The Doctor Ordered Her Own Family to Physically Hold her Down

https://www.dailywire.com/news/34014/netherlands-elderly-woman-forcibly-euthanized-paul-bois

By Paul Bois, August 3, 2018

One inherent consequence that so-called "Death with Dignity" advocates seem to ignore is the possibility that doctors and family members will pressure people into euthanasia or assisted suicide for convenience.

A case in the Netherlands takes that one step further, as an elderly woman was euthanized against her will by family members eager to move on with their lives.

How to Help Those Considering Suicide

By Anna Kucirkova 

We are facing a suicide epidemic in the United States, and throughout the world.

Suicide rates are up by 30 percent across the nation since 1999, according to a recent report by federal health officials. That increase comes even as the CDC notes that only about half the people who died by suicide had a known mental health condition, which has long been considered the ‘cause’ of suicide.

These facts are critical for all of us to understand, as they point to the silent and misunderstood nature of suicide, which often falls under the unfortunate umbrella term ‘mental illness.’ 

An Open Letter to the Center for Disease Control

Thank you for your press release regarding increased suicide rates in the US. Please consider the following factors not mentioned in the release.

1. The release discusses rising suicide rates begining in 1999. Oregon's assisted suicide law, legitimizing and encouraging suicide, had gone into effect just two years prior, in late 1997.

Local media then glorified assisted suicide deaths, for example, of Lovelle Svart, who was filmed taking the lethal dose and then dying at a suicide party. Indeed, local media encouraged readers to both listen and watch as Ms. Svart drank the lethal dose.

Quick Facts About New York State Euthanasia Bills (Paulin, Savino)

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

For a pdf version, click here.

1.  Euthanasia & Assisted Suicide

The bills, A. 2383-A & S. 3151-A, are titled “Medical Aid in Dying.” This is a traditional euphemism for active euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. The bills seek to legalize these practices.

2.  Definitions (Traditional)

“Assisted suicide” occurs when a person provides the means or information for another person to commit suicide, for example, by providing a rope or lethal drug. If the assisting person is a

physician, a more precise term is “physician-assisted suicide.”

“Euthanasia” is the direct administration of a lethal agent to cause another person’s death. Euthanasia is also known as mercy killing.

California Judge Rejects Motion to Overturn Decision Invalidating Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Law

Judge Daniel Ottolia has rejected a motion to vacate his decision overturning the deceptively named, "End of Life Options Act," which had legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia. 

The act remains null and void. For more information, click here  

Portugal Euthanasia Bill Defeated

"Euthanasia is a recipe
for elder abuse."

Portugal’s parliament rejected on Tuesday a bill that would have legalized euthanasia. The measure lost 115 to 110, with 4 abstentions, in the 230 seat parliament

Prior to the vote, hundreds of people protested in front of the parliament building, carrying placards, including "Euthanasia is a recipe for elder abuse."

California: Heirs Risk Forfeited Inheritance & Murder Charge If They Kill Victims Under Void Act

By Margaret  Dore, Esq.

In California, a person commits murder in the first degree via "willful, deliberate, and premeditated killing."[1] California also has "slayer statutes," providing that murderers shall not inherit from their victims. As an example, California's Probate Code states:

(a) A person who feloniously and intentionally kills the decedent is not entitled to any of the following:

(1) Any property, interest, or benefit under a will of the decedent, or a trust created by or for the benefit of the decedent or in which the decedent has an interest ...  [2] 

Judgment Entered Declaring Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Law Unconstitutional & Prospectively Prohibiting Use

Alexandra Snyder, Esq.

Yesterday, Riverside County Judge Daniel A. Ottolia entered judgment declaring California's assisted suicide/euthanasia law void as unconstitutional. The judgment states:

The Court held the End of Life Option Act ("Act") was passed by a special session of the Legislature in violation of Article IV § 3(b) of the California Constitution because the Act is not encompassed by any "reasonable construction" of the Proclamation granting the special session the authority to legislate. The Court therefore held that the Act was void as unconstitutional.

California Assisted Suicide Law Is Unconstitutional; Decision Upheld by Appeals Court

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Last week, Riverside Superior Court Judge, Daniel Ottolia, overturned California's assisted suicide law when he ruled that the legislature acted outside the scope of its authority [when enacting it]

California passed the state's assisted suicide law in a special health care funding session after the legislature failed to pass the assisted suicide bill in its normal session.

Judge Ottolia, held that "the End of Life Option Act [legalizing assisted suicide] does not fall within the scope of access to healthcare services," and that it "is not a matter of health care funding."

New Zealand Euthanasia Bill Delayed by Mass Replies

Raymond Hoa, MP

An unprecedented surge in public submissions has seen a bill legalising voluntary [and non-voluntary] euthanasia in New Zealand pushed back until next year.

SBS News - An unprecedented outpouring of feedback about a bill legalising euthanasia in New Zealand has seen a potential law change delayed.

The parliamentary committee considering the controversial End of Life Change Bill - which would give people with "a terminal illness or a grievous and irremediable medical condition" the option of assisted dying - has received more than 35,000 submissions already.

Assisted Suicide Bill Defeated in Guernsey

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

The Guernsey parliament, today, defeated a proposal to legalize assisted suicide in the British Island state by a vote of 24 to 14.
This is incredible news considering the resources that the assisted suicide lobby invested into passing assisted suicide in Guernsey, that they viewed as a possible "opening" to the legalization of assisted suicide in the UK.

A coalition of groups formed to defeat the bill included disability rights groups - Not Dead Yet UK, and the Guernsey Disability Alliance, also the British Medical Association, and the Care Not Killing Alliance in the UK. 

Finland Slashes Citizens' 'Dying With Dignity' Initiative for Euthanasia

A citizens' initiative on "active death help" or euthanasia has been overwhelmingly rejected by the Finnish parliament.

The vote was 128 to 60.  For more information, click here.

Judge Rules California Assisted Suicide Law Unconstitutional

NAPA, Calif.,  Life Legal  — A California judge overturned the state’s assisted suicide law this morning, ruling that the legislature acted outside the scope of its authority when it enacted the End of Life Option Act.

The Act’s sponsors introduced the bill in a special session of the legislature convened by Governor Jerry Brown to address Medicaid funding shortfalls, services for the disabled, and in-home health support services.

Margaret Dore Testifies

Margaret Dore, testifying against Bill A.2383-A, seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in New York State. For more information, see Dore's bill analysis, at these links:  memo and appendix

Margaret Dore Testifies Against New York Bill Seeking to Legalize Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

NEW YORK CITY - Margaret Dore, president of Choice is an Illusion, issued the following statement in connection with her testimony today before the New York Assembly Health Committee in opposition to Bill A.2383-A.

Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia

“The bill is sold as ‘aid in dying,’ which is a traditional euphemism for assisted suicide and euthanasia,” said Dore. “The term is also misleading in the context of the bill, which is not limited to dying people.”

Rhode Island Bill Will Create the Perfect Crime

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

(206) 697-1217 

Providence, RI -- Attorney Margaret Dore, president of Choice is an Illusion, which has fought assisted suicide legalization efforts in many states, including Rhode Island, made the following statement in connection with last night's hearing on a bill seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in that state.  (Bill H 7297) 

"There is a bill pending before the Rhode Island House of Representatives, which seeks to legalize physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia as those terms are traditionally defined," said Dore. “The bill seeks to legalize these practices for people with years, even decades, to live.”

“The bill is sold as assuring patient choice and control. But when you look at what the bill actually says and does, the bill is a recipe for elder abuse.” Dore explained, "The patient's heir, who will financially benefit from the patient’s death, is allowed to actively participate in signing the patient up for the lethal dose. After that, no doctor, not even a witness, is required to be present at the death. If the patient objected or even struggled, who would know? The bill will create the perfect crime.”

New Jersey Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dore: "The bill seeks to legalize ‘aid in dying,’ a traditional euphemism for euthanasia.”

“The bill is sold as assuring individual choice and control. The bill is instead stacked against the individual and a recipe for elder abuse.”

Contact: Margaret Dore
margaretdore@margaretdore.com
(206) 697-1217

Trenton, NJ – Attorney Margaret Dore, president of Choice is an Illusion, which has fought assisted suicide/euthanasia legalization efforts in many states and now New Jersey, made the following statement in connection with today’s legislative hearing on a bill seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in that state. (A 1504, hearing Monday, 03/12/16, noon).

New York Debate: Thank you Dawn Eskew and Everyone Else Who Came and Contributed

Dawn Eskew

Thank you to Dawn Eskew and everyone else who helped put on yesterday's debate. 

We had a great turnout and Dawn as the moderator, kept everyone in check, including me.

We had a number of people who came a long way, including Alex Shadenberg from Ontario Canada and Kate Menzia from Missoula Montana

It was also very interesting getting feedback from people on the other side.  

Thank you to everyone who donated their time or money to make the event possible. Donations are still needed to cover expenses and to move forward with future events. 

To make a tax deductible donation, please click here,

To make a non tax deductible donation for political advocacy, please click here.

Thanks again!

Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA, President

Choice is an Illusion, a nonprofit corporation opposed 

to assisted suicide and euthanasia, worldwide

www.margaretdore.org

www.choiceillusion.org

This Saturday, Register Now, Seats Limited!

New Hampshire: Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Study Bill Rejected for Now

Senator Donna
 Soucy, Esq.

By Ellen Kolb*

SB 490 was a gateway to assisted suicide, and the Senate just slammed it shut for now

On a 12-10 vote, the New Hampshire Senate has killed a bill that would have paved the way for assisted suicide. I did not see that result coming. Thank-yous are in order, including one I didn’t think I’d ever be writing.

Voting “inexpedient to legislate,” sending the bill into the trash heap: Senators Bob Giuda, James Gray, Harold French, Ruth Ward, Gary Daniels, Kevin Avard, John Reagan, Donna Soucy, Regina Birdsell, Chuck Morse, William Gannon, and Dan Innis. If any one of them had voted differently, today’s outcome would have been different.

Utah: House Passes Bill Criminalizing Assisted Suicide

Rep Michael McKell

Jessica Miller, The Salt Lake Tribune 

The Utah House passed a bill Tuesday that would criminalize helping someone commit suicide — despite some concern from lawmakers that the bill could unintentionally target physicians or family members of terminally ill patients.

Rep. Michael McKell, R-Spanish Fork, has sponsored House Bill 86, which would amend Utah’s manslaughter statute to include assisted suicide. This means a person would be guilty of a second-degree felony — which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison — if prosecutors can prove he or she provided “the physical means” for someone to commit suicide.

"Prescribe or Refer" Is Anti-Patient: Doctors Are Not Allowed to Use Their Best Judgment for Individual Patients (No More Jeanette Halls)

Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

By Margaret Dore Esq., MBA - updated 05/12/18

A Wisconsin bill seeking to legalize assisted suicide, requires the patient's attending physician to "prescribe or refer" i.e., to write a lethal prescription for the purpose of killing the patient, or to make an effective referral to another physician, who will do it.

The bill, AB 216, also says that the attending physician's failure to comply is "unprofessional conduct" such that the physician would be subject to discipline. The bill states:

[F]ailure of an attending physician to fulfill a request for medication [the lethal dose] constitutes unprofessional conduct if the attending physician refuses or fails to make a good faith attempt to transfer the requester's care and treatment to another physician who will act as attending physician under this chapter and fulfill the request for medication. (Emphasis added).*

A significance of prescribe or refer is that it's anti-patient, by not allowing doctors to use their best judgment for individual patients.

Vermont Report on Assisted Suicide (and Euthanasia)

From True Dignity Vermont

On January 15, 2018, the Vermont Department of Health presented its first report to the legislature and public on the implementation of the state’s physician assisted suicide [and euthanasia] law.  The legislature had passed the law, Act 39, in 2013 and replaced it in 2015 with Act 27, which maintains Act 39 under “Oregon-style” regulations, including a requirement for biennial reporting.

The law has been in effect for four years, and the current report covers all of them.

Join Us For An Exciting Event

Saturday March 3rd, 2018

Doors Open 12:00pm  | Event 12:30pm

One hour debate followed by 15 minute Q&A

Complimentary Refreshments

Tickets are $10
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/euthanasia-or-aid-in-dying-you-decide-tickets-41520189003

Hofstra University Club, 225 Hofstra Blvd, Hempstead, NY 11550

To print an event flyer Click Here

For more information: 631-487-7578

Delaware: Death Certificate Falsification Requires Opposition to HB 160

Kirk Allison, PhD

Dear Legislators:

I directed the Program in Human Rights and Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health from 2006-2016 and am a past chair of the American Public Health Association's Ethics Special Primary Interest Group (now Ethics Section).

While working on my dissertation I was a visiting preceptor (research rotation) at the Hennepin County (Minnesota) Medical Examiner's Office. It was greatly impressed upon me the need for scientific accuracy in the medico-legal documentations of death.

Victoria's Euthanasia Bill Is Not What it Was Promised to Be

Fabian Stahle has issued a thoughtful and detailed report regarding Oregon's six months of live criteria, which is determined in practice to include people with years to live, and not necessarily on a voluntary basis.

The material below is on page 4 of his report, regarding Victoria, which recently enacted a similar standard. I urge readers to also consider his entire report at this link.

Utah: Assisting In Suicide Should Have Legal Recourse

Deseret News Editorial Board

Occasionally, someone commits a crime so heinous and disturbing it leads to demands for specific changes in law. Such is the case in Utah in the wake of the suicide of a 16-year-old girl and the efforts of a young man accused of helping, abetting and encouraging her.

A bill before the Utah Legislature would add assisted suicide to the state’s manslaughter statute. That is an appropriate measure that could give law enforcement authorities more prosecutorial leverage.

Iowa: "Slippery Slope" Is Real

The question of suicide facilitated by medical professionals, physician assisted suicide (PAS), has garnered a great deal of interest on this editorial page. While many of us have poignant stories to tell, anecdotes do not suffice when debating such crucial matters for society.

In the past, Editorial Page Editor Mr. Jon Alexander has rightly advocated for the importance of research in public policy. However, he seems to have set aside his own advice in this case. A careful look at the data from around the world would have revealed that, far from being a “red herring,” the “slippery slope” argument is based not on irrational fear, but on solid information.

Oregon Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia Law Applies to Diabetics

The article below leaves out that "diabetes mellitus" (diabetes) is listed in Oregon's annual reports as an "underlying illness" sufficient for death under Oregon's assisted suicide/euthanasia law.

Click here to view a declaration by Oregon doctor, William Toffler, explaining why this is true. Click here to view the report by Fabian Stahle, quoted below.

Diabetics Eligible For Assisted Suicide &  in Oregon, State Official Say 

By Bradford Richardson - The Washington Times - January 11, 2018

Patients Unprotected Due to "Eraser" Clause (Paragraph 25)

Debating Chamber

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

New Zealand's bill seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia has passed first reading.[1]

The bill's explanatory note claims that patients will be protected by a "comprehensive set of provisions to ensure free choice, made without coercion." In fact, patients who die under the bill will not even be protected against predators who willfully fail to follow the touted provisions.

Update: Woman Who Mistakenly Thought She had a Terminal Illness Meets Her Rescuers

BC:  A Ladysmith artist who survived five hours in the frigid waters of the Salish Sea in late October and the rescuers who gave her a second chance at life were both struck with emotion as they met again in Ladysmith on Sunday.

 “They were absolutely amazing and so compassionate and it was just such a beautiful meeting – I totally remembered the faces of the two guys that pulled me out of the water, ” said Mya DeRyan.

Woman Tries To Kill Herself After Terminal Diagnosis Only To Find Out It Was Wrong

By Katie Serena

After receiving a terminal diagnosis, Mya DeRyan decided to end her life on her own terms -- but things didn't quite go as planned.

A Canadian woman has discovered a “new lease on life” after a close call with death.

Last month, Mya DeRyan was fished from the frigid waters off the coast of Vancouver, after jumping from the deck of a ferry.

Is Self-Administration Enforceable?

By Margaret Dore, Esq.

Victoria's deceptively named Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill uses the term, "self-administer," at least 30 times.[1] Indeed, self-administration of the lethal dose was a major selling point of the bill, to convince the public and Parliament that patients would be in control.

But, the term is not defined.

Wrap Up Australia: New South Wales and Victoria

Rachel Carling-Jenkins, Victoria MP

Two weeks ago, the Upper House of New South Wales defeated a bill seeking to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia.[1] Last week, Victoria's Upper House went the opposite direction, voting to approve a similar bill 22 to 18.[2]

The vote in Victoria was disappointing, but featured a marathon debate in which MPs, such as Rachel Carling-Jenkins, focused on what the bill actually said and did, which is not what proponents claim.

The Victoria bill is expected to return to the Lower House to address amendments.

For more detail regarding Australia, click here.

Diane Coleman's Letter to Members of the Victoria Legislative Council Opposing Assisted Suicide

Diane Coleman, JD

I am writing behalf of Not Dead Yet, a national disability rights group in the U.S. that opposes legalization of assisted suicide. We understand that a proposal in Victoria would pertain specifically to neuromuscular disabilities. This letter will focus on misdiagnosis and the uncertainty of terminal predictions by doctors, as well as the significance of breathing support for those of us with these conditions. My own experience illustrates the issues.

Australia: Bill to Legalize Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Defeated in New South Wales

NSW Legislative Council

Today, the New South Wales' Upper House voted against a purported "Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill."

The bill would have legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia, on both a voluntary and non-voluntary basis, for dying and non-dying people. The vote 19 to 20.

To learn more about assisted suicide and euthanasia in Australia, click here.

South Dakota: Measure Dead

An initiated measure, seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia in South Dakota, is dead. From the Associated Press:

"Supporters said Monday that they didn't collect enough signatures for the proposed ballot questions."

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to get this result.

Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA, President

Victoria: Elder Abuse Demands No Vote

Margaret Dore

Margaret Dore, an experienced attorney specialising in elder law in Washington State, where assisted suicide is legal, has urged Victorian MPs “to reject the proposed bill seeking to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.”

Her analysis of the purported "Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2017," which would legalise euthanasia as well as assisted suicide, can be read in full here.

Dore points out that in “Oregon and Washington State, most people who die under their [assisted suicide] laws are elders, aged 65 or older. This demographic is already an especially at risk group for abuse and financial exploitation. This is true in both the US and Australia.

An Open Letter to the Parliament of Victoria: Say "No" to Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia

I am a lawyer in Washington State USA where assisted suicide is legal. Last year, I presented as an expert on assisted suicide to a Victoria Parliamentary Committee in Oregon USA. I am writing to urge you to vote "No" on the proposed euthanasia bill, which allows non-voluntary deaths for non-dying people.  

Specific problems:

1. Patient protections are unenforceable due to the bill's "accordance" language;
2. Assisting persons can have an agenda, for example, to obtain an inheritance, or in the case of a doctor, to obtain cover for medical error.
3. The bill allows the death to occur in private without witnesses. If the patient objected, or even struggled, who would know?

Victoria's Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Bill: Oregon's Statistics Provide Little, If Any, Support for Passage Due to Physical Pain

By Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

According to Oregon’s official government statistics, there were 47 people who died under its assisted suicide law in 2016, who expressed the following concerns:

Inadequate pain control or concern about it. (Emphasis added).[1]

With use of the word, “or,” the total number of persons with inadequate pain control could have been zero. In the alternative, the total number could have been as high as 47.

Margaret Dore Analysis Opposing Victoria Euthanasia Bill

Council Chamber

To view this analysis as a pdf, click the following links containing, an index; a memo; and an appendix

I.  INTRODUCTION

I am an attorney in Washington State USA where assisted suicide is legal.[1] I am also president of Choice is an Illusion, a nonprofit corporation opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia. Last year, I met with a parliamentary delegation from the Legal and Social Issues Committee, Parliament of Victoria, to discuss Oregon’s law and related issues.

Washington’s law is based on Oregon’s law. Both laws are similar to the proposed bill, titled the “Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill.” The bill, however, is not limited to voluntary deaths or to people near death. I urge you to reject this measure.

Teen Accused of Helping Friend Commit Suicide Could Face Trial for Murder

Jchandra "Jelly" Brown

To see article and video, click here.

PROVO, Utah (KSTU) -- A judge will decide if a Spanish Fork man will face trial on a murder charge in the suicide of a 16-year-old girl.

Utah County prosecutors argue that Tyerell Przybycien's actions led Jchandra Brown to kill herself, and he should be tried for first-degree felony murder and a class B misdemeanor charge of failure to report a body. His defense lawyers argued that Brown was responsible for her own actions.

Washington Post: "I’m dying of brain cancer. I prepared to end my life. Then I kept living."

To view the entire article, click here.

In April 2015, at the age of 55, I was diagnosed with one of the most lethal and aggressive brain tumors, a brainstem glioblastoma multiforme in an advanced stage. The prognosis was both grim and precise: Without treatment, I might have a few months; with treatment, I could last six months. If I beat overwhelming odds, I’d toast the new year one last time.

Bi-Partisan Resolution Opposing Assisted Suicide Introduced in Congress

By Rebecca Duberstein

Congressman Wenstrup

Yesterday on September 27, Congressman Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) held a press conference announcing the introduction of a resolution (H.Con.Res.80) expressing the sense of Congress that assisted suicide “puts everyone, including those most vulnerable, at risk of deadly harm and undermines the integrity of the health care system.”

New Zealand: Māori Party Candidate Urging No Vote on Labour Due to Assisted Suicide Support

http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/election/2017/09/m-ori-party-do-not-vote-for-labour-over-euthanasia.html

A Māori Party candidate is urging people not to vote for Labour because of the party's stance on assisted suicide.

In a statement released by the party, Tuilagi Saipele Esera, Māori Party Candidate for Manukau East, said Labour's intention to legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide was against Christian and Pacific cultural values. . . .

The Death with Dignity Bill was put to Parliament in 1995 and 2003 but failed to pass. In 2012, the End of Life Choice Bill was also unsuccessful.

U.S. House Votes to Repeal D.C.'s Death With Dignity Law (Assisted Suicide & Euthanasia)

Rep. Tom Graves

By Jenna Portnoy, The Washington Post

The U.S. House on Thursday passed a spending bill that would block five laws affecting the District of Columbia, including the city’s new assisted-suicide law.

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District’s nonvoting representative in Congress, must now rely on the Senate to not take up and approve identical measures. If the Senate does not act, it would effectively stall for another year congressional efforts to rein in the District through spending-related measures.

Rep. Tom Graves (R-Ga.), chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that has jurisdiction over the District, said Congress by law has extensive power over the District but has allowed the city to assume more power over time.

South Dakota: Reject Initiated Measure

An initiated measure pending in South Dakota seeks to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia as those terms are traditionally defined. If enacted, it will apply to people with years or decades to live. It will also encourage elder abuse and financial exploitation, which are already significant problems in South Dakota. The measure will make a bad situation worse.

To learn more, click here.

Margaret Dore, Esq., MBA

New Zealand: Major inquiry on voluntary euthanasia does not recommend law change

Simon O' Connor

""It probably comes down to the simple question of 'How many errors would Parliament would be willing to accept in this space?'"

To read the entire article, click here:

Committee chairman Simon O'Connor said the report did not make any formal recommendations to the Government about whether euthanasia should be legalised. It instead provided a summary of the arguments for and against assisted dying.

New Zealand: Cultue of Glamorizing Death Behind Suicide Rise?

http://www.investigatemagazine.co.nz/Investigate/21439/culture-of-glamorizing-death-behind-suicide-rise

Several years ago, against the advice of many, restrictions on discussing suicide in the news media were lifted.

Change advocates, with the best of intentions, argued that our suicide problem had to be brought into the open in order to change things.

Opponents relied on research showing that wider discussion of suicide tended to tip already vulnerable people over the edge.

Now the figures are in. New Zealand is enduring a big jump in suicides, particularly in the 18-24 age group, and experts are again wondering whether we are discussing it too much.

Coupled with a continual push in parliament every year for the introduction of euthanasia, and the accompanying sympathetic news media coverage glamorizing what is in effect a culture of death, is it any surprise that vulnerable people are seizing opportunities to top themselves and add to the national hand-wringing that is building up?

There would be few adults who haven't - even if only for a split second - considered the option in response to what seems like an overwhelming problem at the time.

Reasons for suicide are complex. Commentators argue economic pressure is a factor, and on the surface that is undoubtedly true. But it is more about 'expectations'. Our media and society create expectations about what life should be like in NZ, and if life doesn't match the dream we get depressed.I was shocked fifteen years ago when we sent an Investigate magazine journalist to the Philippines to discover that our suicide rate was much higher than that country where kids raided garbage bins for food. The people there, despite their lot, were collectively happier than rich but
dissatisfied New Zealand.

Sometimes suicide is purely about glamour, like a series of high school kids who killed themselves in 1984 in Auckland as part of a cult of death they'd become emotionally entangled in. They were not individually suicidal as such, but peer pressure and the sadness spread like a virus.

The bigger issue is: is talking about it every day in the media, and endorsing it as an option via euthanasia, sending a blunt message to the vulnerable? We cannot on the one hand decry suicide, yet on the other speak up in favour of killing yourself in other circumstances. A mentally unwell person doesn't make the fine distinction between physical pain from a terminal illness and the mental pain they themselves are suffering - they just hear community support for suicide.

Maybe it's time to think again about how much attention we give suicides in the media.