has been significantly amended in the Upper House, something the Government had previously fought against, but Mr McGowan downplayed concerns about changes to the legislation.

"I didn't personally think they [the changes] were necessary but I think they are reasonable to get the bill through," he said.

If the Upper House passes the bill this week, the Lower House would need to be recalled next week to agree to any amendments.

It would then be around 18 months before patients would be able to access the scheme.

Topics:state-parliament,states-and-territories,health-policy,euthanasia,government-and-politics,perth-6000,wa

First posted December 04, 2019 08:47:37

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Final WA euthanasia push as voluntary assisted dying bill sparks two all-night parliament sessions - ABC News