Euthanasia

19 Oct 2007 Latimer’s Appeal for the Royal Prerogative of Mercy

By Cloverdale ARPA Background and introduction You may be wondering why we are discussing the Latimer issue. It has not really been in the news since the Supreme Court of Canada upheld his life sentence without eligibility for parole for 10 years. It may seem, therefore, that the Latimer issue is a dead one. However, let us not be fooled by the media's silence. The issues surrounding the Latimer case are still very real ones.

26 Sep 2007 Dying With Dignity

By Mark Penninga (French version available below as an attachment) Words can pack a punch. As such, they can be used for both noble and crafty purposes. Advertisers, political spin-doctors, and even Supreme Court judges know this well and take full advantage of the power of words. One example is the concept of dignity. Because dignity seems to be such a favourable word it is being used, and exploited, for purposes as far ranging as Hillary Duff’s latest pop album to the push for legalized abortion in third world countries. But the movement that has most exploited the concept of dignity is the political effort to legalize euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. The term “death with dignity” is being used by right-to-die advocacy groups because they know that associating dignity with euthanasia will soften the public perception of what they are really demanding– state condoned death.

18 Sep 2007 Euthanasia on the Horizon

We won the early battles, but we may be losing the war By Mark Penninga (www.arpacanada.ca) [Action Update: The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition has prepared some sample letters to help you with writing a letter, email, or postcard to your MP.]  In June, while many families were considering where to go for their family vacation, Nova Scotia resident Eric MacDonald took his wife on a trip to Zurich, Switzerland. But their destination was no vacation. Eric brought his 38-year-old wife to an assisted suicide clinic where her life was ended. Terminally ill with multiple sclerosis, Elizabeth did not want to go on living and both physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal in Canada. "I wish to heavens she was still here, but I couldn't ask her to go on suffering that way," said Eric, according to Macleans magazine.