Daily Archives: March 1, 2017

A paralysed DJ ended his own life with the press of a button in Switzerland after a fruitless campaign for euthanasia in his native Italy.

Fabiano Antoniani died at a euthanasia facility in Forch after reportedly triggering the lethal substance.

The 40-year-old had campaigned for a change in the assisted suicide law in his homeland, but Italy's parliament had shelved the debate 11 times.

Former MEP and activist Marco Cappato, who travelled with Mr Antoniani to Switzerland, could face criminal charges after helping escort the musician to the facility.

Police have questioned him over the death, he said onTwitter.

Mr Antoniani was left blind and tetraplegic by car crash in 2014. The DJ dropped his phone while driving and smashed into the car in front of him as he tried to pick it up.

Also known as quadriplegia,Tetraplegia is paralysis caused by illness or injury that results in the partial or total loss of use of all four limbs and torso.

He appealed to Italy President Sergio Mattarella for the right to die, and shortly before his death, criticised the country for failing to pass laws allowing him to do so.

Finally I am in Switzerland and, unfortunately, I got here on my own and not with the help of my country, he said, in a message posted on social media shortly before his death.

Fabo died at 11.40am. He decided to pass away, respecting the rules of a country which is not his own, MrCappatowrote on Twitter, shortly after he died.

Roberto Saviano, an Italian journalist, who was a friend of DJ Fabo, also wrote: We distinctly heard you ask for a dignified death. There is no possible justification for the silence that youve achieved in response.

There is no possible justification for the lack of empathy, of attention, and humanity, from the European Parliament, and from the country, which by fate, you were born in.

In one of Mr Antonianis last Facebook posts, he wrote: F*** the boredom f*** the problems f*** the sickness.

Euthanasia is illegal in Italy, a traditionally Catholic country, but the law upholds a patients right to refuse care.

A bill to clarify assisted suicide law has been postponed in Italy three times, but according to La Stampa, will be debated by the Chamber of Deputies this week.

Hundreds have travelled to Zurich to end their lives since the Dignitas organisation was set up in 1998.

The number of assisted suicides in Switzerland, according to statistics from Dignitas and Exit, stood at 416 in 2011 but 1,004 in 2015.

In the UK, awoman suffering from Crohn's disease last month said she will pay 10,000 to end her life in Switzerland because of social care cuts.

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Paralysed Italian DJ takes own life in Swiss clinic after fruitless euthanasia campaign in his native country - The Independent

Research funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that people were united in compassion for those with terminal illnesses. Photograph: Greg White/Reuters

Brigit Forsyth, the actor best know as Thelma in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? is currently playing a terminally ill musician on stage. Her character in Killing Time says shes a prime candidate for a one-way trip to Switzerland. Forsyth has disclosed that her GP grandfather helped dying patients end their lives and that she is in favour of euthanasia. Her comments are the latest in a long line of opinions on legalised assisted dying reported in the press, which has a habit of oversimplifying the complex arguments for and against. And this seems to be damaging our ability to hold meaningful public debate on the subject.

With this in mind, a study funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation sought the views of people with strongly opposed opinions on the matter. Participants in both groups included people with palliative care backgrounds, older and disabled people, those from organisations concerned with care and support and individuals from academic, social work and policy backgrounds.

What emerged is a surprising amount of common ground. People with apparently polarised views on legalising the right to die often shared areas of interest and concern. It is these areas that should form the basis for further public discussion, argues the report, Assisted Dying: Developing the Debate, which is published on Wednesday by the Shaping Our Lives network of user-led groups, service users and disabled people.

Shared concerns included clear agreement that palliative care for terminally ill people is inadequate. Whether for or against assisted dying, participants showed a willingness to discuss quality of life for terminally ill people, the value placed on good-quality care, and how to invest in and provide access to this care in the face of economic inequality.

Participants recognised that the debate on legalising assisted dying was taking place in an unequal society: we often place lower social value on older, sick, and disabled people. The research identified a willingness to discuss prevailing societal values, including the concept of being a burden on society; the value society placed on social care and support work; and our social attitudes towards death and dying. How should assisted dying be funded?, Where should it be performed?, and What methods and means of self-administering a fatal dose should be used?, were just some of the common questions raised.

Despite disagreement about the extent to which detailed processes and safeguards should be included in assisted dying legislation, participants from across the spectrum of opinion generally agreed that the how questions were not being discussed in enough depth.

Areas of shared understanding also emerged when respondents discussed ethical and existential ideas around death and dying, including the psychological aspects of pain and suffering, both for individuals and their loved ones. All participants had a wish to find the best way forward with compassion for people who are terminally ill, regardless of being for or against legalising assisted dying, the report concludes.

The study shows that the issues are far more complex than much of the public debate has so far allowed. Death and dying is a core issue for human beings, and public debate must reflect this. It is time to embrace the personal, social, policy and ethical issues that participants have highlighted.

Back in the theatre, Forsyths dying musician is visited by a young carer (Zoe Mills) who feels it is her duty to help put older people out of their misery. According to the reviews, she comes to realise that life and death is more nuanced.

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Shared concerns unite all sides of the euthanasia debate | Peter ... - The Guardian

Jagged Vision Streaming "Euthanasia" Metal Underground Norwegian sludge noisemakers Jagged Vision will release second full-length album Death Is This World on March 10th and just recently unveiled another track from the album titled Euthanasia." Listen in below. The follow-up to 2014's debut album ...

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Jagged Vision Streaming "Euthanasia" - Metal Underground

More dog food has been recalled because it may contain a deadly drug.

Evangers Dog and Cat Food announced Tuesday that it is expanding its recall of both Evangers and Against the Grain dog foods because the canned foods may be tainted with pentobarbital. The barbiturate is used to euthanize animals as well as in human executions and physician-assisted suicides.

The initial voluntary recall was announced earlier this month after five Washougal, Clark County, dogs became ill after eating Evangers Hunk of Beef products, and one died.

The expanded recall announced Tuesday includes:

Evangers Hunk of Beef; 12 ounce can; Item #776155

Evangers: Braised Beef; 12 ounce can; Item #776150

Against the Grain Pulled Beef; 12 ounce can; Item #776107

The three recalled products were made between December 2015 and January 2017, and have expiration dates of December 2019 through January 2021, according to Evangers. The products were distributed online and through independent pet stores nationwide.

How the deadly drug and horse meat got into the cans of dog food remains a mystery.

Evangers vice president has blamed his meat supplier for the problem. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected the suppliers plant and found systems in place to keep euthanized animals out of the food stream, according to Food Safety News.

Evangers vice president Joel Sher told Petfoodindustry.com that along with pentobarbital, private laboratory results found horse DNA in samples of the Hunk of Beef dog food that were recalled Feb. 3. Against the Grain Pet Food recalled one lot of Against the Grain Pulled Beef with Gravy Dinner for Dogs on Feb. 14. Against the Grain is owned by members of the Sher family, according to Petfood Industry.

There is also an issue about the quality of meat Evangers used and the condition of its plants where the food is produced, according to the FDA.

FDA officials have said the Hunk of Beef meat did not come from a U.S. Department of Agriculture-approved supplier of human-grade meat, something that Evangers has claimed since 2003, according to Food Safety News.

And Petfood Industry says FDA inspectors also noted food-safety problems at Evangers Wheeling, Ill., plant where the dog foods are produced. Some of these issues included peeling paint and mold on the walls, lack of raw meat refrigeration, and an open sewer within 25 feet of food storage trailers, Petfood Industry says.

Sher has said he has contested those notes in a response to the FDA.

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Evanger's expands recall because dog food may contain euthanasia drug - The Seattle Times