Physician-assisted death includes both physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia. The court and society have thrust assisted-death squarely into the laps of physicians and we are now left grappling with what this will look like. My perspective as a palliative care physician on living and dying has been shaped by the thousands of patients and families Read more
Seriously ill Catholics in state-funded palliative care are at risk of being deliberately killed, a British bishop says. Bishop Philip Egan’s pastoral message followed a report which concluded 650 people died at a hospital within his diocese between 1989 and 2000 after they were given large doses of painkillers without medical justification. Egan said he Read more
David Seymour claims that submissions opposing his bill are the result of a campaign of “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt” from an anti –assisted dying lobby spouting mistruths about the bill. He is seeking to influence the Justice Select Committee to reject submissions and in so doing undermining the democratic process. Seymour’s baseless allegations are deeply Read more
A Vancouver medical authority’s hospice and palliative care facilities now include a medically assisted death provision. The Fraser Health Board’s decision to impose the provision on their facilities has been widely criticised. A number of people have rejected the decision. They include Vancouver’s Archbishop J. Michael Miller, the director of Fraser Health Board’s palliative care Read more
A palliative medicine physician with 28 years experience in caring for patients and their families at the end of life has challenged ACT party MP David Seymour’s claim that doctors intentionally end peoples’ lives by giving them too much morphine. Dr Sinead Donnelly said she was affronted by the fact that “a politician would imply Read more
The very English model of hospice and palliative care was originally adopted largely uncritically in New Zealand, says Professor Merryn Gott. “But given the bi-cultural context of this country, we need to know what Māori want at end of life and how services can be better directed to meet their needs.” Working bi-culturally is the Read more
I walked past two friends of my daughters, fundraising for the Mary Potter Hospice in Wellington. As well as feeling proud that these young women were choosing to fill their free time with such worthy pursuits, the sight of the “hospice” logo brought back some very vivid memories for me. Some years ago now, my gentle Read more
In 15 years of practicing medicine, I have had one conversation about euthanasia and a handful about medical marijuana. Alternative therapy comes up most days but the vast majority of my conversations as an oncologist are about prolonging life. They are about doing the utmost to extract the last drops from a finite life, if Read more
Bestselling author Dr. Atul Gawande’s new book focuses on medical care for the dying. In an interview, he speaks with SPIEGEL about end-of-life priorities, when treatment is a mistake and how rules in care homes are made to be broken. SPIEGEL: Doctor Gawande, are you beginning to feel your age? Gawande: Without question. I had Read more
The British parliament is ready to discuss euthanasia very soon. Even Lord Carey, the retired Archbishop of Canterbury finds merit in the argument for voluntary euthanasia. Other nations are already committed. I It’s clear that New Zealand will one day vote in a voluntary euthanasia law. But the ‘slippery slope’ from voluntary euthanasia to non-voluntary Read more