France’s parliament adopted an intensely debated right-to-die bill yesterday

Good news! Food for thought!

What e.g. the next day a cure is published for a previously incurable disease?

"France’s parliament adopted an intensely debated right-to-die bill yesterday, supporting assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses; the bill is slated to undergo review by France’s Constitutional Council before it can take effect."

"... The legislation will, under ‌strict conditions, allow a person to request a lethal substance. The substance could ​be self-administered or, if ‌the person is physically unable to do so, administered by ‌a doctor or nurse. ..."

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France’s lower house of parliament adopts final text of landmark right-to-die law "France's National Assembly on Wednesday adopted a bill that will ​create a legal right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses, ​capping ‌years of intense ethical ⁠and political debate. French President Emmanuel Macron, who promised such a law during his re-election campaign, hailed lawmakers' "respectful debate" on the issue following the vote."

How Euthanasia Gained Foothold in Hospice Care. Really!

Food for thought! What about the Hippocratic Oath?

Is term euthanasia or assisted suicide (may depend on your ideological preference)? Are they both interchangeable or equivalent?
According to Google: "The main difference is who performs the final act: euthanasia involves a doctor or another person administering a lethal dose of medication (active, direct act by another). Physician-assisted suicide (or medical aid-in-dying) involves a doctor prescribing the lethal medication, but the patient must self-administer it."

Do individuals have the freedom or are they allowed to end their life when choose to do so, because of old age or suffering?

Should hospice care strictly separated from euthanasia? Or to what extent?

What safeguards are needed or in place to e.g. prevent bad actors from killing hospice patients?

I recently blogged here that e.g. the Kessler Twins both committed assisted suicide together in 2025 at age 89. The list of prominent individuals who chose euthanasia is getting longer (caveat: I did not double check every name).

Caveat: I did not read the article.

"There has been a dangerous shift in medicine over the years. Priorities have moved from curing disease to managing death. Those of us of a certain age can well remember watching television shows and movies depicting doctors and nurses doing everything possible to save lives. Until relatively recent times, this is how the medical profession was seen.  ..."

How Euthanasia Gained Foothold in Hospice Care | National Review "The concept of hospice was originally sold to the public as a better way to treat patients with terminal disease. The mission has been hijacked and turned on its head."

The Kessler Twins "I Say A Little Prayer" on The Ed Sullivan Show and obituary

Enjoy! Alice and Ellen Kessler both just died a few days ago at age 89 by assisted suicide on the same day!

Was this news kind of suppressed in Germany and the US because of the assisted suicide chosen by the twins?

Glenn Beck exposes the REAL reason Canada keeps expanding euthanasia

Euthanasia is a controversial subject. I just blogged here about the introduction of Euthanasia in Uruguay.

Should some individuals choose to die as to not become a burden on society or family?

Glenn Beck suggests that euthanasia could be used as a relief for an overburdened healthcare system.

"... On the global playing field, the nation is the front-runner for euthanasia, which it euphemistically calls medical assistance in dying [MAID].

Since legalizing MAID in 2016, Canada has seen the fastest increase in euthanasia deaths worldwide, surpassing even long-established programs in countries like the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2023, one in 20 deaths [or 5%] in Canada was a result of euthanasia.

This disturbing number is due to Canada’s broad criteria when it comes to who qualifies for the MAID program. Unlike most countries that practice euthanasia, Canadians don’t need to have a terminal illness to be eligible. To qualify for MAID, a Canadian citizen must be at least 19 years old, be mentally competent, and have some kind of insufferable condition, which can be psychological. ...

There is even an increasing number of cases of citizens who cannot find affordable housing being recommended or approved for the MAID program. ...

Canada’s medical system is overwhelmed, and euthanasia has become a means of controlling the population. ..."

Glenn Beck exposes the REAL reason Canada keeps expanding euthanasia | Blaze Media "Is Canada’s universal health care system quietly turning euthanasia into population control?"

Uruguay has legalized euthanasia

A controversial topic! Not least, because if a doctor is involved he or she would violate his/her Hippocratic Oath (do no harm)! Or when relatives pressure someone to die etc.

According to Google: "Uruguay is considered the least religious country in the Americas, with less than half of the population identifying as Catholic, and a significant portion of the population is irreligious or unaffiliated."

"Uruguay has legalized euthanasia, making it one of the first countries in Latin America to pass such legislation; it is now among a dozen countries worldwide to allow assisted suicide."

"... The small South American country has a long history of passing socially liberal laws, legalising marijuana, same-sex marriage and abortion long before most others. ..."

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In regional first, Uruguay passes law allowing euthanasia "Uruguay’s senate passed a law decriminalising euthanasia on Wednesday, putting the Latin American nation among a handful of other countries where seriously ill patients can legally obtain help to end their lives. It makes Uruguay the first country in predominantly Catholic Latin America to allow euthanasia via legislation. Colombia and Ecuador have decriminalised the practice through Supreme Court decisions."

Joint Assisted Suicide by married, older British couple in Switzerland to Avoid Future separation by death. She is a Polish Holocaust survivor

Food for thought! Dignity and the choice of one's death. Does love survive death?

This was a Jewish couple from the UK. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with Judaism and its relation to death or suicide.

Switzerland is a very special, small country in more than one respect! Direct democracy is another example.

"Ruth Posner, 96, and her husband Michael, 97, sent an email to loved ones saying they'd "shuffled off this mortal coil" after travelling to a Swiss Dignitas clinic because they did not want to leave each other behind. ...

Neither Michael Posner, 97, nor his wife Ruth, 96, had a terminal illness, but had made the decision to die together because they were desperate not to be apart after 75 years of marriage. ..."

"... This is far from the first such case as euthanasia consciousness has spread throughout the West. I even know of one joint euthanasia homicide in Belgium of an elderly couple who weren’t sick but worried about future widowhood. It was arranged by their son so the children could avoid future caregiving. ..."

"... The Polish-born actress, 96, who escaped a Nazi ghetto as a child and forged a successful career in dance and drama, is thought to have died last weekend at the Pegasos clinic near Basel.

She and 97-year-old Michael sent an email to family and friends on Tuesday informing them of their decision to die, according to playwright Sonja Linden who told BBC News she had received it.

In the note, first reported by The Times, the couple said they were "sorry not to have mentioned it, but when you receive this email we will have shuffled off this mortal coil".

"The decision was mutual and without any outside pressure. We had lived a long life and together for almost 75 years. There came a point when failing senses, of sight and hearing and lack of energy was not living but existing that no care would improve," they wrote.

"We had an interesting and varied life and except for the sorrow of losing Jeremy, our son. We enjoyed our time together, we tried not to regret the past, live in the present and not to expect too much from the future. Much love Ruth & Mike".

Ms Linden, a close friend of Mrs Posner, paid tribute to her as "the most vibrant, amazing woman" and Mr Posner as a "remarkable, clever, intellectual man".

Speaking to the PA news agency, she said of Mrs Posner: "She felt increasingly, every time I visited her over the last year, she said 'we've had enough, we're ready to go, we don't want to just exist. And that's what we're doing, we're just existing at the moment'." ..."

Joint Elderly Assisted Suicide in Switzerland to Avoid Future Widowhood | National Review

Actress and husband choose to 'die at Swiss clinic' as they 'can't be apart'

Holocaust survivor Ruth Posner and husband die at Swiss clinic

DIGNITAS - To live with dignity - To die with dignity

Ruth Posner

The Posner couple

New York's Medical Aid in Dying Bill a Shameful Act of False Compassion. Really!

Besides abortion (beginning of human life), assisted suicide (end of human life) are two among the biggest or most controversial hot button issues at least for the past 50 years or so in Western societies.

Here are some brief comments/questions:

1. The right to individual suicide is undeniable when an individual voluntarily and without external influence/pressure chooses/consents to do so. This does not preclude or prevent any attempts to save the individual before, during or after suicide attempt. It does not prevent any loving care of the individual by family or friends.
2. Is there any requirement to assist such an individual with their suicide attempt?
3. Assisted suicide may prevent unnecessary suffering while committing or during suicide. Assisted suicide allows for consultation and a more peaceful passing away then perhaps otherwise. 
4. Is it legitimate or morally acceptable if an older, perhaps not very healthy,  individual chooses suicide to avoid becoming a burden to others? It is in accordance with the individual right to suicide and dignity of that individual.
5. Should it be limited only to mentally fit adults? What about seriously suffering children?
6. Should it be limited only to terminally ill or end of life individuals?
7. Should doctors be actively involved in assisted suicide (e.g. administering injections etc.)? Or should doctors only provide means (e.g. pills) to commit suicide to the individual who then chooses to apply the means.
8. Active, direct involvement in assisted suicide by doctors is in violation of their Hippocratic Oath (do no harm). Doctors are supposed to prolong and improve healthy lives not end lives.
9. I believe it is empirically demonstrated that originally such laws have been passed to assist suicide limited only to terminally ill or end of life individuals, but later these laws were amended to include other individuals or all individuals.

Here is what the government of the Netherlands says about euthanasia of children:

"Euthanasia and minors

A child may request euthanasia from the age of 12. However, the following additional requirements apply:

the child must be capable of assessing and understanding what is best for them in their situation;

if a child is aged 12-15, euthanasia can only be carried out with the consent of the child’s parent or parents, or the child’s guardian;

if a child is aged 16 or 17, the parent(s) or guardian must be consulted in the decision-making process, but their consent is not required. ..."

Is the Netherlands going to far with euthanasia? Do the people of the Netherlands largely agree with how euthanasia is legalized?

"... On Monday, the New York state Senate passed legislation to legalize assisted suicide by a vote of 35 to 27. With just six Democrats joining Republicans in opposition, the Medical Aid in Dying Act now moves one step closer to becoming law and making New York the 12th state in the nation to legalize assisted suicide. ...

This bill has some of the loosest safeguards in the country, stripping away even the bare minimum protections seen in other states.

There is no mandatory waiting period. No requirement for in-person evaluations. Mental health screening is only required if a doctor suspects impaired judgment, which, given that evaluations can be done virtually, opens the door wide to inaccurate diagnoses. New York’s bill allows for assessments over Zoom and no follow-up. There is no requirement for physicians or pharmacists to report cases to the state.

Supporters insist the law is only for those near death, those with terminal diagnoses who are suffering. But we’ve heard this all before. We’ve seen what happens when assisted suicide becomes legal. In countries such as Canada and the Netherlands, eligibility quickly expanded beyond the terminally ill.

In the Netherlands, assisted suicide accounts for nearly 6% of all deaths, and proposals have been floated to allow otherwise healthy seniors over the age of 75 to request assisted suicide after six months of counseling.

In Canada, officials have documented cases of patients seeking death not due to pain, but because of poverty, loneliness, or fear of becoming a burden to others. ...

But there is another cost to this bill. The erosion of something deeply precious; namely, our culture of care. ...

They bathed their loved ones, managed pain medication, and sat with them through the long, quiet hours of dying.

Many were holding down jobs or raising kids at the same time. But they still chose to do it. To serve. To love. ..."

NY's Medical Aid in Dying Bill a Shameful Act of False Compassion

Is euthanasia legal in the Netherlands? (this is the official government of the Netherlands position on the issue)

UK MPs vote in favour of historic Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill following fierce debate

British parliament procedures are still quite quaint! An expression of British charm? 😊

Assisted suicide is certainly a controversial issue, e.g. the Hippocratic Oath and slippery slope or abuse come immediately to mind.

What about an individual right to commit suicide?

Controversial Futuristic Suicide Pod to Launch in Switzerland with Palki Sharma

Food for thought! It costs only $20 and requires no doctors!

Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland since the 1940s. Switzerland is a suicide tourism magnet.

Inside Canada's debate on assisted dying for people with mental illness

A very difficult and controversial subject. I did not watch the entire video.

At about 17 minute into this video you finally learn about some of reasonable criticisms from Sonu Gaind.

"... In 2022 4.1% of all deaths in Canada were medically assisted ..." (It is not clear how many of them were only end of life assistance.)

Quadriplegic man chooses assisted dying after 4-day ER stay leaves severe bedsore because he was not properly treated

Very serious food for thought! Assisted suicide should never become an easy option.

Canada is said to have an extraordinary growth compared to other countries of individuals seeking and committing assisted suicide.

Douglas Murray on the horror of Canada's euthanasia laws

Very recommendable! Food for thought! Medically assisted suicide is a very slippery slope.

When a war veteran with PTSD from combat experience is recommended to commit assisted suicide.

Murray also makes the very valid point that societies and governments that have abolished capital punishment for criminals are promoting medically assisted suicide for non terminally ill individuals.

Bundestagsdebatte zur assistierten Sterbehilfe: Suizid darf nicht "normal" werden

Wie die Abtreibung ein sehr schwieriges Thema! Bei der Abtreibung hat Deutschland wohl einen allgemein akzeptablen und weitgehend vernünftigen Kompromiss gefunden. Aber dieser Kompromiss kam zu Stande bevor D. zur Bananenrepublik wurde.

In der Bananenrepublik D. herrscht seit einiger Zeit Klimawahn und seit neuerer Zeit Coronawahn. Zu viele der derzeitigen lebenslangen Berufspolitiker sind eher inkompetent und realitätsfern und ihnen ist  der gesunde Menschenverstand abhanden gekommen. Das sind keine guten Aussichten für einen guten Kompromiss zu diesem Thema. 

Es gibt gute Gründe für eine assistierten Sterbehilfe, aber auch schwerwiegende Bedenken.

Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar!

Mir scheinen folgende Prinzipien hier wichtig zu sein (bestimmt habe ich was vergessen):

1. Niemand sollte zu einem Suizid bedrängt oder gedrängt werden. Freie Entscheidung des Individuums. Unter Umständen sollten Familie und Freunde oder andere nahestehende Personen (z.B. Arbeitskollegen) mit einbezogen werden
2. Zwischen Entscheidung und Ausführung möglicherweise eine Pause
3. Kein medizinisches Personal sollte verpflichtet werden assistierte Sterbehilfe auszuführen. Auch dem medizinischen Personal sollte die Freiheit gewährt werden für sich zu entscheiden, ob sie es verantworten können.
4. Jede assistierte Sterbehilfe sollte vor Ausführung, während der Ausführung, und im nachhinein von anderen Personen (Mediziner, Kirche etc.) begleitet bzw. beurteilt werden

"Der Weg zu einer neuen gesetzlichen Regelung der Sterbehilfe ist schwer. Er ist auch deshalb schwer, weil das Bundesverfassungsgericht, eine Türe, deren Öffnung ohne jeden Zweifel überfällig war, nach der Meinung vieler Beobachter sehr weit aufgerissen hat. ..."

Zur Bundestagsdebatte: Kritik an elitären Argumenten - Sterbehilfe: Suizid darf nicht "normal" werden | Cicero Online Heute debattiert der Deutsche Bundestag in Erster Lesung drei Vorlagen zum Thema der so genannten Sterbehilfe. Seit vielen Jahren wird eine Regelung zum assistierten Suizid gesucht. Doch manche Argumentationslinien offenbaren eine fast skandalös elitäre Sicht. Die Gefahr des Drucks von außen wird zu klein bemessen.

Oregon ends residency rule for medically assisted suicide

Assisted suicide: One of those difficult subjects where it is hard to find  balance and compromise. The debate about medically assisted suicide has been going on for several decades in Western countries.

As a minimum, medical doctors are conflicted by the about 2300 years old Hippocratic Oath (First do no harm).

"Oregon will no longer require people to be residents of the state to use its law allowing terminally ill people to receive lethal medication, after a lawsuit challenged the requirement as unconstitutional.

In a settlement filed in U.S. District Court in Portland on Monday, the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Medical Board agreed to stop enforcing the residency requirement and to ask the Legislature to remove it from the law. ..."

Oregon ends residency rule for medically assisted suicide | AP News

Assisted Suicide: A Very Slippery Slope

Posted: 8/17/2018  Update: 9/10/2018

Update Of 9/10/2018

Today, I read this comment (The Ugly Culture Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide Would Create), which made a number of excellent points I would like to add here and more.

Some salient quotes from above article (emphasis added):

1. “... we all play a role in counseling and protecting the sick, the weak, and the elderly, whatever their background or circumstances ...”
2. “For one, physician-assisted suicide sets up arbitrary guidelines about who receives suicide prevention and who receives suicide assistance.”
3. “Contrary to the prevalent myth that physician-assisted suicide is mainly an option for those in excruciating pain, studies suggest that the leading cause of physician-assisted suicide is not pain, but existential distress.”
   [Often existential distress is only temporary and can be overcome.]
4. “When physician-assisted suicide is on the table, so too are less-than-pure motives to choose—or pressure someone to choose—death over life.”
   [What about e.g. those relatives who would like to inherit your estate?]
5. “Family members may be increasingly tempted to think that suicide is what sick or elderly relatives “would have wanted” when facing down the emotional and financial toll of caring for others.”
6. “Patients might think themselves “better off dead” when accounting for the toll that additional medical care might take on their families.”
7. “Patients might withhold information from their doctors for fear they will be counseled to take their own lives.”
8. “So-called legal “safeguards” are gravely insufficient to protect against these negative social trends. Waiting periods, written requests, sign-offs from physicians—none of these requirements remove the pressure on patients to kill themselves or protect against other forms of abuse.”
9. “Life is treated as disposable, which helps explain why many European countries that have legalized physician-assisted suicide now have expanded into non-voluntary euthanasia.”
10. “The U.S. is hardly safe from these dangerous trends. Thus far, six states have legalized physician-assisted suicide.”

Physicians are neither angels nor saints. A doctor who feels good about assisted suicide will help anyone asking for it. Some doctor even delight at the opportunity to shorten someone’s life who they think might be a burden to society or if they have homicidal inclinations (not unheard of).

Trigger

Just read this disturbing article: ORGANIZED DEATH IN THE NETHERLANDS When “the time is right” for assisted suicide. This article goes far beyond the Netherlands. Apparently, the number of countries that allow for physician assisted suicide (active or passive) has increased from a few to a dozen or so.

Two Sides Of The Issue

As with most other major societal and civilizational issues, there are at least two issues regarding this topic in conflict with each other:

1. The individual’s right to end one’s own live if e.g. the individual is terminally ill and greatly suffering with no reasonable hope of improvement
2. To protect the weak or ill individuals from being eliminated

A Very Slippery Slope

I would argue that assisted suicide is generally a violation of the Hippocratic Oath taken by each doctor. This should never be taken lightly. Whether passive assistance (e.g. providing the pill, but not administering a pill) is sufficient is debatable.

As the article above points out, assisted suicides have quite likely been used to get rid of mentally ill individuals or other individuals, whose life was not appreciated.

More Safeguards Necessary

Clearly more safeguards are urgently necessary to prevent the elimination of unwanted individuals through legal courts or medical regulations etc.

Mercy Killing Of Children In Europe

Update 2/17/2014

Last week, the Belgian parliament indeed passed this law!

Here is a selection of German language articles about this event:

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/belgien-parlament-erlaubt-sterbehilfe-fuer-kinder-12800960.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/belgien-abgeordnete-entscheiden-ueber-sterbehilfe-fuer-kinder-12799403.html

http://www.nzz.ch/aktuell/international/auslandnachrichten/sterbehilfe-fuer-kinder-1.18242659

http://www.nzz.ch/meinung/kommentare/nie-ein-leichter-entscheid-1.18243037

I also heard a comment on radio along the lines that we do not allow children to vote or drive cars nor can they be found guilty in criminal court etc., but the Belgian representatives see it fit that children at any age can choose to die. Of course the detractors will say that a child’s decision is not the decisive or final one and that there are sufficient safeguards in place.

Belgian Legislators Approved By A Wide Margin

The Belgian senate just passed a bill with a vote of 50 to 17 that would allow assisted suicide of children as young as 15 years old (see here). A socialist senator (i.e. Senator Philippe Mahoux) was instrumental again to bring about this kind of legislation.

Socialism is famous for atheism and utter disregard for human life! Who voted for this nut!

Netherlands Leads

In the Netherlands assisted suicide of children is possible at an age of 12 years or older.

Irresponsible!

Such legislation is incredibly irresponsible for several reasons:

1. We are in the midst of a revolution in medicine. Any day a cure could be found for ailments afflicting these children
2. We do not allow our children to drive cars or smoke or drink alcohol before adulthood, but they may commit suicide with their parents consent? This is perverse!
3. Doctors commit to a 2.5 thousand year old Hippocratic oath to preserve life above everything else. This oath has served humanity very well. Mercy killing is a totally incompatible and outrageous violation of this oath.
4. If a competent adult seeks to commit suicide, because of a severe, hopeless long-term situation this may be all right. If such an adult asks a doctor to provide him or her with a poison, which the adult then voluntarily consumes after the doctor offered any advice or consultation without the doctor applying the poison that might be OK.