Euthanasia Symposium in Saskatchewan

By Marcy Millette

The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition was in Saskatchewan on May 4 th with some of the best speakers this continent has to offer. Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director for the organization, was happy to have Wesley Smith and Rita Wolfe spend the day lecturing, training, and inspiring those attending the day's symposium.

The morning began with Mr. Schadenberg giving a brief historical overview of Euthanasia in Canada and abroad. Schadenberg elaborated on the Latimer trial and explained that Mr. Latimer cannot apply for the Royal Prerogative of Mercy for a full year following his request for a re-trial. While this may buy us a bit of time, we must continue to educate Canadian citizens because so many are being swayed by the media.

Mr. Schadenberg explained that Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide are technically different although both involve a third party.
Euthanasia is the taking of the life of another for the reason of mercy while assisted suicide has to be expressly requested by the patient. The resident of London, Ontario cited many statistics which convinced us of the urgency of this message. He ended his opening remarks with expressions of gratitude toward the disability movement. Their diligent lobbying has kept the liberal Canadian courts at bay and have even tipped the scales in some cases.

Mr. Wesley Smith, legal counsel for the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, impressed the participants of the symposium. Wesley Smith is the author of ten books, one of which was recently proclaimed as "Best Health Book of the Year for 2001" by the Independent Publisher Book Awards. "The Culture of Death" warns about the dangers of the modern bioethics movement while his most recent book, "Power over Pain", is a consumers' guide to obtaining good pain control.

Mr. Smith began his talk by acknowledging the moral crisis in the Western world. "We are talking about abandoning the most vulnerable instead of providing them with necessary treatment." He explained the Futile Care Treatment (FCT) phenomena which is now being tragically hailed by many physicians. The FCT is just another form of Euthanasia whereby the doctor decides to withhold treatment which may alleviate discomfort and even heal the patient, just because the patient will eventually die anyway. The doctors or institutions usually make these decisions based on monetary restraints and seldom based on the best interest of the patient.

"Evil is hardest to recognize in its own time," stated Mr. Smith. Canadians are applauding Robert Latimer for the deed of killing his own disabled daughter. Yet when Susan Smith purposely drowned her healthy boys in a lake, the whole world was outraged. What's the difference between Latimer and Susan Smith? Both killed their offspring. Was it perhaps acceptable to kill if that offspring was disabled? It was just as monstrous for Latimer to kill as it was for Susan Smith to kill. Yet one wasn't supposed to judge Latimer because it was "a hard case." It makes one think back fifty years to the "hard cases" in Nazi Germany.

The well-known author went on to teach us how to debunk popular misconceptions surrounding Euthanasia.

Myth # 1. Euthanasia is the same thing as pulling the plug. People are afraid of over-treatment, yet refusal of treatment is not Euthanasia. No one is forced to accept any medical treatment, although one must remember that food and water is not rightfully considered to be medical treatment as some institutions insist.

Myth # 2. Euthanasia is the same thing as giving pain control. That's a seductive statement but false if you follow the principle of double effect. If you want to do a good thing and the bad thing occurs, it is not wrong. Although pain control could lead to premature death, the intent is not death but rather control of pain which is perfectly acceptable.

Myth # 3. Euthanasia is only for the terminally ill. A 1997 quote from "Compassion and Dying" group reads as follows, "We have expanded our mission to not only include terminal illness but also patients who have an incurable illness." Would this now include diabetics or those suffering arthritis? Promoters of Euthanasia basically want death on demand.

Mr. Smith's presentation included a display of the infamous "exit bag." This lethal weapon is being illegally promoted in Canada and sold throughout the world indiscriminately. There appears to be no restrictions aimed at these death peddlers. We must step up our defence for the sanctity of life.

Both speakers cited numerous incidents of political manoeuvring by the Euthanasia proponents.

Even the Mental Health Professions have abandoned those crying out for help. Apparently, now the text books make a distinction between Rational Suicide and Irrational Suicide. The Journal of Modern Psychiatry lists rules of helping clients - they must validate the client's decision to commit suicide as well as assure that they are knowledgeable about various types of drugs.

We know from experience that guidelines do not serve the victims. One need only examine the result of guidelines in the Netherlands.

Mr. Smith's second talk was no less informative. "We have a bad case of expert-itis." "A doctor owes duty to all his patients. Leaving decisions to the individual conscience of each doctor really means that your doctor is no longer professional." "The 'personhood' theory is about who we can kill and get a good night's sleep."

Rita Wolfe's talk on "A Life Worth Living" touched her audience to the core. Her story is one of love, based on her family's response to two tragic illnesses. The Wolfe family's response to suffering is sharply contrasted to the response of the Latimer family to suffering. Rita witnessed the second Latimer trial and was able to turn the tide of media falsehoods with her actions. And her words continue to inspire us: "Tracy Latimer was killed because love ran out. Love never ever gives up."

Copies of the videos on all three speakers can be obtained by calling Mr. Alex Schadenberg at 519-439-3348 or emailing him at info@epcc.ca Thank you to Rita Wolfe, Alex Schadenberg, and Wesley Smith for an excellent conference!

Marcy Millette is the Saskatchewan representative on LifeCanada's Board of Directors and lives in Nipawin, Saskatchewan.