How to Ask Somone With Cancer "How Are You Doing?"

A good rule of thumb is, if you're not prepared to listen openly, don't ask the question. And especially don't ask someone with cancer, who's going through one o f the most difficult, frightening, and painful challenges of their life, how they're feeling, unless you care enough to listen intently. Care Pages

Schiavo's brother backs local woman's custody fight

Schindler, the brother of Terri Schiavo, was in Elmira, NY, Monday to show his support for Sara Harvey, who is attempting to regain custody of her injured husband, Gary Harvey. Harvey has been in a persistent vegetative state since he fell down his basement steps in January 2006. Sara Harvey was removed as her husband’s guardian in February 2007 after a judge found she was ill-suited to care for him and did not follow medical advice. The county attorney’s office claims Sara Harvey has a history of abusing her injured husband, an allegation she denies. She claims Chemung County is trying to kill her husband, as evidenced by its request in May to remove Gary Harvey’s feeding tube. Ultimately, the county withdrew its request to remove Gary Harvey’s feeding tube, but a do-not-resuscitate order remains in place. Online Leader

Should we entrust our health to Obamacare?

In Congress, neither Democrats nor Republicans have paid much attention to the impact of health rationing on medical innovations that greatly improve quality of life, and indeed often prolong life. Consider where some of us would be without such surgical advances as heart-bypass operations and newly developed and tested prescription drugs for a wide range of diseases that affect millions of us. JWR

Court challenge to assisted suicide guidance

A wheelchair-bound disability campaigner who previously wished to die has launched a legal challenge in the Supreme Court against proposed guidelines on prosecuting assisted suicide cases. Alison Davis claims the legal ruling that resulted in the guidelines being issued was unsound due to “apparent bias” on the part of one of the judges.

In July five Law Lords, including Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, ruled in favour of assisted suicide campaigner Debbie Purdy’s demand for official guidance on the application of the law. After the ruling Lord Phillips told The Daily Telegraph that he had “enormous sympathy” with anyone who preferred to “end their life more swiftly and avoid [a prolonged] death as well as avoiding the pain and distress that might cause their relatives.” Miss Davis alleges the judge’s personal opinion affected the ruling. Christian Institute

Euthanasia law fuels suffering in Holland

Dr Elst Borst, the architect of legal euthanasia in Holland, has admitted that she may have made a mistake in pushing the law through. Dr Borst made the comments during an interview for a new book, Redeemer Under God. The former Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister admitted that care for the terminally-ill had declined since the law came into effect.

The author of Redeemer Under God, Dr Anne-Marie The, has studied euthanasia for 15 years. Her research found that the available palliative care in Holland was so inadequate that patients “often ask for euthanasia out of fear.” Christian Institute

Belgian Doctor Cleared of Murder Charges after Euthanizing 88-year-old, Non-Terminally-Ill Woman

A Belgian judge has decide not to prosecute a doctor specializing in euthanasia after he was accused of murdering a woman who came to him seeking death, but who was not terminally ill. Dr. Marc Cosyns of Ghent euthanized the 88-year-old woman on January 5, 2008, after her own doctor had opposed the request for euthanasia. It was reported that the woman had an incurable disease that was not terminal and suffered from several other ailments. The woman's son filed a complaint with the public prosecutor after he learned of Dr. Cosyns part in his mother's death.

Upon hearing of the judge's refusal to hear the charge of murder against him, Dr. Cosyns reportedly said, "I am very pleased that the right of the patient has been secured. There is still misunderstanding, among patients and family members, about euthanasia in cases of a non-terminal condition, but it is possible." In 2002, Belgium passed a law allowing euthanasia on newborns and terminally ill patients suffering "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain."

More great moments in socialized medicine

Healthcare standards in the UK are worse than many former communist states despite billions of pounds of extra funding being pumped into the NHS under Labour, the figures indicate. The report by the Organisation for the Economic Cooperation and Development compared medical data and spending across European countries plus the United States, Mexico, Japan and South Korea. Telegraph

New look for BFL web site

Check out Baptists for Life's redesigned web site, sporting a new look and an updated logo. Coming soon -- the ability to make online purchases of items from our catalog, and the ability to register online for events such as the next LIFT Caregiver Conference! Our thanks to K-Data Systems!

Former Dutch Health Minister Admits Error of Legalizing Euthanasia

Els Borst, who served as Health Minister for the Netherlands from 1994 to 2002, proposed the country's infamous euthanasia bill. When it passed in 2001, the Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia. In 2008, Dutch doctors reported 2,331 cases of euthanasia, 400 cases of assisted suicide, and 550 deaths without request. Borst has now admitted that the government's move was a mistake, and says that they should have first focused on palliative care. LifeSiteNews, related article

Paralysed rugby player who wanted to die gains law job

A man who wanted to die after being left paralysed by a rugby accident is now celebrating a first class law degree and a job at a top city firm. He is one of several people with a disabled or terminal condition who are glad they didn’t end it all, and who now live a life of value and meaning. Christian Institute

In Hospice, Care and Comfort as Life Wanes

Jane Brody spent a day last month shadowing hospice workers from the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. "With each visit to the homes of four patients whose lives were ebbing, the caring, patience, attention and expertise I observed left me wondering why all medicine is not like this — focused on the whole person, not just a disease." NY Times

More great moments in socialized medicine

Hundreds of patients may have died needlessly at an NHS hospital due to appalling standards of care, a damning report has found. Telegraph