Category: Blog

Hello everyone and welcome to 2013. I hope you had a really good break over the Christmas period.

As I’m sure you know things are going to get really difficult for disabled people this year. I thought it might be helpful to provide you with some news links which provide useful data when assessing the impact of the benefit cuts that have already been put in place.. What is really worrying is that it can only get worse.

Every year International Day for People with Disabilities (December 3) starts a week of celebration of the lives of disabled people. It is an appropriate time to remind this country of the appalling difficulties facing many of those disabled people living in the United Kingdom, especially regarding the swingeing cuts to independent living support.

The Black Triangle Campaign in Scotland protests against any unfair use of the work capability assessment (WCA) process to attack disabled people’s benefits. In Wales, Disabled People Against Cuts called for Dec 3 to be a day of remembrance: they claim 73 people a week are dying or committing suicide, as a result of losing their benefit lifelines.

This is horrific, if true.

The WCA is fatally flawed, and we argued this with the previous government to no avail. The supposed medical assessment is based on a nonsensical concept of ‘fitness for work’.

Now, evidence seems to show that more and more disabled people are falling into despair as support essential to their very lives is being removed.

We need hard evidence now, and to assess it.

Daily media reports of the abuse of disabled people, the failures in social healthcare, and elder-abuse  cause widespread worry and fear. The adoption of the black triangle symbol by disabled protesters is chilling, but understandable, when these threats and cuts are allied to the view that ‘disabled people’s lives are not worth living’ or supporting.

Increasingly, this appears to be an all-out assault on disabled people, leading more to think that assisted dying may be the only answer to their desperation: is this really the society that we want to live in?

Signed

Dr Kevin Fitzpatrick, OBE

Baroness Jane Campbell of Surbiton, DBE

Dr Phil Friend, OBE

In the past few years, several reports have been written by euthanasia proponents claiming that vulnerable patient groups are not adversely affected by legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide. These reports have concluded that there is no evidence that vulnerable people are threatened by legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide and there is no evidence of a “slippery slope.”

This document is a response to these reports and to the key characteristicst hey share in common. It will demonstrate that:

1.   The studies used to determine that there is no proof that vulnerable patient groups are negatively affected by the legalization of euthanasia are based on a pre-conceived outcome rather than openly considered the issues.1
2.   The conclusions of these studies are based on selective data.
3.  When one analyzes the data concerning euthanasia deaths without request and the unreported euthanasia deaths, one comes to a different conclusion.

This book proves that the conclusions of the Royal Society of Canada End-of-Life Decision Making report, the Quebec government Select Committee on Dying with Dignity report, the Commission on Assisted Dying in the UK and the decision by Justice Lynn Smith in Carter v. Attorney General of Canada are false and misleading.

Follow this link http://www.epcc.ca/resources/new-book-exposing-vulnerable-people-to-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicide/

Follow the link to read how Massachusetts rejected changing the law on assisted suicide.

http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2012/11/defeat-for-pro-euthanasia-lobby-as-massachusetts-rejects-assisted-suicide-on-ballot/

Check out this article it summarises the latest position.

Switzerland: 750% Increase in Assisted Suicides Since 1998

MP’s suggest that the economic downturn is not the time to consider changes in the law affecting assisted suicide. A last a bit of positive news for us.

Follow the link for the full article http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9543581/Recession-strengthens-case-against-assisted-suicide-MPs-say.html

Here are some links concerning the recent High Court decision to reject Mr Nicklinson’s request to allow doctors to end his life without fear of prosecution. NDY’s position remains the same. Changing legislation to allow assisted suicide puts laready vulnerable people at even greater risk. We will be posting other comments on this very sad case from time to time.

http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.ca/2012/08/uk-court-rejects-euthanasia-cases.html

http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.ca/2012/08/locked-in-syndrome-survivor-did-not.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/9480227/Tony-Nicklinson-breaks-down-as-High-Court-rejects-his-right-to-die-plea.html#

This just adds to our vulnerabilities. In Holland where doctors can assist suicide it seems that when they refuse families may take the law into their own hands.

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/controversy-over-assisted-suicide-netherlands

Follow this link to read more http://www.lifenews.com/2012/07/19/14-of-all-dutch-deaths-involve-euthanasia-assisted-suicide/

Interesting angle on how disabled people are seen in Oregon where assisted suicide is of course legal. 

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/07/us_justice_department_threaten.html