Category Archives: Euthanasia

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A bid to seize the agenda on euthanasia coupled with the latest failed foray into shop trading reform smacks of a Government seeking a legacy and, writes Tom Richardson, getting its timing all wrong.

Politics is all about timing, as the well-worn clich goes.

Steven Marshall has, generally speaking, timed his run in government to perfection.

That is, if youre in the governing during a global pandemic is a Great Thing camp.

But, of course, weve seen around Australia time and again that incumbents during the coronavirus era have been returned and in the case of Western Australia returned so emphatically that the Liberal Party was reduced to a minor partner in a Nationals-led Opposition of just six MPs.

So while it certainly has its challenges, politics in the Age of COVID-19 has certainly favoured the party in government.

Which stands to reason its a bit like when the work-from-home edict went out last year, and all of a sudden all those extraneous noises in our collective lives were immediately silenced.

For me, the litany of extra-curricular activities to which I had to remember to ferry my children on any given day were all of a sudden shut down, as our familys focus shifted solely to adjusting to that strange new reality.

That situation, I guess, was a microcosm of what was happening in domestic politics.

Suddenly, all the issues that tend to dominate the news agenda were thrust into the background, if not forgotten entirely.

Which means, for an Opposition, that theres not a lot to talk about.

But 2021 is proving different to its much-maligned predecessor.

While COVID rages on worldwide, locally it has settled into its political niche.

Perhaps its fatigue, maybe just a greater understanding of what living with COVID entails, but there appears to be a renewed interest in the life of the state BC (beyond coronavirus).

Which is why issues such as voluntary euthanasia have once again found their way to the forefront of public debate.

Current and former MPs and supporters who have attempted to legalise euthanasia. Photo: Tony Lewis / InDaily

Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation, whose passage through the House of Assembly became an unfortunate own-goal for Marshall in the past few days, elicits strong responses in the community, both for and against.

Yet, successive polls suggest that euthanasia is supported by a strong majority of South Australians.

Thats as may be, but every MP is entitled to vote according to their own conscience and belief on the Bill as indeed they should.

And as, indeed, many of those who dont support the introduction of voluntary euthanasia have pointed out, its important that their voices arent silenced in the debate.

That, in essence, was what prompted last weeks party-room rebellion by a motley crew of mostly (but not merely) Right-aligned MPs, incensed that the Premier had unilaterally announced that the legislation would be fast-tracked by debating it in the time allotted for Government Business.

This was seen as the latest in a series of moderate-faction snubs to not merely the views of the partys conservatives, but to their right to properly present those views in the due process of parliamentary debate.

Initially, Marshall doubled down.

After all, were less than 12 months before an election, and while the euthanasia Bill is sponsored by Labor MPs in both houses, what better way to take some ownership of it than to effectively label it Government Business?

Ultimately thats a decision for the Premier we control the Government agenda, he said on Friday presumably not employing the Royal Pronoun, but its entirely possible.

However, at some point over the weekend the penny dropped that he is actually the leader of a minority government these days, and actively encouraging internal dissent may not be the wisest move less than 12 months out from an election.

So, the euthanasia Bill will be debated in private members time, and will pass parliament presumably after the traditional marathon late-night sitting sometime next month.

It already passed the Upper House last week, when Marshalls Treasurer Rob Lucas was among the minority who voted against it.

I just dont believe in euthanasia, Lucas told ABC Radio after the vote.

My position hasnt changed, and whilst my position was a majority for most of the duration of my parliamentary career, in recent years Ive had a minority position.

He noted I know its not shared by many in the media and many in the community, but reiterated that Ive got a preference for keeping people alive for as long as they can and thats just been my view.

Rob Lucas: likes deregulated shopping hours, dislikes voluntary euthanasia. Photo: David Mariuz / AAP

Lucas also has a view about shop trading hours.

And similarly, its a view hes maintained during his many years in parliament.

In fact, the zeal with which the Marshall Government has pursued the deregulation of shopping hours is no doubt driven by Lucass determination to deal with his political bugbear before he retires next year.

But, you know politics is all about timing.

As the well-worn clich goes.

And in a week dominated by parliamentarians determination to have their proper say on a euthanasia Bill that they acknowledge more than three quarters of South Australians want passed, maybe its not the best timing to push the whole shop trading deregulation should pass because its popular angle.

But, sure enough, Lucas chose that very week to launch his latest gambit in the eternal battle for more flexible shopping hours: a parliamentary bid for a referendum on the subject.

In the face of a political roadblock in the Upper House for his reforms, a poll of the people was necessary, he argued, because: We know that sensibleshoptrading hours reform has overwhelming public support.

Unfortunately for Rob, the same MLCs who blocked his reforms in the first place also get to vote on his referendum, which means the launch of his latest offensive went about as well as that rocket launch in Koonibba last year.

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Personally, Im sympathetic to the arguments for deregulation.

Ive occasionally found myself on a Sunday morning, preparing to host a lunch and finding myself short of a crucial ingredient and having to wait until 11am for the local supermarket to open.

And sure, thats a bugger.

But its not life and death.

Moreover, while Lucas has maintained the rage on deregulation for his decades in parliament, the world around him has kinda moved on.

These days, we have this newfangled thing called the internet, which means if I want to shop for something in the middle of the night, I can and without leaving the house.

So while the added convenience of deregulation would be nice at times, its not the burning issue it was in the 1990s and perhaps isnt worthy of the states first referendum since that same era.

Still, the real purpose of this weeks renewed shop trading push was as much about politics as it was policy.

Which was evident when the Liberal Partys social media channel created a meme depicting Labor leader Peter Malinauskas as a puppet of the shoppies union.

Malinauskas, of course, was previously the boss of the shoppies union, so the argument seems to be that hes a puppet of an organisation he used to run.

But in any case, the morning after Marshall was forced to kowtow to a handful of pissed-off rebel MPs seemed an odd time to be asking questions about who runs political parties.

A bit like Lucas and his we must respect the majority call for a referendum, while opposing the majoritys views on euthanasia on deeply-held principle.

The timing is all off.

And, as the well-worn clich goes, politics is all about timing.

Tom Richardson is a senior reporter at InDaily.

Media diversity is under threat in Australia nowhere more so than in South Australia. The state needs more than one voice to guide it forward and you can help with a donation of any size to InDaily. Your contribution goes directly to helping our journalists uncover the facts. Please click below to contribute to InDaily.

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Richardson: Government times its run to imperfection - InDaily

A terminally ill Dundee man says securing the right to die changed his life and believes all Scots should be afforded the same dignity in death.

Dave Finlayson, 71, who has motor neuron disease (MND), is resigned to the fact he only has a few years left to live.

Despite this, he says he feels free.

Two years ago, he arranged what he calls an escape route meaning he can end his life whenever he chooses at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland.

Why should anyone need to suffer? he says.

We dont allow an animal to suffer. God, they have a better deal than we have.

Assisted dying is illegal in Scotland and the rest of the UK but proposed new laws will likely come before MSPs after the election.

It will be the third attempt after previous votes were defeated in 2010 and 2015.

Dave says Scotland must catch up with the growing number of countries to have passed laws legalising forms of euthanasia.

The most recent is New Zealand where residents were asked in a world-first euthanasia referendum in November 2020.

Black Watch veteran Daves incurable condition means he is slowly losing strength in his muscles. His biggest fear is ending up completely paralysed but still conscious.

Life expectancy of someone with MND after diagnosis is one to five years, with 10 per cent of people living 10 years or more.

Dave, a former heating surveyor, was diagnosed in 2015 but his health has not deteriorated as much as he expected.

Remarkably, he remains mobile enough to walk up the Hilltown one of Dundees steepest streets.

The former Logie School pupil also regularly swims at Dundees Olympia Leisure Centre.

But he knows this could change at any point and is essentially playing a waiting game.

When he feels his condition may soon prevent him from travelling, Dave says he will step on to a flight to Switzerland with the help of Dignitas to end his life by drinking a small dose of a lethal drug.

The divorced dad-of-two has already paid 3000 for the privilege with the total cost expected to be around 10,000.

If the law changed here I would wait until I was in a bad way, he said.

As it stands, I will need to go to Switzerland earlier than I would like so Im well enough to travel.

Thank God for Switzerland.

He added: Im glad Ive got this in place. No matter what lies in front of me, Ive got this escape route, for want of a better word.

I was very concerned about not having everything in place and that was continually on my mind.

When I got the green light, mentally, that was life changing.

There are thousands of others with a terminal illness across the country and its believed more and more people are travelling abroad to die at clinics.

UK health secretary Matt Hancock has requested figures from the UKs chief statistician detailing exactly how many.

Arguments against assisted dying include whether such permissions send society down a slippery slope, potentially leading to vulnerable people being pressured.

Some also claim adequate end-of-life care should mean assisted suicide is unnecessary.

A religious argument is also often made that those dying deserve special care and protection.

Despite attempts to change the law failing in the past, the public appears to be supportive.

The British Medical Association (BMA), the UKs leading trade union for doctors, found shifting attitudes among medical workers.

It found overwhelming support for a change to the BMAs current stance of opposition to an assisted dying law (61%), and half of doctors personally supporting a change in the law (50%).

In Scotland a poll by campaigners shows more than three quarters of Scots (76%) want the Scottish Parliament to debate assisted dying after the parliamentary elections in May.

Tayside campaigner Moira Symons cared for her mother for five years but watched her suffer and was unable to fulfil her wish to speed up her death.

Ms Symons, a trustee and Tayside group coordinator at Friends at the End, says shes never been more confident change is on the horizon.

I am extremely confident that an assisted dying law will get across the line during the life of the new parliament, she says.

Lessons will have been learned from the first two attempts, so that the third one will be the right law for Scotland.

Ally Thomson, director of Dignity in Dying Scotland, says the current law is not working.

She said: Daves experience shows that we need a new law that allows dying people to die with dignity here in Scotland.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of Care Not Killing, says the most vulnerable in society must be protected and said no new laws allowing assisted suicide should be introduced.

He said: It is disappointing that in the midst of the COVID pandemic, which has seen discrimination against the elderly and disabled people, that there is another push to legalise assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Our current laws protect the most vulnerable in our society, the elderly, the sick and disabled from feeling pressured into ending their lives, exactly as we see in the handful of places around the world that allow assisted suicide or euthanasia.

Indeed, in the US State of Oregon, six in ten (59 per cent) of those ending their lives in 2019 cited the fear of being a burden on their families as a reason and further 7.4 per cent cited financial worries.

He also claimed legalising assisted suicide in parts of the USA appears to have contributed to a rise suicide rates in the general population.

For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

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Dundee MND sufferer will travel to Dignitas but says its time Scotland embraces the right to die - The Courier

A man in his 80s who took his wife from a care home and tried to enact what he says was a failed suicide pact has been sentenced to home detention.

After decades of marriage, Roy Ernest Morton, 82, became increasingly concerned about how his wife was being looked after in a Waikato care home in the months following a severe stroke.

His desperation came to a head on October 12, 2020, when he took her out under the pretext of a walk, and made an attempt on both of their lives.

He was sentenced to four-and-a-half months of home detention by Justice Paul Davison QC, in the High Court at Hamilton on Friday.

Mortons life started to fall to pieces after his wife had a severe stroke in mid-August 2020, which left her unable to move without help, and made communication very difficult.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

Roy Morton was sentenced in the High Court at Hamilton, to four-and-a-half months of home detention.

He couldn't bear to watch his wife of almost 60 years suffer, Justice Davison said, and wanted to end her diminished quality of life.

He also planned to take his own life, which speaks to the depth of his love for his wife, the judge said.

Without her, you had no desire to keep going on your own.

Speaking after the sentencing, Morton described his wife as a beautiful mind trapped in a body thats no use to her.

I hope, one day, that shell be able to come home to me because I need her far more than she needs me, he said.

On the day the charges relate to, Morton asked care home staffers for a wheelchair, ostensibly to take his wife for a walk in the garden.

Instead, he took her home and emailed close friends and his wifes family about his frustrations, saying they were going to take their own lives, court documents say.

His wifes sister in the UK was deeply shocked and couldnt believe her sister would agree to a suicide pact, a victim impact statement said.

She valued her life, regardless of any deficiencies, the court heard.

Christel Yardley/Stuff

A passing motorist interrupted Mortons plans in October 2020, and police caught up with him and his wife near Lake Karpiro.

Morton and his wife were interrupted by other motorists, and police caught up with him near Lake Karapiro.

His wife suffered no physical harm, court documents say.

Morton pleaded guilty to attempted murder in March.

In early police interviews, Morton said the pair had a joint suicide pact, and later that his wife had indicated she wanted to end her life.

However, a Waikato DHB assessment found she didnt show signs of reasoning and had significant difficulty understanding information.

The court doesnt accept and can't accept your explanation, that there was meaningful communication from [your wife] that provided a reasonable or justifiable basis that there was a joint suicide pact, Justice Davison said.

He also said the offending was planned, and the woman was especially vulnerable as she depended on others for her care.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/Stuff

I've done other [cases] like this, and Im always left with the feeling that the law is a bad fit, Hamilton barrister Roger Laybourn says.

But its a conundrum that Morton had pleaded guilty to trying to murder a woman he loved deeply, defence counsel Roger Laybourn said.

[He was] confronted with an unexpected tragedy of a severe stroke and losing his companion in the golden years they had been looking forward to.

Police also found an iPad recording showing Morton had made an attempt on his and his wifes lives on October 11.

Speaking after the sentencing, Laybourn said the judge balanced the sanctity of life and his clients difficult situation well in a case which is extremely difficult for the courts.

Morton was arrested the day the euthanasia referendum came out, and Laybourn felt the vote to legalise euthanasia showed society may have moved faster than the law.

I've done other [cases] like this, and I'm always left with the feeling that the law is a bad fit When we have somebody who acts out of love and then is charged with attempted murder, it doesn't seem to compute.

It had been a dreadful ordeal for his client, who is 82 years old, has medical issues of his own and had shown courage, he said.

He's seen the impact on his wife. Shes been his partner for 57 years of marriage. No children. Their life revolves around each other.

Justice Davison ordered that Morton would be able to visit his wife only with prior permission and in the presence of a supervisor.

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Man who admitted attempting to kill his ill wife in apparent suicide pact sentenced - Stuff.co.nz

Swine caretaker turnover rates and labor shortages plague the U.S. swine industry. According to a National Pork Board report in 2016/17, swine caretaker turnover rates were 35% and 20% for large and small to mid-size farms, respectively. In addition, production worker was identified as the most difficult position for recruitment.

One option to manage labor shortages is to seek out qualified caretakers through visa programs. This option is being utilized on U.S. swine farms with J1, H1B, H2-A, and TN-visa holders, as well as Green Card holders, being recruited by 41% of large producers and 9% of the small to mid-size producers (National Pork Board, 2017).

Despite the labor force from immigrant and migrant caretakers, a 2018 study (Boessen et al.) commissioned by the National Pork Producers Council reported negative growth rates in rural U.S. counties, which threatens pig producing firms. Immigrant and migrant caretaker rates entering rural labor markets, which had historically offset negative growth rates, have also been declining due to improved economic conditions, declining population growth, easier access to higher education in Latin America, stricter immigration controls and enforcement, and an aging domestic immigrant labor force (Boessen et al., 2018; Hanson et al., 2017). Currently, Hispanic and Latino caretakers make up 19% of the total animal production and aquaculture workforce in the U.S. (Bureau of Labor Statistics & Population Survey, 2020). Therefore, it is important to understand workplace factors and perceptions affecting this demographic to effectively recruit and retain qualified swine caretakers.

Conducting euthanasia has been reported as a significant stressor for companion and laboratory animal caretakers (Rohlf & Bennett, 2005; Scotney et al., 2015). Animal caretakers have reported feeling stressed when they had to euthanize animals they had been caring for, which is labeled the caring-killing paradox (Arluke, 1994). In the swine industry, Matthis (2004) noted that although 68% of all swine caretakers reported that they feel fine after conducting euthanasia, 29% expressed negative emotions, such as, feeling sick to their stomach, thinking about euthanasia all day, or were generally sad. Furthermore, Matthis (2004) reported, Spanish-speaking employees were the least willing to euthanize pigs compared to the English-speaking employees (44% vs. 29%).

Despite limited research investigating swine caretaker euthanasia perceptions, recent exploratory studies have concluded that there is an opportunity to address caretaker mental wellbeing through animal euthanasia resources and training (Edwards-Callaway et al., 2020; Simpson et al., 2020). Thus, our objective for this project was to investigate Spanish-speaking TN-visa caretaker demographics and swine euthanasia perceptions on a commercial sow farm.

Twenty-eight caretakers from a single swine company in central Iowa were enrolled in this study. All visa-holding employees at this company held a TN-visa. All caretakers completed a Qualtrics survey in Spanish, adapted from work published by Rault et al. (2017). Questions were categorized into 12 sections: empathy affect, empathy attribution, negative attitudes toward pigs, confidence knowing when a pig is healthy, relying on others to help provide pig care, insufficient knowledge regarding sick or compromised pigs, willingness to seek knowledge in dealing with, treating, and managing sick pigs, perceived time constraints, using available resources (i.e. the veterinarian, coworkers) to obtain advice in diagnosing sick pigs, comfort with the euthanasia process, trouble deciding and avoiding euthanasia, and feeling bad about euthanizing. Non-demographic questions were structured using a five-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree), with a prefer not to answer option. For this article, the last three sections will be further discussed: (a) comfort with the euthanasia process, (b) trouble deciding and avoiding euthanasia, and(c) feeling bad about euthanizing.

Demographics: Fifty-four percent were 30 years of age and 46% were >30 years of age, comprising 64% male and 36% female. All caretakers were migrant workers from Mexico. The majority (68%) had a masters or professional degree and 32% had a bachelors degree. The average time caretakers have resided in the U.S. was 2 years and 4 months, and the average time working with pigs was three years and four months (Table 1).

Results: When comparing responses to questions on comfort with the euthanasia process, trouble deciding and avoiding euthanasia, and feeling bad about euthanizing, little to no difference was observed between adult pigs and piglets. While the majority of caretakers felt comfortable conducting euthanasia (79%), some did indicate being uncomfortable (11%). Nearly one-fifth (18%) indicated that they were less likely to euthanize a sow close to farrowing. Avoidance of euthanasia may compromise the animals welfare and contribute to non-compliance of procedures in audits. Moreover, about one-third (32%) and a quarter (25%) of caretakers agreed or strongly agreed, respectively, that there are good reasons not to euthanize adult pigs or piglets. When euthanasia is conducted, 43% of the caretakers reported being able to dissociate from thinking of the animals feelings. Dissociation is a coping mechanism experienced during very difficult events. Caretakers (32%) also indicated feeling bad about euthanizing pigs and piglets, despite acknowledging that it was the correct course of action (Table 2).

Overall, preliminary results of this research provided insight into the perspective and challenges experienced by Spanish-speaking caretakers regarding aspects of comfort, decision and avoidance, and feelings surrounding the euthanasia of adult pigs and piglets. Providing clear guidelines on specific circumstances that absolutely require pigs to undergo euthanasia, along with education on the caretakers duty to avoid suffering in lieu of life preservation, may alleviate some of the negative feelings experienced. Furthermore, providing a support structure for the caretakers mental wellbeing before, during, and after euthanasia during on-boarding and on-farm training could be very beneficial in reducing the high caretaker turnover rates and retain caretakers on our swine farms.

Summary points:

Sources: Jacob Yarian, Anna Johnson, Suzanne Millman, Jason Ross, Brad Skaar, Kenneth Stalder, Iowa State University; Monique Pairis-Garcia and Ivelisse Robles, North Carolina State University; Andria Arruda, The Ohio State University; and Cassandra Jass, Iowa Select Farms, who are solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly own the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

References

Arluke, A. (1994). Managing Emotions in an Animal Shelter. Animals and Society: Changing Perspectives, January 1994, 145165. https://www.academia.edu/25664726/Managing_Emotions_in_an_Animal_Shelter?auto=download

Boessen, C., Artz, G., & Schulz, L. (2018). A Baseline Study of Labor Issues and Trends in U.S. Pork Production. March, 41.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U., & Population Survey, C. (2020). HOUSEHOLD DATA 10 . Employed persons by occupation , race , Hispanic or Latino ethnicity , and sex [ Percent distribution ]. https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat10.htm

Edwards-Callaway, L. N., Cramer, M. C., Roman-Muniz, I. N., Stallones, L., Thompson, S., Ennis, S., Marsh, J., Simpson, H., Kim, E., Calaba, E., & Pairis-Garcia, M. (2020). Preliminary exploration of swine veterinarian perspectives of on-farm euthanasia. Animals, 10(10), 116. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10101919

Hanson, G., Liu, C., & McIntosh, C. (2017). The Rise and Fall of U.S. Low-Skilled Immigration.

Matthis, J. S. (2004). Selected Employee Attributes and Perceptions Regarding Methods and Animal Welfare Concerns Associated with Swine Euthanasia. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004

National Pork Board. (2017). Employee Compensation & HR Practices in Pork Production 2016-2017 Report.

Rault, J. L., Holyoake, T., & Coleman, G. (2017). Stockperson attitudes toward pig euthanasia. Journal of Animal Science, 95(2), 949957. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas2016.0922

Rohlf, V., & Bennett, P. (2005). Perpetration-induced traumatic stress in persons Who euthanize nonhuman animals in surgeries, animal shelters, and laboratories. Society and Animals, 13(3), 201220. https://doi.org/10.1163/1568530054927753

Scotney, R. L., McLaughlin, D., & Keates, H. L. (2015). A systematic review of the effects of euthanasia and occupational stress in personnel working with animals in animal shelters, veterinary clinics, and biomedical research facilities. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 247(10), 11211130. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.247.10.1121

Simpson, H., Edwards-Callaway, L. N., Cramer, M. C., Roman-Muniz, I. N., Stallones, L., Thompson, S., Ennis, S., Kim, E., & Pairis-Garcia, M. (2020). Preliminary study exploring caretaker perspectives of euthanasia on swine operations. Animals, 10(12), 115. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122296

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Euthanasia perspectives of Spanish-speaking caretakers - National Hog Farmer

South Australia is one step closer to legalising voluntary euthanasia after the state's Upper House voted in support of the voluntary assisted dying bill.

Legislative Council membersvoted 14 to 7 in favour of the proposed legislation late on Wednesday night.

It was the 17thattempt to pass the measure through South Australia's Parliament in 26 years.

If passed in the Lower House,the proposed new laws will likely to come into forcein the statewithin 18 to 24 months.

The bill, which is modelled on Victoria'svoluntary dying laws,includes 70 safeguards and requires approval by two separate doctors within a prescribed time frame.

It proposes access to voluntary euthanasia for people aged 18 years and over who have lived in South Australia for at least one year and have been diagnosed with an incurable illness, disease or medical condition.

Their terminal condition must be deemed to cause suffering andexpected to cause death within weeks or months.

Labor MLCand author of the bill Kyam Maher said it was a respectful and deeply emotional debate.

"I want to thank the many South Australians who have been in touch with me on this issue over the last six months.It has been a rare privilege indeed to share some of the most intimate and difficult moments of your life,"the Shadow Attorney-General said.

"The fact that you take your time in those last precious moments to try and ensure that others don't have to suffer and go through what you do is an extraordinary thing.

"It's the first time we've passed voluntary assisted dying through a chamber of Parliament in South Australia and now it goes to the Lower House in the coming weeks."

Labor MP Clare Scriven told Parliament she would not support the bill and voted against the proposed legislation.

"No-one wants to see someone they love suffer, but there is clear evidence for those who care to look that safeguards in voluntary assisted dying are ignored or diluted in practice once voluntary euthanasia becomes legal," she said.

"We need to ask do we want our loved ones to feel pressured to end their life, do we want our loved ones to feel they are a burden on society or on their family, do we want our loved ones to feel they have a duty to ask to die prematurely?"

Liberal MP Dennis Hood also voted against the bill andinstead advocatedfor better palliative care.

When terminally ill teenager Rhys Habermann deliveredhis final message four years ago, hisaimwas to protecthis parents from the risk of prosecution.They are now fighting to spare others the same anguish.

"I contend that we should give these individuals who are in this precarious situation the opportunity for their pain to be relieved, before they take what might be the ultimate solution if you like and that is accept assisted suicide,"Mr Hood said.

The legislation will now be sent to the Lower House for a final vote.

If passed in the Lower House, South Australia will become the fourth state in Australia to legalise euthanasia.

Voluntary assisted dying is lawful in Victoria, while Western Australia and Tasmania alsopassed legislation in favour of euthanasia.

Tasmania'sHouse of Assembly voted in favour of the proposed laws in March. Legislation allowing the process in Western Australian will come into effect on July 1.

ABC News: Lincoln Rothall

SA'sHealth Minister Stephen Wade voted in favour of the bill and said there was significant value in having national consistency of voluntary assisted dying legislation in Australia.

"Consistency would support access, it would support quality and safe practice and it would reduce the pressure for what is sometimes called medical tourism," he said.

"I support South Australia joining our sister states in enacting the Australian model of voluntary assisting dying."

SA Greens parliamentary leader Tammy Franks said it was important that enough time was set aside for a full debate on the matter.

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"We've got it through one house, now we need to see it pass the Lower House," she said.

"It's a conscience vote and a private members' bill, which means it often goes to languish in the one hour or so afforded for private members'business in the Lower House. I would hope that this bill will be treated differently.

"Each and every MP will have to go through all of the fine detail, consider their position and debate the well over 100 clauses."

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SA's Legislative Council passes voluntary euthanasia bill, Lower House to have the final vote - ABC News

Nikki and Dan Phillippi. Photo: NikkiPhillippi/YouTube

Theres only one thing that could get the internet this riled up: dogs. YouTubers Nikki and Dan Phillippi revealed they had euthanized their nine-year-old bull terrier, Bowser, in a YouTube video on Monday, after an incident in which he bit their 1-year-old son, Logan. The dog reacted to Logan taking food from him, the couple said, but the injury wasnt bad and their son has a little mark. In the moment, Im thinking I grew up with the movie Old Yeller and I wanted to pick Bowser up by the back of the neck and take him to the backyard and put him down right there, Dan Phillippi says in the video, adding that Bowser had injured other dogs in the past. They claim the Humane Society told them rehoming would be impossible, so they used a euthanasia service to him put him down at home. In addition to the YouTube video, Nikki Phillippi posted an Instagram slideshow of a photo shoot with Bowser before his death, which included photos of the dog with their child. Her Instagram account has since gone private.

The post and video have received mounting backlash over the past week. For many, the controversy is a flashback to last year, when YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer were denounced for rehoming their adopted son. Several influencers, including Jaclyn Hill, Jeffree Star, and Tana Mongeau, have commented on the situation. YouTuber LaurDIY, who also owns a bull terrier, posted an entire reaction video,in which she says, They failed to set boundaries for their child and their dog, who has obvious past, unaddressed trauma that was their responsibility to correct and rehab. The outrage continues below.

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Family Vloggers Euthanize Their Dog, Prompting Collective Why? - Vulture

Stricken with cancer of the larynx, Ray Hardy was nursed through his final days by his loving son Kevin.

It was that deeply personal experience that saw Kevin dedicate his lifeto palliative care nursing.

More than two decadeslater, he is one of the leading practitioners in the palliative care sector as he delivers Calvary Hospital's home care for the terminally ill.

"I believe dying is a natural part of life, it certainly comes in different forms for different people and cancer, chronic illness, is one of those things," Mr Hardy said.

"As a society, I don't think we are doing enough to actually talk about death and dying and preparing for death and dying."

Mr Hardy is open about his personal view againstthe Voluntary Assisted Dying Billcurrently going through South Australia's parliament.

It is the 17th time in 25 years the euthanasia debate has rested on the conscience vote of politicians.

ABC News: Matthew Smith

Mr Hardy believes changing the law would interfere with the "dying process".

He said he was not comfortable with the concept of society saying it was OK for someone to end their life because they were suffering, when "we're not doing all we can do to provide people with support at that time".

"And if we talk about suffering, there is a lot of suffering in other aspects of health we talk about mental health issues, several neurological conditions that children and young adults have."

Mr Hardy admittedsome palliative care patients hadspoken to him about euthanasia and he hadalways been able to say that it was against the law.

Palliative Care SA does not have a stance on the euthanasia bill.

The organisation saidwhether the bill was successful or not, an additional amount of more than $29 million must be put into the palliative care sector every year.

Executive director Mark Water said this would have far-reaching benefits.

"This leads to less ramping, it leads to less unnecessary procedures in hospital," he said.

"It would lead to people staying out of hospital and supported at home or in the place they've chosen to die."

ABC News: Matthew Smith

Just hours beforethe debate gets underway in parliament's Upper House on Wednesday night,a rallywas held outside.

Petrina Young felt compelled to attend after the painful death of her father Peter from cancer in November.

"It's not peaceful and it's not pain-free and it's difficult because it's sadit's awful seeing someone suffer that way," she said.

"When voluntary assisted dying is available in other states and other countries, it just feels like it just feels not fair."

If the bill passes through the Upper House, it will still need similar support in the Legislative Assembly to become law.

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Euthanasia rally held as SA Upper House set to debate bill and others call for palliative care funding - ABC News

BRATTLEBORO A colony of 31 cats living at a property on Putney Road was trapped, spayed or neutered, and given vaccinations if needed.

Annie Guion, executive director of Windham County Humane Society, received a call from Brattleboro Animal Control Officer Cathy Barrows around February or March.

Then we had to do our homework to come up with a plan and get all the pieces in place, Guion said. With the colonies, the advice is to try and get everybody done at one time. If you do it piecemeal, you dont keep up with the reproduction rate. You do all this work but you dont shrink the colony.

Humane society staff started trapping cats in the middle of a Monday before a veterinarian clinic scheduled the next day. They were trapping until 7 p.m. that Monday then went back the following morning to get the last remaining cats, Guion said.

Part of the planning involves the weather. Trapping shouldnt happen when its super cold or wet unless the traps are going to be covered, Guion said.

Monadnock Humane Society took five of the cats for a barn cat program, and a local volunteer and animal advocate took seven cats for re-homing as working cats, according to a newsletter from the humane society published last month.

Nineteen cats were returned to the colony a better size than 31! states the newsletter. Now that the majority of the cats are spayed and neutered, the colony will continue to shrink, the cats will roam less and there will be less fighting and fewer injuries. The female cats will not be worn out by endless litters of kittens.

Guion said the humane society has provided services to trap, neuter and return cats to local areas for a long time. She remembered helping a local farmer years ago with 60 cats on a property.

Research shows that Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the humane and effective approach for community cats, states alleycat.org. TNR improves cats health, saves their lives when they otherwise would have been killed in shelters, addresses community concerns, stabilizes colonies, and helps cats and people coexist.

The humane society tends to help with cat colonies in smaller numbers. Colony managers will bring in three or four cats at a time, Guion said.

With people staying home more during the COVID-19 pandemic, she anticipates there might be more big colonies that need services in the future. One upcoming project involves a residential area on Elliot Street in Brattleboro.

Guion hopes to get volunteers to go door to door to let neighbors know whats going on. Shes encouraging everyone on Elliot Street with a cat to put a break-away collar on their pet so they dont inadvertently get trapped.

Writing for the 4 Legs & A Tail magazine, Guion said animal welfare organizations have made huge advances in how they work with cats.

It used to be that stray cats who werent friendly or healthy were euthanized in shelters Eu, she wrote. Euthanasia is not cheap and its hard on staff. Legal requirements to hold a stray for five or more days led to overworked staff and a shelter full of terrorized cats whose fate was euthanasia after days of torturous imprisonment.

Bringing a cat to a shelter is a good way to ensure the animal doesnt get back to their home, Guion wrote.

Nationwide, an estimated 2 percent of cats are claimed in shelters, she wrote. At the Windham County Humane Society, that figure is 21 percent. Better, but by no means good. Research shows that when a dog goes missing, owners start looking that day. Cat owners wait three or more days, often assuming their cat has been hit by a car or been eaten by a predator.

Guion called a cultural bias against collars on cats a problem.

Owned cats end up in shelters or roaming free in local colonies and predating on wildlife, including songbirds, she wrote. If the cats have not been sterilized, a small population can grow at an alarming rate. Just removing cats from a colony doesnt actually work. Trapping and euthanizing cats leads to the vacuum effect. Remove 30 cats and 30 more will move in! Its also very stressful for the cats to be moved to a new location. Keeping free-roaming cats in cages is inhumane.

TNR is the best approach for managing community cats, Guion wrote. She said researchers found that 75 percent of a colony needs to be spayed or neutered to stop population growth.

The approach is more humane, saves non-profit and government funds and doesnt wear down staff with endless euthanasia, she wrote. Managing colonies and keeping them small protects wildlife, including our beloved song birds. Like many animal issues, cats are not really the problem. Humans are. We domesticated cats and we need to take more responsibility for our feline friends.

Guion suggests getting cats fixed, microchipped and collars that have their owners phone number on them. She also recommends keeping cats inside or building a catio so they can safely enjoy watching wildlife.

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Colony of cats trapped, neutered and released | Local News | benningtonbanner.com - Bennington Banner

Mike Easterling, Farmington Daily Times Published 11:31 a.m. MT May 5, 2021

Cherokee, a 3-year-old Great Pyrenees mix, is one of the animals available for adoption this week through the Empty the Shelters being held at the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter when adoption fees have been reduced to $5.(Photo: Photo by Farmington Regional Animal Shelter)

FARMINGTON The Farmington Regional Animal Shelter is part of a nationwide effort over the next few days to find a new home for thousands of animals.

The Empty the Shelters event takes place May 5-9 at 200 shelters and rescue operations over 36 states, including the shelter in Farmington. Adoptions through the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter will be reduced to $5 during the event, thanks to the national sponsorship of the BISSELL Pet Foundation.

The low-cost or free pet adoption events are something the Farmington shelter have offered repeatedly over the past several years to great effect. The tradition began in 2017 with a free adoption event and continued in 2018 and 2019 with low-cost adoption events.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, no event was held in Farmington in 2020.

"They've always been extremely successful," Christa Chapman, marketing and public relations specialist for the city's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs department, said of the events. "We're hoping that will continue to be the case."

Most, if not all, of the shelter's animals have wound up being adopted during the events in the past, she said, allowing the facility to quickly reduce its numbers at a time when the intake of animals traditionally reaches its peak.

"In the spring, they're taking animals in so quickly because of all the litters being born," she said, explaining that the shelter could be overflowing with animals if not for the aggressive effort to find adoptive families for them. "It helps keep down the euthanasia rate."

Froggy is a 6-year-old orange tabby available for adoption at the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter during the Empty the Shelters low-cost adoption event.(Photo: Photo by Farmington Regional Animal Shelter)

Chapman said the shelter usually takes in 400 to 500 animals per month in the fall and winter, but in the spring and summer, that figure balloons to 600 to 700.

The past events at the Farmington shelter have been sponsored by different organizations. Chapman said this is the first time the shelter has gotten a grant from the BISSELL Pet Foundation to support the reduced fees.

More than 18,000 pets were adopted through the nationwide Empty the Shelters event in 2020, according to a press release. Nearly 50,000 pets have found a new home under the program over the years.

Anyone interested in adopting an animal needs to begin by visiting fmtn.org/AnimalShelter to make an appointment. Potential adopters must have a valid email address and complete an Empty the Shelters survey.

Adoptions will take place on a first-come, first-served basis, and adopters are limited to one dog and two cats per household during the event. More information and a list of adoptable pets are available on the FRAS website.

Chapman said the shelter's population on the afternoon of May 4 included 100 dogs and 40 cats. Another 30 dogs and 61 cats were in foster care and will become available in a couple of weeks, she said, so shelter officials are hoping to make room for them with this event.

Call the shelter at 505-599-1098 for more information about adopting a pet. Visit http://www.bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-the-shelters-donations/ to learn more about donating to the BISSELL Pet Foundation.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription.

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Farmington Regional Animal Shelter offering $5 adoption fees this week - Farmington Daily Times

According to provisional 2020 year-end statistics,Alzheimers diseaseremained among the leading causes of death, increasing last year by almost 10%. Indeed, deaths from all types of dementia increased last year, accounting for many nursing home deaths and reflecting a lack of family visitation and stimulation.Canada was especially hard hit. Areportby the Canadian Institute for Health Information found that as of May 25, 2020, 80% of COVID-19 related deaths were people in long-term care facilities and retirement homes, many of which instituted lockdowns and restricted or eliminated visits from family members.

Researchers found that the rates of loneliness and hopelessness in the aged increased during these lockdowns, causing confinement syndrome, which resulted in more older people inquiring about Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). [1] While not a direct cause of increased euthanasia or assisted suicide, the lockdowns were considered an accelerant.

Nancy Holland

On October 20, 2020, with the prospect of another lockdown squarely in front of her, Canadian nursing home resident Nancy Hollandhad herself euthanized. Mrs. Holland, aged 90, was doing well for her age, but according to her daughter, over the lockdown period her mental health and happiness severely declined. There was nothing preciselymedically wrongwith Nancy, who would regularly walk to the library, do her own shopping, and was a spry and social woman for whom social contact was like oxygen.

But as weeks of intermittent in-room isolation imposed by her nursing home dragged on to months, she declined physically and mentally.Faced with a second round of lockdowns and isolation, Nancy made the decision to seek a medically assisted death.

Many who met the criteria and [would have] wanted MAiD are choosing to die sooner than they would otherwise because the retirement lockdowns, particularly visitor restrictions, are so miserable.

Dr. Susan Woolhouse, Canadian Association of Maid Assessors and Providers.

Originally, Canadian euthanasialegislationwas limited to the terminally ill.At the time of Mrs. Hollands death, according toHealth Canada, MAiDwas available if a physician had determined that an individual was:

in an advanced stage of irreversible decline, experiencing unbearable physical or mental suffering that cannot be relieved andwhere ones natural death has become reasonably foreseeable.

Nancys first request to her doctor was refused. But with the prospect of stricter isolation and Canadas long winter, she deteriorated and developed concrete medical issues and once again considered MAiD. She made a second request, and this one was granted.Surrounded by family, she died on October 20.

When you cant look forward to getting out of your room, to having meals or doing activities with others, to even seeing your own families and loved ones, you can imagine for a person in the last few years of their life where these are the basic things that actually bring them joy and really defined what they would call their own quality of life, when you actually deprive a human being of these things, you can imagine that that can have significant psychological consequences that can really give people no real will to live anymore.

Dr Samir Sinha, geriatric specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Other countries recognized that the decline in long-term care residents was due to enforced isolation. The Netherlands, with one of the most permissive euthanasia laws in the world, found a balance between precautions and allowing activities and family visits. Aftera pilot project, the Netherlands officially permitted nursing homes to adopt a program allowing one visitor per resident.

But even as its older population died from COVID-19, Canada contemplated relaxing its MAiD regulations. Critics said that the proposed changes would make Canadas law among the most permissive in the world. Bill C-7 was meant to give access to MAiD to people whose naturaldeath is not reasonably foreseeable.Opponents toBill C-7contended that it endorses a prejudice that life with a disability has less dignity or is less worth living; transforming MAiD from a procedure to facilitate dying into a terminal therapy for lifes suffering.

Three weeks ago, on March 17, 2021, after a year of debate, Bill C-7became law.Under the new law, a persons natural death no longer needs to be reasonably foreseeable -- and both active euthanasia and medically assisted suicideare allowed. The necessary conditions are that the candidate is:

The Global Push

Four days later,Spainlegalized euthanasia, becoming the fifth country to do so. Here, too, terminal illness is not a required prerequisite, althoughsuffering from a serious or incurable disease or a serious, chronic and incapacitating condition, which causes intolerable suffering, is required.

"Today we are a more humane, just and freer country. The euthanasia law, widely demanded by society, finally becomes a reality."

Spain'sPrime Minister Pedro Sanchez

Portugal,too,is on the cusp of broadening its laws. (Itslegislatureenacted it, but their high court struck it down as imprecise.It is expected to bere-introduced.)

Yet even the most permissive MAiD regimes globally including Belgium (where euthanasia accounts for 2.4% of all deaths), the Netherlands, and Luxembourg treat MAiD as a last resort, available when no other options remain. But those who do not have a medical condition and are just tired of life and therefore dont qualify for MAiD can still be helped. This comes by way of various Swiss groups, for example,Pegasos,and a perverse form of medical tourism. Dutch citizens seeking to end their life, but without a medical reason, can travel to Switzerland, where aPegasosprovides the assist for assisted suicide.

Pegasos offers an assisted dying service to approved adults of sound mind, regardless of their country of origin/ residence. Pegasoswebsite

And while, under Belgian law, euthanasia for tiredness of life is not permitted, doctors can circumvent the law by diagnosing polypathology a jumble of ailments which nearly every elderly person has, and amalgamated, are asufficient cause for euthanasia.

Not everyone, however, is supportive.Germany and Australia have put billson hold or failed to pass them.The authors of a recentarticleintheJournal of Medicine and Philosophyarticle argued that Belgian euthanasialaw is broken ethically, administratively and legally.A few months ago,UN human rightsexperts expressed alarm at a growing trend to enact legislation enabling access to medically assisted dying based largely on a disability or disabling conditions supported by an aggressive and well-organized disability rights community. These experts claim that legislation allowing euthanasia for the non-terminally ill relies on quality of life, arguments often made by the disabled. The aged, who may feel subtly pressured to end their lives prematurely due to attitudinal barriers and the lack of appropriate services and support, are similarly vulnerable, although without powerful NGO advocacy on their behalf. And that brings us back to Nancy Holland.

Two months after Mrs. Holland took her life, vaccination changed the COVID-19 picture entirely. How many elderly who chose to die because they couldnt face another lockdown would have chosen to live if they could have seen around the corner to vaccinations release from the bondage of isolation? We can only wonder.

[1]Suicide is the act of killing oneself.Assisted suicide, also calledmedical aid in dying(MAiD) orphysician-assisted suicide (PAS), is committed with theassistanceof another person, often a health professional, but the actual act is performed by the patient who self-administerdrugs, usually, but not always,barbiturates. Ineuthanasia(also called "mercy killing"),another party brings about the person's death. The terms are often usedinterchangeably.

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Euthanasia in the Days of COVID-19 | American Council on Science and Health - American Council on Science and Health