Doctors say ‘do not resuscitate’ Down’s syndrome man

Doctors say ‘do not resuscitate’ Down’s syndrome man | News | The Christian Institute: A family is taking legal action after doctors placed a ‘do not resuscitate’ (DNR) order on a male patient who has Down’s syndrome. The man, who also suffers from dementia, was in hospital in Margate to have a feeding tube fitted. The family were unaware of the decision made by the doctors despite visits almost daily. The DNR form was only discovered when carers found it in a bag on the man’s return to his care home.

Related: Daily Mail article on abortion of IVF babies for Down’s syndrome reveals frightening attitudes to disability

'via Blog this'

Aging population 'is leading to crisis in end-of-life care'

Ageing population 'is leading to crisis in end-of-life care' - Telegraph: Britain faces a growing crisis in its ability to care for people dying of cancer, dementia and other long-term diseases, doctors are warning.

'via Blog this'

Massachusetts religious communities divided over doctor-assisted suicide measure

Massachusetts religious communities divided over doctor-assisted suicide measure - News - Boston.com: In the broadest terms, the teachings of most forms of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam oppose ending life before natural death. Eight prominent Reform rabbis began circulating a letter to their colleagues Monday argu­ing in a gentle tone against the ballot question, which would allow a coherent patient who is expected to survive six months or less to ask a physician for life-ending medication. “Although Reform Judaism gives personal autonomy great weight, Judaism has always under­stood that life is a gift and that ultimately life belongs to God,” the letter says.

Opposition is not uniform. A few denominations, like the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, with about 22,000 members in Massachusetts, officially support the concept. The Unitarians and other mainline Protestant denominations typically do not take positions on specific state proposals.

'via Blog this'

Health minister says disabled should have help killing themselves

Health minister's assisted suicide comments condemned by SPUC Pro-Life: In an interview in The Times newspaper, Britain's new health minister Anna Soubry called it "ridiculous" that disabled and chronically-ill people are not given help to kill themselves in Britain."

Related: Italy "too Catholic" to legalize killing the disabled

'via Blog this'

Euthanasia campaigner faces another challenge

Euthanasia campaigner faces another challenge - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation): An inquiry into Dr Nitscke's application to import the euthanasia drug nembutal was launched by the Australian Medical Board last year. He is now facing a second investigation, into his role in promoting and importing nitrogen cylinders that can be used for euthanasia, and his suitability to practice medicine.

'via Blog this'

Dutch coma prince 'should leave UK so he can die' in Netherlands

Dutch coma prince 'should leave UK so he can die' in Netherlands - London - News - Evening Standard: Prince Friso, 43, has been in a coma for six months after he was caught in an avalanche while skiing in the Austrian resort of Lech. His wife Princess Mabel has been keeping a vigil at his bedside at the Wellington Hospital in St John’s Wood with his mother Queen Beatrice flying to London almost every weekend to be at his bedside.

Netherlands senator Heleen Dupuis said: “It’s questionable whether the prince will ever have a normal life again. Had the prince been sent to a Dutch hospital, doctors would probably have turned off the life support systems because there is such a slim possibility that he will ever recover.”

Editor: Yes, without a doubt, if the prince had been in the Netherlands they would have pulled the plug.

'via Blog this'

DVDs available: Human Life Alliance conference on euthanasia

Human Life Alliance - Cart: Imposed Death: A Conference on Stealth Euthanasia 2012 exposes common misunderstandings associated with Living Wills and end-of-life decisions. This DVD Set documents society's progress down the "slippery slope" of assisted suicide and euthanasia to dehumanize the elderly, disabled, and medically vulnerable. Price: $20.00 each. Includes:

Talk 1 Alex Schadenberg: Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide; Let's Be Clear About What It Is
Talk 2 Ron Panzer: Stealth Euthanasia
Talk 3 Julie Grimstad: Health Care Decision Making-Part 1
Talk 4 Julie Grimstad: Health Care Decision Making-Part 2
Talk 5 Alex Schadenberg: Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia
Talk 6 Cristen Crebs: Hospice
Talk 7 Mary Kellett: Hospice and Euthanasia for Children
Talk 8 Questions and Answers

'via Blog this'

New test touted as a life-saver, but is it really?

The Telegraph headline read, "Blood test for Downs 'could avert 300 miscarriages a year'" because more invasive and dangerous tests could be avoided. But how many more children with Down syndrome will be killed as a result? The correspondent writes that Down syndrome affects about 750 babies a year. Presumably he's only talking about the UK.

The article cited Professor Kypros Nicolaides (of the Harris Birthright Research Centre for Foetal Medicine at King’s College Hospital in London) as saying, “For every 10,000 women, 30 carry foetuses with Downs.The current process picks up 27 but miss[es] the other three. With the new test, we will pick up all 30.”

Does that mean all 750 will be aborted? No. Current figures suggest anywhere from 67% to 85% (502 to 637) of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. So presumably 10% more Down syndrome babies would be detected before birth because of this "better" test, and none missed -- unless parents opt out of testing. Perhaps 10% more would be aborted.

Additional reading:

• Unexpected Blessings - What's it like having a child with Down syndrome? Hard? Scary? Yes, but the author has also found many blessings in life with her daughter Ava.
• Our Blessing, a.k.a. Down Syndrome

Euthanasia guides adopted in Netherlands

Euthanasia guides adopted in Netherlands - UPI.com: An agreement on joint guidelines on euthanasia was reached between the associations representing doctors and pharmacists in the Netherlands, officials said. The new guidelines replace those developed five years ago by the pharmacists, and not only contain technical information about the amount of a drug to be administered, but also explain for the first time why a certain method has been chosen.

'via Blog this'