LIFEAlerts

LIFEalerts – Paedophilia

Paedophilia

Ireland – School curriculum content contain images of paedophilia

A senior Fianna Fáil TD had questioned the suitability of some books and films on the curriculum for English in both Junior and Leaving Certificate exams, claiming they contain descriptions and images of paedophilia, bestiality and torture.  Former minister Willie O’Dea said the issue was a “cause of concern” which needed to be examined carefully.  He pointed out that several texts on the NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) list had previously been banned from the curriculum in the UK and the United States. The Minister said, in the coming months, the list for both the Junior and Leaving Certificate curriculum would be reviewed. More

LIFEalerts – IVF & Surrogacy

IVF & Surrogacy

Australia – Specialist question the need for expensive add-ons of IVF

Two Australian IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) Specialists are questioning the need for expensive IVF add-ons that get offered to so many IVF clients. If standard IVF works, why all the expensive add-ons? They claim that many expensive IVF add-ons rest on very shaky evidence.

Take, for example, ICSI, intracytoplasmic sperm injection. First developed in 1992 (without clinical trials) as a way of treating male infertility, it has become the most popular method of IVF – even though the rate of birth defects appears to be a bit higher. The authors recently published an article in The Lancet based on data from Vietnam which claims that, ICSI – which is much more expensive — does not improve the chance of a baby when compared with standard IVF if men have a normal sperm count. “So why do clinics routinely offer it?”

Their hunch is that “doctors may recommend it for fear of patients’ reactions if the eggs don’t fertilise, even if ICSI doesn’t improve the ultimate chance of a baby for those with a normal sperm count.”

They conclude: “Couples with infertility belong to a very vulnerable group who will do almost anything to achieve a pregnancy. They deserve our dedicated care and evidence-based treatment.” More

LIFEalerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

Canada – Appeal to lawmakers considering legalizing euthanasia

In a 3-minute video presentation, Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of Euthanasia Prevention Coalition appeals to lawmakers to first examine the Canadian experience before legalizing euthanasia & assisted suicide. Hidden in the euthanasia debate are the stories of pressure and coercion. The following represent a sample of many stories from Canada…

Canada – Canadian Medical Health Association concerned about Euthanasia

In response to the Canadian government’s recent decision to permit Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) for people with mental illnesses, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) issued a statement expressing deep disappointment. According to CMHA, until the health care system adequately responds to the mental health needs of Canadians, assisted dying should not be an option. This they also testified before the Senate in November of 2020. CMHA points out that it is “not possible to determine whether any particular case of mental illness represents “an advanced state of decline in capabilities that cannot be reversed.” And the CMHA “know that cases of severe and persistent mental illness that are initially resistant to treatment can, in fact, show significant recovery over time. Mental illness is very often episodic. Death, on the other hand, is not reversible. In Dutch and Belgian studies, a high proportion of people who were seeking MAID for psychiatric reasons, but did not get it, later changed their minds.” More

Australia – Nurse loses license to practice

Maura Kathryn Bannister, 60, an Australian nurse who referred to herself as the “angel of death” lost her nursing license on March 19 but will unlikely face criminal charges. Civil And Administrative Tribunal of the nursing and midwifery board of Australia, in the Bannister case decided to: disqualify her from applying for registration as a health practitioner for a period of two years from the date of this decision, and prohibit her from providing any health service for a period of two years from the date of this decision. This follows because she administered an unprescribed dose of morphine to an elderly and frail family friend who was receiving palliative care at home after a fall. Knowing the woman had already taken one dose or morphine that morning, Ms Bannister then gave another dose “greater than that prescribed, without any direction from the general practitioner to do so”.

The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) in August 3, 2017, published a Netherlands study titled: End-of-Life Decisions in the Netherlands over 25 years. This study uncovers abuse of the law. In 2015 there were 150 assisted suicide deaths, 431 terminations of life without request in the Netherlands. The Netherlands euthanasia law did not prevent 431 terminations of life without request. The euthanasia lobby will argue that legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide will regulate and prevent these types of deaths, but in fact it normalizes it as an acceptable medical practice and makes it impossible to prevent or even censure someone who carries out similar acts. More

LIFEalerts – Abortion

Abortion

UK – Many Politicians hear evidence from experts on dangers of DIY abortions

In the last week of March 2021, a large number of Politicians attended a webinar to hear evidence from experts on the dangers of DIY abortions that put women at risk. Dr Calum Miller, an NHS (National Health Services) doctor and research associate at the University of Oxford who specialises in abortion policy, showed the inherent flaws in the practice of ‘telemed’ abortions. He provided evidence to politicians not only of the medical risks involved but also of how easy it was for coercion to take place.

Kevin Duffy, a former Global Director of Clinics Development at one of the world’s largest abortion providers, Marie Stopes International (now MSI Reproductive Choices) highlighted many serious medical risks and safety concerns arising from DIY abortions. In particular, Duffy provided evidence that there is massive underreporting of medical complications arising from DIY abortions. How? He used data obtained largely from Freedom of Information Requests sent to six different NHS trusts/hospitals. Further analysis of the data shows that “every month, 495 women attended hospital with complications arising from retained products of conception (RPOC) after a medical abortion.

Every month, 250 women after using the abortion pills, required hospital treatment to surgically remove retained baby body parts. Quoting several sources, Dr Calum Miller, noted that “abusers might be listening in on [telemedicine phone consultation] conversations” said the New England Journal of Medicine; “Consultations, when possible, are offered online, which may introduce further barriers to accessing support” said the UN Office of Drugs and Crime; and some women’s “living arrangements may not permit the privacy and confidentiality appropriate for patient care” said the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Dr Miller referred to recent research on the subject as well, noting one study which found that a quarter of women seeking an abortion were pressured by a partner to do so. Polling from earlier this year shows 87% of GPs were concerned that women were at risk of unwanted abortion arising from domestic abuse by partners controlling or monitoring their actions.

Similarly, recent polling of the general public found 86% of women were concerned about women being at risk of being coerced into an abortion by a partner or family member during the ‘at-home’ abortion process. Furthermore, 86% of GPs surveyed across the UK were concerned about women having a medical abortion past the legal limitof ten weeks’ gestation. Concern was highest among female doctors (91%). More

USA – New longitudinal study shows Abortion causes mental health problems

A new study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that abortion not only aggravates pre-existing mental illness but also can mark the onset of problems for women with no history of psychiatric disorders. The researchers examined more than 1.9 million medical claim records of women that induced abortion or had miscarriage of a first pregnancy and found that it increased the risk of postpartum mental health problems by 10 to 35%. It is the first peer-reviewed study to carefully control variables related to a prior history of mental illness and the timing of the first episode of mental health problems.  Lead author of the study Dr David Reardon is not surprised with the results and says “There is no question about the fact that abortion can aggravate pre-existing mental illness. But there are also women who report that the abortion marked the onset of problems that did not previously exist. Our data confirms that both pathways are true.” “Unresolved memories and feelings about pregnancy loss can lead to postpartum depression and even psychosis during a subsequent pregnancy.

Unresolved emotions will demand one’s attention sooner or later. I have spent the last 35 years treating pregnancy loss and unresolved grief for those struggling in the aftermath of an abortion which left them shattered with sadness, heartache, guilt, shame and anger. Many learned to numb themselves with alcohol and drugs. Some re-enact their abortion experience with promiscuity and repeat abortions, trapped in traumatic cycles of abandonment and rejection. Others suffer eating disorders, panic attacks, depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. Some have permanent physical and reproductive damage that rendered them unable to have children in the future. The excruciating level of pain I have witnessed inspired me to establish a treatment model to address the unique and complicated grief for both women and men who have lost a child through abortion. That program, Rachel’s Vineyard, is a psychological and spiritual journey for healing after abortion that has spread to more than 80 countries and is offered in dozens of languages throughout the world. Pregnancy loss is a death experience. It is the demise of human potential, relationship, responsibility, maternal attachment, connectedness, and innocence. Such a loss is rarely experienced without conflict and ambivalence.” MDPI, Lifesite News

USA – FDA endangers women by lifting safety restrictions on abortion pills

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has planned to lift safety restrictions on abortion pills that get posted to women without in-person consultation. The American Association of Prolife Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) who represents 7,000 women’s healthcare practitioners, have expressed deep concern in over the FDA’s decision and have issued a statement detailing their concerns has healthcare practitioners who will not support this due it jeopardizing the lives of their patients. A recent analysis of the Adverse Events submitted to the FDA with the safety restrictions in place shows over 3000 women suffering with complications, of which 24 of these women died, and another 500 would have died if they had not reached emergency medical care in time. These numbers will only increase if the current safety restrictions, that require a woman be seen and evaluated by a licensed healthcare practitioner before receiving abortion pills, are removed. This requirement is not restrictive – it is protective.

Many women are pressured into abortions by their partner, a family member, or a trafficker. Oftentimes, their visit with a physician in early pregnancy is the only chance these women will have to expose this pressure they’re facing. Screening for abuse and trafficking is inadequate during a telemed visit because the physician cannot control the environment of the woman on the other end of the screen, or know who is hovering behind the computer screen. AAPLOG would like the FDA and American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to explain why women seeking abortions deserve substandard medical care that places their lives at risk. AAPLOG, AAPLOG

UK – Influential committee criticizes legislation without discussion

Very influential, The Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (SLSC), a body within the House of Lords that scrutinizes proposed legislation, has released its Fifty First Report which draws “special attention” to Northern Ireland abortion regulations which enable Brandon Lewis to take action on rolling out abortion services in Northern Ireland. The committee pointed out that preventing discussion before the legislation takes effect “is particularly inappropriate when that policy is likely to be controversial, and the House may wish to ask the Minister to explain that decision”. In addition to its criticism of the swift passing of this legislation, the SLSC was able to pose a series of questions raising points that had been made by organizations, including Right To Life UK, in their submissions to the Committee. Publications Parliament, Right to Life

USA – Elective abortions for medical research resume

Federal officials have removed the Trump Administration restrictions on elective abortion fetal tissue for medical research. Government scientists will now continue to use fetal tissue that has in the past led to treatments for a variety of diseases, including COVID-19. Scientists at universities also can now apply for federal grants without getting approval from a special ethics panel for any such work. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra determined there were “no new ethical issues that require special review,” so the agency will return to using procedures that had been in place for decades before then-President Donald Trump’s administration changed the policy in June 2019, a statement from the agency said. More

LIFEalerts – LGBTQ+ Issues

LGBTQ+ Issues

UK – Research Review is sceptical of medical treatment for gender dysphoria

The biggest controversy in medicine at the moment is the appropriate treatment of children with gender dysphoria. Transgender advocates claim that puberty blockers are important for their mental health and that the treatment effects are reversible. However, a preliminary study by the UK’s National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has found that the science supporting this view is of low quality. The reason the low quality was because All of the studies in the review of the literature were flawed. They were all uncontrolled observational studies, which are subject to bias and confounding; they had relatively short follow-up; most of them did not report comorbidities (physical or mental health); most of the studies were poorly reported and used a confusing variety of scoring tools and methods.

In relation to body image and psychosocial impact, says NICE, the results “are of very low certainty”. “Studies that found differences in outcomes could represent changes that are either of questionable clinical value, or the studies themselves are not reliable and changes could be due to confounding, bias or chance.” The NICE study also found that certainty of the impact to improve mental health and quality of life by using gender-affirming hormones on depression, on anxiety, on quality of life, on suicidality and self-injury was all “very low”. BBC, Bioedge, NHS Evidence 1, NHS Evidence 2

UK – Fundamentally flawed report by LGBT used to ban talk therapy dismissed

The 2020 Conversion Therapy & Gender Identity Survey was produced by Stonewall, Mermaids, GIRES, LGBT Foundation and the Ozanne Foundation. These LGBT lobby groups are trying to put pressure on the Government to ban so-called conversion therapy but the report has been dismissed as “fundamentally flawed”. Michael Biggs, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Oxford, said the report lacks credibility. Prof Biggs pointed out that the 20-page report was produced without the involvement of any credible social scientist, and that the study’s cohort was “not sampled from a defined population, as in a proper scientific survey”.

He continued: “Out of a total 1504 responses to the survey, only 51 respondents had undergone ‘gender identity conversion therapy’. Of these, 8 ‘felt it worked completely’. Therefore, the survey identified only 43 people who reported negative experiences. This number is surely a slender basis on which to propose new legislation.” Respondents were recruited online by the same organizations that are campaigning for legislation and the pamphlet does not provide the questionnaire completed by the respondents, as is standard in scientific research. Prof Biggs said: “No objective criteria are provided to define transphobia; the epithet apparently serves to exclude responses that contradicted the legislative agenda of the organizations funding the research.” The report’s definition of conversion therapy is extremely broad and covers everything from “‘severe physical and sexual violence’ including rape”, to “voluntary counselling by an NHS psychotherapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist”. Prof Biggs pointed out that acts of sexual violence are “abhorrent”, but are “already serious crimes, and so legislation is not required to outlaw them”. Prof Biggs concluded: “In sum, then, the research reported in the pamphlet has little, if any, scientific value. It reinforces the impression that the proposed legislation is motivated by the desire to further institutionalize gender ideology rather than the need to address a real social problem.” More

UK – Doctors risk patient safety by confusing sex and gender

In a new study published in the British Medical Journal, indicates that Doctors who deliberately confuse sex and gender could be putting patients at risk of being given “ineffective” or “inappropriate” treatments. Senior medical researchers from the University of St Andrews say the significance of biological sex is being ignored by some medical practitioners, which can result in male or female-specific treatments being offered to the wrong people.

Dr Margaret McCartney, of the University’s medical school, said: “There are many instances of sex and gender being confused by the research community and society more broadly. “Unless we identify and count categories correctly, we will end up with errors which serve all populations poorly, including minority populations.” The warnings come as the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said the evidence of clinical effectiveness and safety of giving cross-sex hormones to people who wish to ‘change sex’ is of “very low” quality. More

South Africa – Home Affairs adds third gender to Identity Documents

Gender activists have welcomed a move by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to take into account the wishes of transgender, non-binary (neither male or female) and intersex people in allocating identity numbers. According to the draft, the DHA aims to introduce a National Identity System (NIS), in order to guard against identity theft and to digitise identity management. All information about the identity of citizens and non-citizens in South Africa will be stored on the NIS. Included in the draft policy are options for ID numbers to take into account transgender, non-binary and intersex people. The DHA, which is responsible for these changes, plans to consult with LGBTQ+ communities on its proposal. It will take a few years for any changes to take place, as recommendations move through the consultation towards legislation and implementation. But, “the identity number will change to accommodate the LGBTIQ community,” confirms Sihle Mthiyane, the Department of Home Affairs head of policy and strategy who is responsible for planning the new system. QZcom, Businesstech

LIFEalerts – Medical Ethics

Medical Ethics

USA – New York drops stem cell research

In 2007 New York State created a fund for research on stem cells, including human embryonic stem cells. However, it has been quietly dropped in the State’s current budget. According to Science, “Researchers expect the termination to be especially harmful to the study of human embryonic stem cells.” However, the program has experienced serious problems in recent years and has only distributed $400 million so far. In 2016, its board stopped meeting and reporting expenditures on its website. A government official told Science that stem cell science should “advance within academic and private research communities rather than the Department of Health, which is focused on its core mission of delivering direct services and achieving positive health outcomes for all New Yorkers.” More

China – Joined USA in making human-monkey chimeras

Researchers in China and the United States have injected human stem cells into primate embryos and grown chimeric embryos for up to 20 days. Despite ethical concerns, the scientists says that the procedure has potential for providing insights into developmental biology and evolution, into disease and transplants, and into drug development. In the current study, six days after the monkey embryos had been created, each was injected with 25 human cells. Human-monkey chimeras do raise worries, said the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: “In the specific case of neural transplantation and chimera research, the slippery slope concern is that if small increments in mental capacities develop in transplants or chimeras, there will be no logical point at which the research should be stopped, or it may not be possible later to institute policies to block research that could result in nonhuman animals with unacceptable human capabilities.” More

LIFEalerts – IVF & Surrogacy

IVF & Surrogacy

USA –  Fertility clinics are being taken over by profit-driven companies selling false hope

Rachel Strodel, a first year med student describes how the fertility industry is dangerously glossing over what science tells us these treatments can and can’t offer. “Assisted reproductive technology is a potent tool for empowerment for some, and can bring a peace of mind that we should not take lightly. Yet the industry is increasingly exploiting anxieties about reproduction without addressing the urgent inequities, unfounded promises and disregard for medical best practices in the field.” Rachel feels that it’s time to establish an independent government body that can regulate industry practices and ensure women get the information they need to make fertility decisions that are right for them.

the American Society for Reproductive Medicine lifted the experimental label in 2013, a move that normalized the use of egg freezing as part of infertility treatment. However, they did not recommend the procedure’s use for delaying childbearing. There wasn’t enough evidence, the committee wrote, that the benefits of this type of egg freezing outweighed potential financial and emotional risks, and it warned that “marketing this technology for the purpose of deferring childbearing may give women false hope.”

“Nonetheless, companies like Facebook and Apple began offering egg freezing as a perk to their employees. This and a host of other factors — the increase in the average age of marriage and childbearing, technological advancements in egg freezing and the legalization of same sex marriage — have pricked the ears of venture capital funds and private equity firms eager to cash in.”

Today, fertility companies and standalone egg-freezing centers cater to people who “aren’t necessarily infertile but want the ability to decide when to have children without worrying about declining fecundity (ability to have babies). Doctors know that while the uterus doesn’t age, eggs do. — a leading reason why females over the age of 35 often have trouble getting pregnant. Egg freezing allows people to keep their eggs young while they get older.”

Fertility start-ups in the USA were giving “free hormone tests that indicate how many eggs a woman has left, but not her overall fertility. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists doesn’t endorse this test as a reliable predictor of reproductive ability in people who are fertile. But the fact that their directive is being ignored is a sign that some level of additional oversight is needed, because self-regulation isn’t cutting it.” Bottom line, the U.S. would be wise to follow the UK’s example to establish an analogous agency to body regulate the all aspects of assisted reproductive technology. It could also require that clients be educated on the effectiveness of tests and procedures offered at these centers — and even ensure that clinics follow standards of care. More

LIFEalerts – Paedophilia

Paedophilia

Arizona – Pedophile Red Flags to Look Out For

Psychotherapist Dr. Karen Ruskin outlines some common red flags to point out potential pedophiles. 1. Pedophile spends more time with children than adults. 2. Pedophile expresses interest in the same things your child likes. 3. Pedophile frequently offers to give your child a ride, to take your child shopping to “help you out,” and looks for any other way to be alone with your child.4. Pedophile is overly affectionate with children who are not his/her own. Be involved in your child’s life — typically molesters target children who do not get a lot of attention from parents.  Do not dismiss your child’s claims or observations about other people or things that happened to them. More

LIFEalerts – Pornography

Pornography

USA – Sexually violent acts prevalent on Pornhub and other major porn sites

Sexually violent pornography scripts are commonly promoted on the main pages of Pornhub and other widely accessed porn sites. The British Journal of Criminology published an article  titled “Sexual violence as a sexual script in mainstream online pornography,” which analyses the presence of sexually violent material on major pornography sites. Fiona Vera-Gray, an assistant professor at the Department of Sociology of Durham University in the United Kingdom who specializes in the subject of sexual violence, was the lead author. They found that one in eight titles shown to first-time users on the first page of mainstream porn sites describe sexual activity that constitutes sexual violence. According to the analysis, the most common themes include incest and non-consensual actions, which include content where subjects are described as being “drugged,” unconscious or very young. Article in BJC, Reporting article

USA – Mastercard Adds New Rules to Confront Pornography Site Abuses 

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) commended Mastercard for instituting new rules on banks that process payments for pornography tube sites. Banks will need to certify that the seller of adult content has effective controls in place to monitor, block and, where necessary, take down all illegal content. Mastercard will also require the pornography websites to document the age and identity of anyone depicted in or uploading the content. Pornhub have come under fire for profiting from videos depicting child rape, sexual assault, incest, and non-consensually shared content. NCOSE founded in 1962, is the leading national non-partisan organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation. More

Germany – Authorities Bust Major International Child Porn Site

German authorities, in conjunction with Europol and law enforcement agencies in the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, the United States and Canada, busted a child porn platform on the dark net with over 400,000 registered members. “Boystown,” as the platform is called, was used by pedophiles and could only be accessed through special software. The site is designed to allow pedophiles to view and upload images of child sexual abuse without being detected by law enforcement. Three administrators of the site were charged. As part of the services they offered, they helped users evade detection from law enforcement. Most of the images on the platform were of young boys, including what authorities described as images of most severe sexual abuse of toddlers. More

UK – Dad takes legal action to protect sons from porn

Ioannis Dekas, 52, a father of four is taking legal action against the Government over its failure to implement promised age-verification checks on pornographic websites. Regulations to require pornographers to introduce strict age-verification checks online were approved under the Digital Economy Act 2017, but the plans were dropped in October 2019. The Government’s proposals for a replacement age verification system are significantly weaker, and there is currently no date set for the new Online Safety Bill. Children are being harmed by the lack of age-verification – a breach of the Government’s legal duty to protect them. Mr Dekas had noticed a “drastic” change in his son’s behaviour before he found out that their son had viewed porn due to peer pressure. He stressed that “porn is harming our young people”. More

UK – Government lays out plans to protect users online

Social media firms will have to remove harmful content quickly or potentially face multi-billion-pound fines under new legislation as stated in the Queen’s Speech. It is “especially” geared at keeping children safe. The draft legislation, previously known as the Online Harms Bill, has been two years in the making. It covers a huge range of content to which children might fall victim – including grooming, revenge porn, hate speech, images of child abuse and posts relating to suicide and eating disorders. But it goes much further, taking in terrorism, disinformation, racist abuse and pornography, too. More

LIFEalerts – Euthanasia

Euthanasia

South Africa – Medical doctor and patient wants doctors to kill their patients

A medical doctor and her patient, both terminally ill, are giving evidence in their bid to legalise euthanasia in South Africa. The actual legal challenge will only be heard in the Johannesburg High Court later this year but have been giving their evidence during virtual proceedings chaired by retired Judge CJ Claassen. The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), the Justice Minister, and the National Director of Public Prosecutions are opposing the application. The HPSCA has argued that palliative care in South Africa is sufficient enough to alleviate suffering. They also claim that assisted suicide could be abused by unscrupulous doctors and families who want to benefit from hastening a patient’s death. The Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) will be bringing expert evidence from Oregon, Colombia, Canada, and the Netherlands where the right to die is legal. More

Portugal – Constitutional Court Rejects Euthanasia

Portuguese Parliament had earlier this year voted to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, comfortably approving five “right-to-die” bills. Now, Portugal’s Constitutional Court has rejected the parliament-approved bill seeking to legalize euthanasia, declaring that its text presented a threat to the principle of “inviolability of life.” The ruling noted the “excessively imprecise nature of the concept of unbearable suffering” contained in the bill, as well as lack of clarity on “the concept of severe irreversible damage.” As a result, the bill will now return to parliament, where the governing Socialist Party reportedly promised to simply reword the bill and attempt to pass it once more. For now, though, Portugal has avoided legalized euthanasia once more.

Catherine Robinson, a spokesperson for U.K. based Right to Life noted that “This is typical of euthanasia legislation and could eventually lead to its expansion. Why, after all, would we limit euthanasia only to those who are terminally ill and over 18 if they are otherwise in ‘unbearable’ pain? Children and adults can be in ‘unbearable’ pain without being terminally ill. If the justification for euthanasia lies in being in ‘unbearable’ pain then, it seems unfair to limit euthanasia to only those who are terminally ill.” Robinson also pointed to a report conducted by the Oregon Health Authority, which revealed that “only slightly more than a quarter of those who died by assisted suicide in Oregon listed ‘inadequate pain control, or concern about it’ as one of their end of life concerns. Far more significantly a full 94.3% of patients were concerned with being ‘less able to engage in activities making life enjoyable’. 93.1% were concerned with ‘losing autonomy’ and ‘loss of dignity’ was a concern of 71.8% of patients.” More

Latvia – Rejects Euthanasia Initiative

After a long debate, the Latvian Saeima rejected a citizen’s initiative to legalize euthanasia by a vote of 49 to 38. Opposition MP Viktors Valainis said euthanasia would be the easiest way for severely ill people to escape intolerable pain, yet it is “absolutely unacceptable” because it ignores a number of problems in palliative care. At the same time, the Member stated that he was prepared to do everything necessary to improve the medical sector in the country. Saeima deputy Anda Čakša recognized the topic of euthanasia as a call for help. She believes there are two important aspects – the accessibility of analgesia and palliative care and what are the people’s rights to refuse aggressive health treatment. However, the topic of euthanasia should not be on the table while the issue of palliative care remains unresolved. More