By Judi McLeod —— Bio and Archives May 4, 2017
Comments | Print This | Subscribe | Email Us
"Nonetheless, in a surprise move this week, the board controlling the institutions of the Brothers of Charity announced that from now on, it will allow euthanasia to take place in their psychiatric hospitals.” “In a statement posted on their website the Brothers of Charity explain the policy shift. “We take seriously unbearable and hopeless suffering and patients’ request for euthanasia. On the other hand, we do want to protect lives and ensure that euthanasia is performed only if there is no more possibility to provide a reasonable perspective to treat the patient.”
“Euthanasia for psychiatric patients has already happened dozens of times in Belgium. But from now on it will probably be easier for people suffering from schizophrenia, personality disorders, depression, autism, or loneliness to access it. In fact, it will be hard to find an institution in Belgium where euthanasia is not being offered as an option.” (Mercator Net)The hype intrinsic in the words of the Brothers of Charity are completely at odds with their approval of odious actions:
“Brother Stockman was stunned. “We deplore this new vision,” he told the media.” (Mercator.Net) Not nearly as “stunned” as the loved ones of psychiatric patients whose lives now hang in the balance left to the discretion of the same doctors promising euthanasia will be performed “only if there is no more possibility to provide a reasonable perspective to treat the patient.” The loudest cheerleader for the Brothers of Charity change in policy seems to be Belgian’s leading figure in Belgian euthanasia, Dr. Wim Distelmans, who wrote in a newspaper op-ed, “the Brothers of Charity have finally admitted that they had excluded the democratically approved policy of euthanasia from their institutions and forbidden doctors to follow their conscience and professional judgement”. (sic). “Rubbing it in further, a member of the Belgian Parliament, Jean-Jacques De Gucht, summed up the situation: “the last relics of the paternalism of the shepherd have been replaced by individual self-determination”. “The chairman of the board, Raf De Rycke, an economist who has worked with the Brothers of Charity for years, denied that the ethos of their hospitals had changed: “We have not made a 180 degree turn,” he told De Morgen newspaper. “It is not that we used to be against euthanasia and now suddenly are for it. This is consistent with our existing criteria. We are making both possible routes for our patients: both a pro-life perspective and euthanasia.”
“The possibility of such a move, which would bring Canadian policy somewhat into line with Dutch and Belgian policies, stems from a 2015 decision by the nation’s highest court that mentally competent Canadian adults suffering “intolerably and enduringly” from a physical ailment have the right to a doctor’s help in dying. Since that decision, Canadian lawmakers have been working to revise their statutes so they conform to the high court’s ruling.” “The debate gained attention because of the suicide of prominent blogger Adam Maier-Clayton, 27. He suffered from severe mental illness and argued for including those like himself – who tried numerous medications, treatments and therapies that did not relieve his torment – in the classes of people covered by assisted suicide laws. “Shanaaz Gokool, head of Dying with Dignity Canada, praised Maier-Clayton in a recent article in The Globe and Mail newspaper. “What Adam did over the last year and a half is he asked a lot of medically difficult questions related to medical assistance in dying and people who have severe psychological and psychiatric illness,” Gokool said. “Gokool also urged Canadians to explore -- with an open mind -- the possibility that the mentally ill could gain physician assistance in dying.”The death cult is gaining ground courtesy of political ghouls who see vote counts from left-leaning organizations who advocate both abortion and euthanasia. Political ghouls like Queen of Abortion Hillary Clinton. Providence laid a blessing on civil society when the Planned Parenthood Federation of America—fully expecting her to be president—crowned a self-admitted “activist” as its ‘Champion of the Century’, a title bound to be overlooked just as Clinton is widely overlooked now that she’s only one of millions of this century’s garden variety activists.
Copyright © Canada Free Press
RSS Feed for Judi McLeod
Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience in the print media. A former Toronto Sun columnist, she also worked for the Kingston Whig Standard. Her work has appeared on Rush Limbaugh, Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com.