Assisted suicide or murder? The bizarre case of Jeffrey Locker

Assisted suicide or murder? The bizarre case of Jeffrey Locker: The case is so bizarre, it would take too long to summarize the plot. But the motivational speaker (irony!) allegedly talked his murderer into helping him (beware the breed!) to ensure his family collected millions of dollars in life insurance that would not be paid if his death were ruled a suicide.

Most telling:

During three days of jury selection, many potential jurors were disqualified when they said they could not convict a person who helped another commit suicide.

'I believe in euthanasia,' said one.

Another cited the 'very, very long and painful death' of his father and said he wished it had been legal to help him die.

Advocates of euthanasia say the case points up the difference between helping someone who is not dying commit suicide and helping a dying patient end suffering."

Many locked-in syndrome patients happy

The Associated Press: Many locked-in syndrome patients happy: You are awake, aware and probably unable to move or talk — but you are not necessarily unhappy, says the largest study of locked-in syndrome ever conducted. A surprising number of patients with the condition say they are happy, despite being paralyzed and having to communicate mainly by moving their eyes. Most cases are caused by major brain damage, often sustained in traumatic accidents.

If patients with locked-in syndrome are properly cared for, they can live for decades. With rehabilitation, many patients can regain some control of their head, fingers, and feet and may be able to talk a little.

Baby Joseph Futile Care Case Has Emotional Non-Futile Care Wrinkle

Baby Joseph Futile Care Case Has Emotional Non Futile Care Wrinkle » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: The request for a tracheotomy raises different ethical issues than requesting that life support be maintained in hospital. In my view, refusing the tracheotomy surgery is not a futile care imposition, since the surgery is not primarily intended to maintain the baby’s life, but rather is an elective procedure, to allow the parents to bring him home to die. That is a completely understandable, nay, laudable, desire on their part, but it presents a different wrinkle to the situation than the usual futile care dispute. And let me emphasize: It wouldn’t be an issue if the hospital weren’t trying to force the baby off life support.

EXCLUSIVE: Videos show ‘vegetable’ reacting to parents

Dying one-year-old Joseph Maraachli’s family says two new videos of him flailing and reacting to tickling belie his hospital’s claim that he is in a permanent vegetative state. The video of Joseph being tickled, which was shot Sunday evening only hours before the hospital had planned to remove his life support, also shows Joseph’s hands tied down - a measure the hospital took after Joseph removed the tube from his throat on at least two separate occasions.

“How can a baby be in a vegetative state who has his hands tied - as we speak - for him to not pull out his tube?” asked Joseph’s aunt, Samar Nader. “How does a baby in a vegetative state respond to combing or tickling? What really boggles my mind is how we’re not allowed to videotape him or have media outlets watching him to show the public what he’s like,” she added. “That’s very frustrating.” LifeSiteNews

U.S. Hospital Rejects Baby Joseph, Family Not Giving Up Hope

Children’s Hospital of Michigan has told the parents of 13-month-old Joseph Maraachli it will not accept the transfer of the infant whose parents are fighting a hospital that wants to remove his breathing tube.

The baby’s parents want a tracheotomy performed on their son so they can take him off the respirator and bring him home to live his last days surrounded by family. The London hospital has refused to perform the procedure.

The couple’s lawyer, Mark Handelman, had hoped to be able to get Children’s Hospital of Michigan to accept a transfer, but the hospital decided against it. Handelman previously said the coupled hoped the Michigan hospital would provide “a second, completely independent medical opinion.” LifeNews

Man who euthanized his wife: 'I am racked by guilt'

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: 'I am racked by guilt': Stephan Bolton went into the RCMP yesterday to confess that he intentionally gave his wife, who had stage 4 breast cancer, a lethal cocktail of morphine and Nozinan. He told the RCMP that he had not discussed euthanasia with his wife and he was confessing to the crime because he felt 'racked by guilt.'

New progress report on Alzheimer's disease research.

The National Institute on Aging has just released their latest annual report on Alzheimer’s disease research. Written for both experts and consumers, the Progress Report on Alzheimer’s Disease: Translating New Knowledge summarizes current scientific directions and highlights key findings from Alzheimer’s research. Consumers can read or download thefree report online. The booklet is a comprehensive but easy-to-read overview of the latest research. Caring Right at Home

For In-Home Care Professionals, Increased Emphasis on Brain Health

For In-Home Care Professionals, Increased Emphasis on Brain Health: Our understanding of brain health has grown by giant leaps over the past few decades. Sophisticated new imaging technologies allow researchers to observe the working of the brain in ways that would have seemed like science fiction only a few years ago. This research has yielded new insight into how our brains change with age. Professional in-home caregivers have tailored senior care services accordingly, with increased emphasis on enhancing brain health for seniors.

Here are ways in-home care professionals are helping senior clients take positive steps to maintain the best possible brain health:"

As the NHS Founders on the Financial Rocks, a Call to Legalize Assisted Suicide

NHS Meltdown: As the Service Founders on the Financial Rocks, a Call to Legalize Assisted Suicide » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: No “medical treatment” could be less expensive than assisted suicide. The drugs cost about $100. But treating patients properly so that they don’t want assisted suicide can take $100,000 or more. And that is why it is always alarming when people grappling with medical resource constraints issue a call for assisted suicide legalization–which has just happened in the UK.

I'm only 27 and just diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer

I'm only 27 and just diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer - Cancer – CarePages Discussion Forums: Brandy writes: "I haven’t completely gotten comfortable with the idea of having cancer, not sure if I ever will. It feels sureal. I’m terrified and no matter how positive I try to think in the back of my mind I just think “I’m not ready to leave this world yet”. I have another surgery coming up to remove my left ovary and then I start chemo. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to be feeling."

Click the link above to read what others said in answer to Brandy's query, and to add your own thoughts.

Mood foods for stressful times

Healthy Meals When Stress Strikes – CarePages.com: Foods containing tryptophan, complex carbohydrates (not simple sugars, including fructose found in fruit), and vitamin B6 are all known for their positive effects on serotonin production. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain that has a positive effect on mood.

13 tips for traveling with cancer

Cancer and Travel Precautions - CarePages.com: With proper planning, a cancer patient can travel and manage cancer treatment away from home. Consider these cancer travel tips for families.

Get to Know: Down Syndrome Today

About - Down Syndrome Today: Down Syndrome Today’s mission is to provide the most current news, information and inspirational stories about Down Syndrome all in one convenient location.

Watch Jimmy

Today I Learned Something About Down Syndrome

Today I Learned Something About Down Syndrome - Roger Fallihee - Open Salon: He writes, "I am beyond guilty of not understanding the nuances of life that a person with Down Syndrome experiences. It never occurred to me that she would have a thought like 'Thank God it's Friday.' I assumed that every day was the same for her and others with Down Syndrome. In my ignorant mind they seem blissfully disconnected from the challenges of day-to-day life."

Assisted suicide storyline causes concern

Emmerdale: Assisted suicide storyline causes concern | News | The Christian Institute: A paralysed character on Emmerdale [TV show in UK] is set to ask for help to kill himself in a controversial new assisted suicide storyline.

The contentious plot is likely to fuel fresh debates over the issue of assisted suicide and critics have accused the soap, which is watched by eight million people, of chasing ratings with the sensational plot. The storyline may also concern disability rights campaigners who have previously hit out at the push for assisted suicide saying: “We want help to live – not help to die.”

Abuse of assisted suicide laws ‘inevitable’

Abuse of assisted suicide laws ‘inevitable,’ expert warns Quebec government | LifeSiteNews.com: The legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide for “extreme cases” is a slippery slope to the widespread killing of newborn infants, the elderly, the depressed, and the mentally disabled, an expert witness told the Quebec National Assembly’s Special Commission on the Issue of Dying with Dignity on Thursday of last week.

Dr. François Primeau, a professor of psychiatry at Leval University and Chief of Geranto-Psychiatry at the Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis Hospital, told the commission that the experience of the Netherlands indicates that euthanasia will be impossible to contain. “In the face of the experience of the Netherlands, believing that restrictions will contain these abuses is at best naive, and at worst is magical thinking,” Primeau told the commission, adding that “the reality of euthanasia as it is practiced on the ground greatly surpasses the limits established by the law.”

Hospital denies parents private visitations

Hospital threatens to remove Baby Joseph’s life support anyway - parents denied private visitations | LifeSiteNews.com: While things were looking up for the parents of Joseph Maraachli this past weekend, the picture has now become bleaker, with the London hospital where their dying son is being cared for now seeking to remove their decision-making power after they refused to have him taken off life support. Hospital security is denying Joseph’s parents private visitations.

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, which has been offering support to the parents, Moe Maraachli and Sana Nader, says they are now only allowed to see their son with a security guard present. “It’s ridiculous. It’s not like they could pick the child up and take him home. The baby would die."

Robert Latimer, who killed his disabled daughter, says he’d do it again

In an interview with Radio-Canada, Latimer said, "I know I was right," to kill 12-year-old Tracy, who suffered from cerebral palsy. Latimer has never expressed remorse for killing his 12-year-old daughter, and has maintained that he had acted "out of love" and that he had no choice but to kill her.

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition said Latimer's remarks demonstrate "exactly why we need laws that protect people with disabilities." Latimer's parole stipulates that he must continue receiving psychological counseling, that he is "not to have responsibility for, or make decisions for, any individuals who are severely disabled," and that he is restricted to a 50-mile radius around his residence in Victoria, British Columbia. LifeSiteNews

Baby Joseph saved from life support removal

Baby Joseph saved from life support removal – transfer to Michigan hospital likely | LifeSiteNews.com: One-year-old Joseph Maraachli of Windsor, Ontario, who was to have his life support removed Monday at 10 am. against his parents’ wishes, will now not die on the day that Ontario residents celebrate as Family Day. A hustle by pro-life and anti-euthanasia groups resulted in a change in legal counsel, which has led to at least a temporary stay of removal of the child’s ventilator. Alex Schadenberg, head of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, said that negotiations are underway to transfer Joseph to a hospital in Michigan.

German Medical Association eases rules on assisted suicide

The German Medical Association has presented new guidelines for physician-assisted suicide, allowing greater leeway for doctors to rely on their own conscience when deciding whether to help ill patients die. The new text, presented on Thursday, reads: "The doctor's assistance with suicide is not a medical duty." Previous guidelines stated that assisted suicide was in strict violation of medical ethics.

Rather than justifying or endorsing assisted suicide, the association said it was simply allowing doctors to decide for themselves whether helping a patient die is justifiable. "When doctors themselves have a clear conscience, we will not condemn them," said Dr. Jörg-Dietrich Hoppe, the association's president.

Suicide itself is not illegal in Germany, nor is it illegal to take patients off life support or a feeding tube when they have explicitly stated that such treatment should be terminated. However, killing a person who explicitly asks to be killed can carry jail terms of up to five years.

The German Hospice Association, which considers itself an advocate for patients' rights, criticized the revised guidelines as simply removing the ethical component to the issue of assisted suicide. "The doctor is now in a dilemma," said Eugen Brysch, head of the German Hospice Association. "How should he, as a practicing physician, decide when the suffering is so unbearable that he should help his patient commit suicide?" Brysch said there is no way to objectively or scientifically measure the suffering of a patient, and that the German Medical Association needs to give doctors more qualitative guidance on how to make ethical decisions with terminally ill patients.

Much of the discourse on assisted suicide in Germany has been shaped by the euthanasia program of the Nazis, which killed more than 100,000 disabled and sick people who were deemed to be "unworthy of life." Deutsche Welle

On the edge

WORLD Magazine | On the edge | Les Sillars | Feb 09, 11: Some small Virginia hospices are in danger of shutting down as the economy struggles and new rules from last year's health care reform law come into effect.

The Christian Conquest of Pagan Rome

The Christian Conquest of Pagan Rome,: Cicero (106-43 BC), writing in the period before Christ, cited the Twelve Tables of Roman Law when he wrote, 'deformed infants should be killed.' Similarly, Seneca (4 BC-AD 39) wrote, 'We drown children who are at birth weakly and abnormal.' . . .

Historical research reveals that infanticide was common throughout India, China, Japan, and the Brazilian jungles as well as among the Eskimos. Dr. James Dennis, writing in the 1890s, showed how infanticide was common in many parts of Africa and was 'well known among the Indians of North and South America.' Suffice it to say, for much of the world and throughout most of its history the culture of death and brutality has been the rule, and a culture of life, love, and mercy has been the exception.

Dublin suicide ‘workshop’ a bust

Dublin suicide ‘workshop’ a bust with twice as many protesters as attendees | LifeSiteNews.com: “Dr. Death” Philip Nitschke’s controversial visit to Ireland proved to be anti-climactic after only a handful of people turned out for his Dublin suicide workshop, over half of whom were journalists. The Australian Dr. Nitschke, one of the world’s most enthusiastic proponents of legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide, had attempted to vet attendees of the lecture, but had so few takers that he eventually decided to open the venue to anyone.

Even so, only 20 people attended, 12 of whom were with the press. During the lecture, over 50 people demonstrated outside, carrying signs reading “Suicide ‘workshop’ illegal and sick,” and “Lock up your grannies, Dr. Death is here.”

Canadian Court: Remove Baby's Life Support Despite Parents' Wishes

Canadian Court: Remove Baby's Life Support Despite Parents' Wishes | LifeNews.com: A Superior Court judge in London, Ontario has dismissed the request of a Canadian couple to overturn a decision requiring the removal of their baby’s feeding tube in a hospital instead of at home.

Joseph Maraachli, a one-year-old boy from Windsor, Ontario, has been at Victoria Hospital in London since October with a rare deteriorating condition that is not improving. The doctors who have cared for him want to remove his breathing tube but Moe Maraachli and Sana Nader took their battle to court to allow the tube to be removed at home, so the boy can die surrounded by his family.

10 Tips to Improve Memory

10 Tips to Improve Memory - Healthy Living Center - EverydayHealth.com: Having trouble remembering appointments, items you need at the grocery store, or where you put your keys? Everyone has moments when something slips their mind. If this has been happening to you with increasing frequency, try doing a few easy brain exercises each day to help improve memory.

Remedies for Sleep Problems Due to Aging

Remedies for Sleep Problems Due to Aging - Sleep Center - EverydayHealth.com: As people get older, their sleep patterns tend to change. Many older adults report being less satisfied with their sleep than they were when they were younger. But insomnia and other sleep problems are not a non-negotiable part of aging, and there are steps you can take to sleep better well into your later years.

Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Recipe for Elder Abuse

Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Recipe for Elder Abuse and the Illusion of Personal Choice: [Assisted suicide] acts empower heirs and others to pressure and abuse older people to cut short their lives. This is especially an issue when the older person has money. There is no assisted suicide bill that you can write to correct this huge problem.

Mitch Daniels Suggests Re-Examination of End-of-Life Care

Mitch Daniels Suggests Re-Examination of End-of-Life Care - Washington Wire - WSJ: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, who is considering a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, veered from his party’s orthodoxy on end-of-life care Friday, suggesting the nation cannot afford to provide every treatment and technology available for every single dying patient.

Venue cancels ‘Dr. Death’ Nitschke suicide workshop in UK

Venue cancels ‘Dr. Death’ Nitschke suicide workshop in UK: police alerted about Dublin appearance | LifeSiteNews.com: Dr. Philip Nitschke, Australia’s leading proponent of legalized suicide and euthanasia, has been barred from holding a “suicide workshop” in Sussex, England, and may be barred from appearing in Dublin. Irish anti-euthanasia advocates have written to police pointing out that counseling suicide is a crime in Ireland and have asked the scheduled workshop to be shut down.

Teacher Born With Down Syndrome Breaks Stereotypes

Teacher Born With Down Syndrome Breaks Stereotypes | wltx.com: From day one, 22-year-old Bryann Burgess came into this world with an extra obstacle. 'I was born with down syndrome, on August 20th, 1988,' Burgess said. Something that many would see as a difficulty, she turned into an inspiration. 'I'm studying music and theater. It's my major.' Bryann is a junior at USC's Carolina Life non-degree program.

Growing by Verbs

Growing by Verbs | Radio | Joni and Friends: How can you tell if you are growing? Ask yourself a few honest, direct questions. Is my sense of sin deeper? Is my hope brighter? Is my love toward others more embracing, more tolerant, more extensive? Do I hoard the gifts God gives me, or am I quick to bless others through those gifts? Is my spiritual discernment clearer? Is my faith stronger? Do I love Jesus more?

NHS shamed over callous treatment of elderly

NHS shamed over callous treatment of elderly - Telegraph: The UK's National Health Service is today condemned over its inhumane treatment of elderly patients in an official report that finds hospitals are failing to meet “even the most basic standards of care” for the over-65s.

Read related commentary from Secondhand Smoke

Magic pill for Alzheimer's?

Dr. Peter Gott: More than two years ago, British scientists reported a new drug that was designed to slow Alzheimer's disease. Rember was developed to target and dissolve 'tangles' in the brain that destroy nerve cells and lead to memory deterioration. While this (and other) drugs cannot reverse the devastating effects of Alzheimer's, it appeared to stabilize it. Results suggest the drug is almost 2-1/2 times more effective than existing drugs currently on the market.

Child With Missing Brain Shows Power of Human Spirit, Baffles Experts

A three-year-old boy has baffled doctors after he has started learning to walk, despite missing a key part of his brain. Chase Britton was born prematurely and an MRI scan at the age of one revealed he was completely missing his cerebellum – the part which controls motor skills, balance and emotions. The little boy, who is legally blind, also has no pons – part of the brain stem that regulates basic functions including breathing and sleeping.

The V-word should never be applied to any human, but that point aside, think very carefully about this story. Throughout bioethics, we have been told that anencephalic babies–that is, children without (generally different) parts of their brains (and parts of their skulls) are not “persons,” should be considered not human, should be considered as splendid sources for organ harvesting, etc. There was even an experiment in using such babies in that instrumental way. But because the principle that sick babies could be used instrumentally sunk into the heads of doctors, it had to be canceled because doctors were sending babies with other conditions to be organ suppliers. Secondhand Smoke

The Cross You Daily Bear

by Joni Eareckson Tada

“All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering” (II Thessalonians 1:5).

When it comes to the cross you daily bear, join me in agreeing that God's judgment is right. The cross you shoulder is not one inch too large nor one ounce too heavy, for the Lord especially hand-tailored it so that Christ's kingdom might be advanced through you. That alone is the highest of honors. EPM, page 5

2 physician-assisted suicide bills face off in Montana

amednews: 2 physician-assisted suicide bills face off in Montana :: Feb. 9, 2011 ... American Medical News: Hearings scheduled for Feb. 9 before the Montana Senate Judiciary Committee will examine two competing bills aimed at clarifying the legality of practicing physician-assisted suicide in the state.

The legislative proposals -- one would ban aid-in-dying, while the other would regulate it -- come on the heels of a December 2009 Montana Supreme Court ruling that doctors who prescribe life-ending medications for patients with terminal illnesses are not subject to state homicide statutes. The ruling left unclear whether physicians who provide aid in dying would be risking a medical liability suit or jeopardizing their license to practice medicine.

Idaho Legislation to Make Assisted Suicide a Felony

Idaho Legislation to Make Assisted Suicide a Felony » Secondhand Smoke | A First Things Blog: Many pro-life advocates worry that Idaho is on the target list for legalization of doctor-assisted suicide, probably by test court case, since there is no law specifically prohibiting it. A just-filed bill, S1070, seeks to change that.

Oregon sets record for assisted suicides

Baptist Press - Oregon sets record for assisted suicides - News with a Christian Perspective: Oregon established a record in 2010 for the number of physician-assisted suicides in a year with 65. The total, which surpassed the previous high of 60 in 2008, means Oregon has recorded 525 deaths by assisted suicide since its Death With Dignity Act took effect in late 1997.

That law permits terminally ill citizens of Oregon to take their own lives by using lethal doses of drugs prescribed by doctors. The report came amid some setbacks in Europe for what proponents call the 'death with dignity' movement.

Former brain trauma patient opens Subway shop

Former Staten Island patient opens Subway shop at Sea View Hospital | SILive.com: Boris Shnaydman is a walking miracle story as told by Sea View’s workers, doctors, nurses, anybody who recalls the 49-year-old Staten Island entrepreneur when he was a patient two years ago. It’s just that Boris has no idea what they are talking about. Or who they are. “I don’t remember a day,” Boris says. “People recognize me. Nurses, doctors, they all recognize me. I don’t remember nobody.”

'He's different now . . . but he's still the man I married'

To Ivonne Thompson, the best part about having a new house is she doesn't have to get dressed to go see her husband, Naval Petty Officer second class Anthony Thompson. "We're under the same roof all the time now," said Ivonne, 33. "I can go check on him in my pj's. I don't have to wake up A.J. to go to the hospital."

Anthony was stationed with a Marine unit near Fallujah, Iraq, when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive under an overpass. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, an incomplete spinal cord injury and a punctured right lung. He was awarded a Purple Heart for an injury sustained during battle. "He's different now, and he may have changed, but he's still the man I married," Ivonne said. "I love him." Houston Chronicle

Call over 'patient neglect' staff

The Press Association: Call over 'patient neglect' staff: NHS staff who neglect patients should be prosecuted in light of scandals such as that in Mid Staffordshire, experts have said. Between 400 and 1,200 more people died than would have been expected at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, investigations in 2009 and 2010 found.

Poorly trained staff were too few in number, junior doctors were left alone in charge at night and patients were abandoned without food, drink or medication. Some were left in pain or needing the toilet, or sat in soiled bedding for hours at a time. Experts writing in the Journal of Medical Ethics said staff should be prosecuted for such a 'gross dereliction of duty', as already happens in France.

State legislators in Hawaii drop assisted suicide bill

State legislators drop assisted suicide bill - Hawaii News - Staradvertiser.com: A proposal to legalize physician-assisted suicide was tabled at the Legislature tonight. After almost five hours of often emotional testimony -- mostly in opposition from the elderly, religious, disabled and health care provider community -- the committee voted to hold the bill. Although bills are never dead until session is over, the vote to hold the bill in committee means it would take a majority vote to reconsider the proposal.

Senate Bill 803 would allow a terminally ill, competent adult to receive medication to end life. The bill specifically prohibits mercy killings, lethal injections and active euthanasia, and requires patients to receive informed consent. Alternate doctors would be allowed to substitute for those who decline to participate, and the law also would provide immunity from civil and criminal liability for acts taken in good faith.

Documentary about right to die in Oregon wins prestigious prize

“How to Die in Oregon,” an film about the impact of Oregon’s 1994 Death With Dignity Act, has won the prestigious Grand Jury Prize in the US Documentary Competition at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It opens with cancer patient Roger Sagner drinking a lethal drug surrounded by friends and family and it includes an interview with Randy Stroup, an uninsured cancer patient who was offered death with dignity by the Oregon Health Department as a low-cost end-of-life option. BioEdge

German Court Liberalizes Rules for Right to Die Cases

German Court Liberalizes Rules for Right to Die Cases - NYTimes.com: In a landmark ruling that will make it easier for people to allow relatives and other loved ones to die, Germany’s highest court ruled Friday that it was not a criminal offense to cut off life-sustaining treatment for a patient.

The court overturned the conviction of a lawyer who last year was found guilty of attempted manslaughter for advising a client to sever the intravenous feeding tube that was keeping her mother alive, although in a persistent vegetative state. The mother had told her daughter that she did not wish to be kept alive artificially.

The verdict is likely to spur significant changes in the practice of assisted suicide and is certain to restart the debate over euthanasia and the right to die in Germany.

A Little Lesson from Ephesians

A Little Lesson from Ephesians... | Blog | Joni and Friends: Ephesians 3:10 tells me that as we face our trials courageously, our lives are elevated onto a cosmic field of warfare where the stakes are about as high as you can get – we either make His sustaining-grace famous by trusting Him, or we make His grace appear empty by not trusting Him. I want to be in the camp that trusts in the Lord. I think you do, too.

Help needed to ward off assisted suicide bill in Hawaii

Jackie Mishler, of Hawaii Physicians for Compassionate Care, sends out an urgent plea to anyone in her state:

If we can stop the bill to legalize Physician Assisted Suicide in committee now, PAS is unlikely to come to hearing again this year. Please attend the hearing in person for maximum effectiveness.

The Senate Health Committee will hear testimony on SB803 on Monday, Feb 7 at 2:45 PM in the Capitol auditorium. This bill would legalize Physician Assisted Suicide. Testimony is due by Sunday, the 6th, by 4:00 PM. If you miss the Sunday deadline, please send on Monday anyway.

If you cannot attend, testimony by email or fax also helps.

• Email - (copy and paste this into your web browser): http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/emailtestimony/
• Fax - Sgt at Arms, 586-6659; Toll Free 1-800-586-6659. Identify hearing as: SB803, Feb 7, 2011, 2:45 PM, Senate Health Hearing, Capitol auditorium

When you send your testimony, please identify yourself, state your position (I oppose SB803), and tell them why you feel this would be a bad bill for you, your loved ones, or the State of Hawaii. If you are coming to the hearing, please send testimony as well. Remember, EVERY testimony counts!

See testimony from our Executive Director Tom Lothamer here.

Lower Medical Standards Followed for Killing “Medical” Procedures

Wesley Smith notes a correlation between abortionist Kermit Gosnell's "Third-World" medical practices and the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands. "Whenever a doctor engages in termination without request or consent” (non voluntary euthanasia), and is called to legal account (very rare), the Dutch Medical Society goes ballistic because enforcing the law–technically euthanasia must be voluntary after repeated requests or it is murder–will “chill” medical practice. . . .

"We Americans have no cause to look down our noses at the Dutch. We countenanced Jack Kevorkian assisting suicides of patients even though he had lost his medical licenses and, as a pathologist who hadn’t treated a living patient since his residency in the 1950s, he would have been utterly incompetent to treat the people he helped kill. . . . 

"When medicine is transformed into a killing enterprise, we expect less of the doctors who so engage. Perhaps that is because with rare exceptions (therapeutic abortion), it isn’t really medicine. And those who want to ensure that doctors will be willing to make death happen, aren’t particularly concerned with the professionalism required in every other medical situation."  First Things

Medi-Share - the Biblical Healthcare solution

Medi-Share - the Biblical Healthcare solution - since 1993: Medi-Share is a community of more than 36,000 Christians who follow the biblical model of sharing and paying each other's medical bills much like the early church did 2,000 years ago. And as a not-for-profit ministry that promotes healthy biblical lifestyles, participation is affordable.

How does it work? Your fixed monthly share amount is used to match others healthcare costs. If you have a medical expense, Medi-Share participants will share your medical bills. In fact, since 1993 more than $490 million have been shared and saved leaving no medical needs unpaid for.

Death by medical breakthrough

Death by medical breakthrough | LifeSiteNews.com: Seventy-five years ago the Nazis targeted the disabled and the weak for extermination. Most of us now recognize as evil the idea that some people are less worthy of life than others. But, tragically, eugenics never seems to go away completely. It keeps coming back with a new name - such as “medical breakthrough.”

Exhibit “A” is an article on the ABC News website entitled, “New Down Syndrome Test Could Cut Healthy Baby Deaths.” Lynn Harris describes how, pregnant in her late 30s, she underwent a test at twelve weeks to learn if her baby had Down syndrome. The baby was perfectly healthy - but the test - called Chorionic Villus Sampling - ended up killing him.

But now there’s a blood test that can be performed in the first trimester—one that does not carry the risk of more invasive testing. It can detect Down syndrome with 100 percent accuracy, and can do so, according to one geneticist, “without any risk to the pregnancy.”

Family Retreats | Joni and Friends

Family Retreats | Joni and Friends: At both U.S. and International Family Retreats, persons with disability and their families receive encouragement and care in the comfort of a safe and accessible family camp environment. Enjoy fully-accessible and age-appropriate fun activities, be nourished by hearty home-style meals, and glean from meaningful conversations from a network of families who understand the challenges of life with disability. Short Term Missionaries (STMs) volunteer and are assigned to serve families with Christ-like encouragement and friendship. View the complete listing of our 2011 Family Retreats schedule and local camp sites for a date and location convenient to you.

Medical students performing intrusive exams on unconscious patients

Medical students are performing intrusive exams on unconscious patients | News.com.au: Australian medical students are carrying out intrusive procedures on unconscious and anaesthetised patients without gaining the patient's consent. The unauthorised examinations include genital, rectal and breast exams, and raise serious questions about the ethics of up-and-coming doctors.