Month: April 2017

The Medical Journal of Australia has just published a commissioned paper on euthanasia and assisted suicide by one of America’s leading bioethicists, Dr Ezekiel Emanuel. Emanuel is not a palaeo-conservative. A brother of Obama’s former chief-of-staff, Rahm Emanuel, a fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, his liberal credentials …

Top US Bioethicist: Euthanasia Is A ‘Sideshow’ in End-of-Life Care Read More »

Disability, illness, dying and death can be complex issues to discuss and think about – especially as it impacts ourselves or our loved ones. All of these issue areas factor signi cantly into the topic of Assisted Suicide. What is Assisted Suicide? Webster de nes Assisted Suicide as: “suicide committed by someone with assistance from …

Check It Out: A Primer on Assisted Suicide Laws Read More »

The Medical Society of New York State has decided to ask doctors for their opinions on physician assisted dying. he medical society, which has about 30,000 members made up of physicians and medical students, has maintained its position of opposing physician assisted dying since 1992. “In the past, there was a very unified position on this. I’m seeing that …

Medical Society Will Survey New York Doctors On Physician Assisted Suicide Read More »

Maine Gov. Paul LePage clarified his stance on assisted suicide during a radio appearance in which he said he’s still against a measure to make the practice legal in the state. LePage, a Republican, said earlier this week that he would veto a bill moving through the Legislature that would allow doctors to help terminally …

LePage Clarifies Assisted Suicide Stance, Says Still Against Read More »

You don’t discourage suicide by assisting suicide. These laws, no matter how you try, will pose a dangerous and frightening cultural shift in our views of suicide. Last June, California enacted an assisted-suicide law. It is now legal in that state to plan and execute your own death and funeral, and people have already started …

A Modest Proposal to save California $200 million Read More »

A bill that would allow doctors to help terminally ill patients end their lives failed to earn majority support from lawmakers on the Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday and now faces an uphill battle in the full Legislature. Gov. Paul LePage said this week that he would veto the bill, which means it …

Maine assisted-suicide bill fails to earn committee support Read More »

Gov. LePage said Tuesday he will veto a bill moving through the Legislature that would allow doctors to help terminally ill patients hasten their deaths. LePage’s promised veto casts significant doubt on the prospects for the proposal, which is similar to one narrowly defeated in 2015. Two-thirds of the Legislature would have to vote to …

Governor of Maine says he will veto assisted suicide bill Read More »

“First do no harm.” That is part of the oath that all physicians take as we graduate medical school. I graduated in 1995, and I went off to Oregon to start my residency. Oregon had just passed a death with dignity law. As a result, my residency placed a large emphasis on making sure the …

My job as a physician is to alleviate suffering, not cause death Read More »

CARSON CITY — Opponents of physician-assisted suicide denounced a Nevada legislative proposal Wednesday to allow doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients. Doctors, patients and lawyers, many wearing buttons that read “Kill the Pain not the Patient,” said the measure was dangerous and a “profound and dramatic change in public policy.” Dr. Brian …

Foes of Nevada right-to-die bill turn out in force for protest Read More »

Last year, Betty Brown, my elderly Aunt Izzy’s best “friend,” was sentenced to up to 10 years in a West Virginia prison for financial exploitation of an elderly person. As my aunt’s heart failed, Ms. Brown had insinuated herself into every aspect of her life. She took her to doctor’s appointments and church, helped her …

Maine Voices: ‘Death with dignity’ bill well-meaning, but overlooks drawbacks Read More »