Commentary and News

Physicians for Compassionate Care Education Foundation Pledge: The next step in fighting assisted suicide

Physicians for Compassionate Care Education Foundation have kindly provided a downloadable .pdf pledge for physicians. "The pledge, which is an adaptation of the Hippocratic Oath, has been created in three different versions that can be downloaded, printed, and framed" to hang on an office wall. If you are a doctor, please consider joining PCCEF in opposing physician-assisted suicide. 

November 7, 2008

The Resistance Begins: Declaring Non Cooperation with Culture of Death in Washington State

By Wesley Smith, Secondhand Smoke

One of the most important services that medical professionals can offer to the people they serve, I think, is to declare their offices and facilities to be "assisted suicide free zones." Indeed, I hope that medical organizations create plaques and certificates that doctors and health care facilities can mount on office walls. Read more...

November 6, 2008

Dire Straights: Assisted Suicide Passes in Washington State

The culture of death once again has the wind in its sails after being moribund, at least as to assisted suicide, since 1994. There are many reasons for the loss having to do with the overwhelming financial backing from all around the world in favor of assisted suicide, to a popular former governor as spokesperson, an in-the-tank media that were full cheerleaders for the pro side, to a local campaign in opposition that was, to put it politely, very disappointing in its vision, imagination,and execution.

But none of that matters now. Here's what we face: There are very powerful people of the George Soros stripe, with a great deal of money, who are committed to pushing this agenda throughout the nation. And you have determined activists leading the charge, people like Barbara Coombs Lee and Kathryn Tucker who are not only expert propagandists, but very capable politicians. In the last several years they moved the euthanasia/assisted suicide movement in this country away from the crackpot model--e.g. Derek Humphry and his suicide machines--and into what I call the professional model, in which very well tailored, upper middle class or rich activists network with other well tailored, upper middle class or rich professional types, to move the agenda forward--in elections, in the courts, in legislatures, before organizations and media to obtain endorsements, etc. Read more...

Washington Becomes 2nd US State with Legal Assisted Suicide
Pro-life campaigners warn more to come unless resistance intensified

By Hilary White

OLYMPIA, Washington, November 5, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The state of Washington voted to allow legal assisted suicide according to the Oregon model in yesterday’s ballot. Initiative 1000, the Washington “Death with Dignity Act,” which allows physicians to prescribe a fatal dose of medication to patients whom a doctor feels is likely to die within six months, passed in the state 59% to 41%.

The measure was formulated in imitation of Oregon Measure 16, which was passed in 1994. Euthanasia movement supporters donated enormous sums of money to press Washington’s Initiative 1000 forward, believing that, should it pass, the “domino effect” would soon help to legalise assisted suicide in other states. Read more...

Washington Becomes Second State to Legalize Assisted Suicide in Election Vote

by Steven Ertelt

Olympia, WA (LifeNews.com) – The state of Washington has joined Oregon to become the second state in the nation to legalize the grisly practice of assisted suicide. Voters in the northwestern state approved I-1000 despite strong opposition from pro-life groups, doctors organizations, disability rights activists and Catholic voters.

With 42 percent of the vote counted in the state, I-1000 carried with the support of 58 percent of voters compared with 42 percent who opposed assisted suicide.

Opponents of assisted suicide had a hard time competing with the money thrown at them from the pro-euthanasia groups that outspent them as much as 12-1 thanks to out-of-state money. Read more...

November 5, 2008