Posted on Tuesday 24th September 2024 at 11:54pm
Lobbyist complaints that the Dutch Groningen Protocol would worsen the rate of '650 babies euthanised each year' even worse, have been proven very wrong.
Nearily two decades ago...
It seems like such a long time.
The Groningen Protocol
Back in 2005, the Dutch Paediatric Association (NVK) ratified what is known as the Groningen Protocol. It was adopted into the nation's regulations in 2006. It allows for the termination of a neonate's life in very particular circumstances, via strict processes, and reported to the regulating authority, the LZA-LP.
Keywords:
Bull |
Fearmonger |
Fiction |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Euthanasia |
Groningen Protocol |
Netherlands |
Analysis |
Claim response |
Lobbying: Opponents |
Statistics |
Rhetoric: Nazi regime
Read more...
Posted on Saturday 14th October 2023 at 2:40am
Branka van der Linden shrilly cherry-picks one finding from a journal paper and tells whoppers about the Netherlands and other VAD jurisdictions.
I haven’t written for a while, but was prompted to do so by my friend and colleague Ian Wood. He pointed me to an email just sent about by Branka van der Linden of the anti-VAD “HOPE” blog site.
I've written about Ms van der Linden's musings before, including:
What’s the big deal?
In her email, Ms van der Linden wrote provocatively against the Netherlands’ voluntary assisted dying (VAD) law, citing a recently-published medical journal study of Dutch VAD cases that involved people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder (or both). The study is a legitimate examination of cases published by the Dutch Euthanasia Commissions, and contains numerous observations and some qualifications.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Flapdoodle |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Voluntary euthanasia (VE) |
Netherlands |
Branka van der Linden |
Article review |
Claim response |
Legislation |
Legislative reform |
Lobbying: Opponents
Read more...
Posted on Friday 18th March 2022 at 1:00am
The Anglican archbishop of Sydney has revealed profound ignorance by revealing he hasn't a CLUE what his own flock think about voluntary assisted dying law reform.
I've written previously about bishops demonstrating their ignorance, as in the example of Catholic Bishop Tim Harris who presumed most or all of his flock opposes voluntary assisted dying (VAD), when in fact a significant majority support it. This time it's the Anglican Sydney diocese archbishop who's loudly flaunting his biases.
Sydney Anglican archbishop Kanishka Raffel (pictured on the diocese website above), has launched a program calling on NSW parliamentarians to reject a bill that, with a large number of safeguards, seeks to make VAD lawful in the state. NSW is the last state in the nation that still outlaws the practice.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Australia |
New South Wales |
Frank Brennan |
Margaret Somerville |
Religion |
Christian |
Anglican/Church of England/Episcopal |
Legislative reform |
Lobbying: Opponents |
Rhetoric: Slippery slope |
Rhetoric: Suicide |
Rhetoric: The 'vulnerable'
Read more...
Posted on Thursday 13th January 2022 at 11:00pm
A repeat publisher against voluntary assisted dying for the terminally ill, Dr Marion Harris has let ‘er rip again in The Australian newspaper with eye-watering logical inanity, and misinformation about palliative care.
Dr Marion Harris recently published another op-ed, this one in The Australian, against legalising voluntary assisted dying for the terminally ill. Her “reasoning” is inane, failing the basics of Logic 101 and offering up misinformation about palliative care. It also comprehensively fails to mention her deep underpinning Catholic ideology.
Dr Marion Harris is an experienced Melbourne-based oncologist. Having practiced for some twenty years, she’s co-authored research papers published in the peer-reviewed medical literature regarding the assessment of treatments for particular kinds of cancer.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Flapdoodle |
Fudge |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Voluntary euthanasia (VE) |
Australia |
Victoria |
Catholic |
Rhetoric: The 'vulnerable'
Read more...
Posted on Monday 13th September 2021 at 8:07pm
The Canberra Times demonstrates why the mainstream media can sometimes be the problem in public-square debates publishing misinformation and failing to publish corrections.
Last month, the Catholic Archbishop of Canberra & Goulburn, Christopher Prowse, published an opinion piece about VAD in the Canberra Times. Naturally, Prowse's views were opposed, which is fine. A range of views is always welcome. Misinformation, however, is not.
It would be unreasonable to expect that the opinion editor of the Canberra Times, Andrew Thorpe, would be intimately versed in the empirical evidence about voluntary assisted dying (VAD). So, it was reasonable that he publish an opinion piece on the topic offered by Archbishop Prowse. What is not reasonable, however, is that the counter-opinion I promptly submitted, pointing out several points of significant misinformation, was not published. A month later, still nothing.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Flapdoodle |
Filibuster |
Flip-flop |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Euthanasia |
Australian Capital Territory |
New South Wales |
Religion |
Rhetoric: Palliative care can always help |
Rhetoric: Slippery slope |
Rhetoric: Suicide |
Rhetoric: The 'vulnerable'
Read more...
Posted on Wednesday 26th May 2021 at 4:03am
The other day, a TV commercial from more than 30 years ago popped into my head. In a rollicking exposé of hidden interests and purposeful agendas, I explain why.
The other day a TV commercial from more than 30 years ago popped into my head. It was a humorous slice-of-life scene in which a teenage son gobbles down a breakfast bowl of Sultana Bran cereal. He complains that his health-kick girlfriend had made him eat vegetarian the night before. His family eye each other with mirth as he eats.
The punch line? “Don’t mention it’s healthy and they’ll eat it by the boxful.”
The Kellogg's Sultana Bran TV commercial from 1990.
Despite having worked in advertising research for years, I’m sure I hadn’t thought of this ad for at least a couple of decades. So what brought this vignette suddenly to mind?
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Flapdoodle |
Filibuster |
Flip-flop |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Euthanasia |
Belgium |
Catholic Church |
Catholic
Read more...
Posted on Sunday 11th October 2020 at 11:19pm
The latest media release from the Australian Christian Lobby against voluntary assisted dying (VAD) law reform exposes the soft underbelly of their desperation -- headlining their argument with a bullshit anecdote.
"Bullshit!"
That was the reaction of Dutch Senator Erik Jurgens when I asked him about a Dutch euthanasia anecdote spread by Mr Paul Russell, then head of the Australian anti-VAD Catholic front organisation "HOPE". In 2011, Mr Russell had been spreading the story:
"I often use the story of the death of a 26 year old ballerina in Holland [sic]. She had contracted a form of arthritis at this young age and her dancing career and dreams were dashed. An American oncologist who spoke later to the killing doctor reported the Dutch medico as saying something like 'One doesn't like doing it, but it was her choice.'" — Paul Russell, "HOPE" [my emphasis]
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Australia |
Netherlands |
Paul Russell |
Religion
Read more...
Posted on Sunday 4th October 2020 at 4:13am
Swiss law allows assisted suicide with only one condition: assistance may be rendered for non-selfish motives. So has a significant increase in assisted deaths lead to so-called "suicide contagion"? I spill the beans.
Supposed Dutch suicide contagion from assisted dying
Recently, Dr Theo Boer, an Assistant Professor at a "black-stocking" (strongly conservative Protestant) theological college in the Netherlands, was at it again — criticising the Dutch euthanasia law to anyone who would listen: "don't follow the Dutch euthanasia law path because it leads to 'suicide contagion'".
I've exposed Prof. Boer's cherry-picked nonsense before. Astonishingly, he even ignores data from the Dutch Euthanasia Commission, despite the fact he used to serve on one of its five Regional Review Committees.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Australia |
Victoria |
Belgium |
Netherlands |
Switzerland |
Theo Boer |
Margaret Somerville
Read more...
Posted on Friday 18th September 2020 at 4:47am
A recently-published account of a grandmother's death paints a scathing picture of Victoria's voluntary assisted dying law. So what's its provenance? I expose a trail of vested-interest backing, leading to a particular source. Hold on to your hats…
A friend pointed out to me an opinion piece published this week in MercatorNet that slams Victoria's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) law. Written about an elderly woman with cancer who used the law to die peacefully, it's an angry diatribe written by the woman’s granddaughter-in-law: one Mrs Madeleine Dugdale.
Update 21-Sep-2020
Mrs Madeleine Dugdale's article has been withdrawn from MercatorNet without explanation. Here's a screenshot of the original.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Filibuster |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Australia |
Religion |
Catholic |
Claim response |
Legislation |
Rhetoric |
Rhetoric: Suicide |
Rhetoric: The 'vulnerable'
Read more...
Posted on Tuesday 15th September 2020 at 12:42am
If you're wondering how religious the organised opposition to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) law reform is, current ructions in Tasmania provide a marvellous petri dish of evidence.
If you're wondering how religious the organised opposition to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) law reform is, current ructions in Tasmania provide a marvellous petri dish of evidence.
Catholic church call to arms
Back in 2011, the now Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher, wrote a lengthy, deliberative editorial against VAD, calling on the church to enlist people with no obvious religious connections to help the church fight VAD law reform. He wrote:
“The man or woman in the street … may well be open to persuasion that permissive laws and practices cannot be effectively narrowed to such circumstances”; and
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Flapdoodle |
Filibuster |
Flip-flop |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Australia
Read more...
Posted on Sunday 30th August 2020 at 9:13pm
Hobart Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous makes a number of incorrect representations about voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in his recent Talking Points article (Hobart Mercury 23rd Aug). And, most of his own flock disagree with his opposed stance.
Hobart Catholic Archbishop Julian Porteous makes a number of incorrect representations about voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in his recent Talking Points article (Hobart Mercury 23rd Aug). And, most of his own flock disagree with his opposed stance.
Let's take a look at the facts, and the Archbishop's 'alternatives'.
NOTE: While The Hobart Mercury published Archbishop Porteous' arguments, they declined to publish this rebuttal.
Key points
- Archbishop Porteous wrongly equates VAD with general suicide and insinuates they are lonely deaths when they aren't.
- He claims that palliative care can always help, when palliative care peak bodies clearly state that it can't.
- He insensitively co-opts Covid-19 victims and their families into his arguments, despite them having nothing to do with VAD.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Australia |
Tasmania |
ANZSPM |
Palliative Care Australia (PCA) |
Religion |
Catholic |
Rhetoric: Palliative care can always help |
Rhetoric: Suicide |
Rhetoric: The 'vulnerable'
Read more...
Posted on Friday 21st June 2019 at 10:00pm
The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney has released a grotesque and appalling video that blatantly misrepresents Belgium's non-voluntary euthanasia practices as being 'caused' by their voluntary assisted dying law. They're not.
The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney has released a video which blatantly misrepresents scholarly research about non-voluntary euthanasia practices in Belgium. The lead author of the peer-reviewed research has slammed the video as "cherry-picked", "scaremongering" and "appalling". His full statement about the video appears below.
Watch the 1 minute video here.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Fudge |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Non-voluntary euthanasia (NVE) |
Australia |
Belgium |
Catholic |
Claim response |
Rhetoric: Slippery slope
Read more...
Posted on Thursday 23rd May 2019 at 2:39am
Plenty of Catholic propaganda is evident in Cabrini Health Palliative Care Director's "Palliative Care Week" editorial, opposing VAD for incoherent reasons.
Director of Palliative Care at Cabrini Health, Associate Professor Natasha Michael, yesterday published an opinion piece in The Age newspaper. In it, she rails against Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying (VAD) Act which comes into effect on 19th June. Instead she articulates an arrogant and prescriptive view of what Australians should and shouldn’t be allowed, consistent with Catholic dogma, as I uncover.
Michael, along with fellow devout Catholic Dr Stephen Parnis, ‘tirelessly’ opposed the introduction of Victoria’s VAD law. They continue to actively oppose it, and her opinion piece reveals her spurious ‘reasoning’.
The Catholic Healthcare brick wall
More than half of all palliative care services in Australia are delivered through Catholic institutions, of which Cabrini Health is one arm. These institutions have determined that VAD will not be available in any of their facilities or via any of their services, even if the individual patient and doctor are supportive.
This arbitrarily limits access to lawful choice by citizens.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Fudge |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Australia |
Victoria |
Catholic Church |
Legislative reform |
Lobbying: Opponents |
Rhetoric: Killing |
Rhetoric: Suicide
Read more...
Posted on Wednesday 10th April 2019 at 8:39pm
HOPE’s Director, Branka van der Linden, is at it again, foisting more misleading information on unwilling members of Parliament. I expose the rot and provide some background on Mrs van der Linden.
HOPE’s Director, Branka van der Linden, is at it again, foisting more misleading information about voluntary assisted dying (VAD) on unwilling members of Parliament. I expose the rot and provide some background on Mrs van der Linden.
Van der Linden’s latest email to all WA MPs states:
Subject: WA Report relies on troubling Belgian study
[MP Salutation] --
Did you know that a study showing that one person in Belgium is euthanised every three days without their explicit consent also found that:
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Flapdoodle |
Faith |
Australia |
Anthony Fisher |
Paul Kelly |
Paul Russell |
Alex Schadenberg |
Margaret Somerville |
Branka van der Linden |
Religion |
Catholic |
Claim response |
Legislative reform |
Lobbying: Opponents |
Statistics |
Rhetoric: The 'vulnerable'
Read more...
Posted on Tuesday 2nd April 2019 at 7:23pm
Anti-assisted-dying ginger group 'HOPE' continues to pedal egregious misinformation to politicians considering law reform: this time to Western Australian MPs.
The Catholic-backed anti-assisted-dying ginger group, HOPE, was represented for years by Paul Russell. He's retired and Branka van der Linden is now at the helm. But its penchant for pedaling egregious misinformation hasn't changed. Van der Linden recently sent an email to all WA members of parliament, containing three points.
Van der Linden's email reads:
Dear [MP salutation],
Did you know that the WA majority report that recommended assisted suicide for WA either dismissed or failed to report on the following statistics?
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Flapdoodle |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Belgium |
Netherlands |
Oregon |
Branka van der Linden |
Claim response |
Legislative reform |
Statistics |
Rhetoric: Slippery slope |
Rhetoric: The 'vulnerable'
Read more...
Posted on Monday 1st April 2019 at 9:59pm
Revealed – how Dutch ethicist Theo Boer uses smoke and mirrors to suggest assisted dying is out of control in the Netherlands, and a possible explanation why.
In my most recent article in the Journal of Assisted Dying, I forensically analyse Dutch ethicist Professor Theo Boer’s 2017 paper purporting to find suicide contagion from assisted dying in the Netherlands. It doesn’t go well for Professor Boer, to put it mildly. You can find the full article here.
I also find an astonishing coincidence that occurred in 2014, the year Boer went feral against the Dutch euthanasia law.
Multiple fatal flaws
Keywords:
Bull |
Fearmonger |
Flapdoodle |
Flip-flop |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Euthanasia |
Belgium |
Netherlands |
Article review |
Claim response |
Lobbying: Opponents |
Statistics |
Rhetoric: Suicide 'contagion'
Read more...
Posted on Sunday 25th November 2018 at 9:03pm
The Canadian Medical Association has quit the World Medical Association over assisted dying and plagiarism.
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has quit the World Medical Association (WMA) over assisted dying and plagiarism.
The WMA has long held that assisted dying is unethical and must be condemned by the medical profession, despite a significant proportion of contemporary doctors believing it to be a valid and ethical option in restricted circumstances.
Assisted dying is lawful in Canada, where it is called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Canada |
Catholic |
Rhetoric
Read more...
Posted on Saturday 11th August 2018 at 11:33pm
In this week's Senate debate, misinformation about indigenous Territorians' attitudes toward lawful assisted dying will abound. Senators should reject such rubbish.
In 1996 the Northern Territory Rights of the Terminally Ill Act (ROTI) came into effect. Just four people had used the Act when seven months later an Act of the Federal Parliament extinguished the NT law, by cancelling the Territories’ authority to enact it.
This week, the Senate [federal parliament] debates the Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Bill, sponsored by libertarian Senator David Leyonhjelm. If the Bill passes both houses, the Territories will again have the authority to legislate the matter of assisted dying.
Opponents of lawful assisted dying have been sharpening their knives to ensure that Senator Leyonhjelm’s Bill fails and that Territorians remain second-class citizens. In this post I expose one of the desperate and disgraceful pieces of misinformation opponents use to try and curry fear about law reform.
Opponent signals
There are signals from many quarters that assisted dying opponents are dragging out the tired old argument that indigenous Australians are too fearful of assisted dying to allow reinstatement of the Territories’ legislative authority.
The signals are clear, though so far mostly behind the scenes. Nevertheless, they predict a full onslaught of invalid “fear” claims in the parliamentary debate this week.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Filibuster |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Faith |
Australia |
Australian Capital Territory |
Northern Territory |
Religion |
Catholic |
Legislative reform |
Lobbying: Opponents |
Statistics |
Rhetoric
Read more...
Posted on Monday 13th November 2017 at 6:28pm
A new report to be published this week slams Jones & Paton’s 2015 “suicide contagion” study, and Kheriaty’s editorial of it, as unscientific and containing multiple substantial instances of bias.
In the ongoing political campaign against assisted dying law reform, opponents have spread one piece of egregious misinformation after another. One of the most common is supposed “suicide contagion” from assisted dying laws to general suicide, a theory popularised by Catholic Prof. Margaret Somerville. Despite the nonsense of her claim being comprehensively exposed, she still believes that her opinion “will prove to be correct.” Two journal papers published in 2015 purported to, but didn't, establish suicide contagion in Oregon and Washington states.
Note: the report is now published here.
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Fudge |
Fiction |
Assisted dying (AD) |
USA |
Oregon |
Catholic Church |
Margaret Somerville |
Analysis |
Article review |
Statistics |
Rhetoric |
Rhetoric: Suicide 'contagion'
Read more...
Posted on Friday 13th October 2017 at 10:11am
Anglican and Catholic bishops seem to be going out of their way to alienate their constituencies over social policy law reforms.
Anglican and Catholic bishops seem to be going out of their way to alienate their constituencies, including in respect of voluntary assisted dying and marriage equality law reform. As a result, the writing on the wall is writ large for the continued decline of religion in Australia.
Many Australian clerics are trying their hardest to foil Parliamentary attempts to drag Australia into the 21st century on social policy. They seem to care little for the ongoing demise of their own constituencies.
Religion declining since the 1960s
Keywords:
Fearmonger |
Faith |
Assisted dying (AD) |
Australia |
New South Wales |
Victoria |
Catholic Church |
Religion |
Christian |
Anglican/Church of England/Episcopal
Read more...