ISSN #1481-7314 Vol. 8, No. 3 Jul. - Sep. 2006 A QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER BY AND FOR THE MEMBERS OF: Choice in Dying - Ottawa Dying With Dignity Canada Right to Die Society of Canada Sharma is free on $50,000 bail and is no husband John visited her every day; NEWS longer working as a doctor in the area. hospital staff members noticed that they were very devoted to each other. Unfortunately, John also was having in Canada Market Research Done? medical problems. He had suffered a series An August 5 Vancouver Sun story of small strokes, and since then had been Vernon Is Not Lugano or Zurich reported the theft of some drugs from a having memory difficulties. veterinarian’s car. The thief discarded At some point Lorna and John were told As was mentioned in the first 2006 much of the loot but kept 11 vials contain- that Lorna would not be able to live at home issue of Free To Go, nursing homes in ing “a number of different drugs used for any more. When she was well enough to the Swiss cities of Lugano and Zurich have euthanizing or operating on animals”. leave the hospital, she was to be transferred been allowing residents to receive suicide These drugs likely included pento- to a nursing home. assistance (from the group called Exit) for barbital and thiopental. For aid in dying, Both partners probably accepted this, at several years now. pentobarbital (a veterinary euthanatic) is first; John spoke with the manager of his But things are not at that stage in the drug most frequently used when the apartment building about having to move, Vernon BC. substance is to be swallowed (e.g. for presumably to a smaller place since he 92-year-old Ruth Wolfe, who describes assisted suicide, in Oregon and Switzer- would be without his wife. herself as having a sharp mind but a failing land); the anaesthetic thiopental is norm- But in talking to CTV News about this body, lives in a Vernon nursing home. Dr. ally used when the drug is to be injected conversation, Lawrence Isaac added “I don’t Ramesh Sharma had been her physician for (e.g. for euthanasia, in Belgium and the think they ever spent any time apart.” And a long time. In early July, staff at the home Netherlands). ultimately John seems to have decided that found that Wolfe was in possession of drugs Perhaps some enterprising Vancouver living separately would not really be living. which would likely have killed her if she resident has hopes of making a few sales to On August 29, when he visited Lorna as had taken them all at once and managed to people who want to escape pharmaceut- usual to join her for lunch, he shot her keep them down. ically but lack the money or the strength for fatally and then did the same thing to Dr. Sharma has been charged with a trip to Mexico . himself. aiding a person to commit suicide. (The A Penticton police officer was quoted as saying “The only thing we really don’t know law explicitly says that it is immaterial Separate Lives Rejected whether the suicide is completed or not.) is the motive.” Perhaps police assume that Wolfe is standing by her doctor and has 80-year-old Lorna McCadden, of death is always given out of hatred or rage, stated that she feels he should not be pros- Penticton BC, had been in failing health and are puzzled by John’s action; but many ecuted. Many Vernon residents are also for quite some time and was hospitalized others can understand it, albeit sadly. speaking up on his behalf. during the summer. Her 77-year-old The World Com es to Canada Discussion topics in other sessions in- controlling the flow of helium from a cluded: balloon-kit tank. Other presenters included ,n early September the Canadian group • Aid-in-Dying and Faith Derek Humphry, Dr. Richard MacDonald, Dying With Dignity hosted the 16th Biennial • Engaging the Disability Community Russel Ogden, Dr. Aycke Smook, and Dr. Conference of the World Federation of Right • Who Decides? (taught a special “Delib- Charles Whitcher. to Die Societies, at the downtown Sheraton eration” process for raising awareness) To get a “you-were-there” feeling about hotel in Toronto. It was the first time the • What’s Working, and Why? the conference, see the photos on the next conference had been held in Canada. At the Friday evening banquet, diners page C The Federation embraces 38 groups, were edified and entertained by Dr. Robert from 23 countries. One of the groups is Buckman, a physician who has a gift for over 70 years old (the England-and-Wales sharing his broad knowledge and his deep Assorted Updates group) and one is younger than 6. Most insight in absolutely delightful ways. groups were formed during the 70s, 80s, The keynote speaker on Saturday was to 1) Regarding Francine Lalonde: and 90s. The official date for the founding have been Evelyn Martens, who needs no Lalonde has had surgery for a cancerous of the Federation is 1980, though inter- introduction to readers of this newsletter. condition in her spine. She is reducing her national right-to-die conferences had also Unfortunately she had recently undergone level of political activity while she recovers, been held in 1976 and 1978. emergency heart surgery and was advised but her friends note that she is “combative” The groups range in size from under against flying from Victoria to Toronto. Her in many ways (and in both languages). 500 (5 groups) to over 100,000 (2 groups, close friend Brenda Hurn, who had shared in Japan and in the Netherlands). In terms to some extent in Evelyn’s compassionate 2) Regarding Robert Latimer: of what might be called “r-t-d density”, the work and also in her prosecution ordeal, There has been a small change in Latimer’s leader is Switzerland; 1 in every 114 Swiss read her speech for her. postal address. It is now citizens belongs to a right-to-die group. The The topics for the remaining Saturday 6000 William Head Road Netherlands is close behind, at 1 in 155, sessions were: Victoria, BC and Luxembourg comes in third, at 1 in • Nudging the Law V9C 0B5 518. (Canada scores about 1 in 8403.) • The New Censorship Conference delegates from outside Can- • Client Support Programs 3) Regarding refusal of food and fluids, in ada who might have been worried about • Aid-in-Dying and Hospice Quebec: bitter cold had their fears relieved: “warm • Increasing Group Membership In FTG 8:2 an article mentioned a Quebec and pleasant” would have been an accurate • Legislative Change “vs” (?) Activism woman who said she had been told “You description of the weather, and also of the On Saturday evening delegates were torn can’t refuse them (food and fluids).” From welcome from their Canadian colleagues. between watching several right-to-die films subsequent conversations it has become The conference began on the evening of and dropping in on the reception hosted by clear that the emphasis was on “You”, in Wednesday Sept. 6, with a reception for Final Exit Network. To judge by traffic in the statement quoted. The woman who board members and delegates of the World the halls and congestion in the reception spoke with me suffers from a degenerative Federation. room, many people succeeded in multi- neurological condition, and the people she Thursday was devoted to special pre- tasking! queried knew this. Although refusal of food sentations sponsored by Compassion and The conference ended on Sunday morn- and fluids is theoretically possible for any Choices. Attendance was not restricted to ing with an unofficial but very popular Quebecer, in practice it is available mainly C&C members, and from the size of the event, a “show and tell” session involving to end-stage cancer patients. People with crowd it appeared that many other delegates many of the experts working on new tech- diseases such as MS and ALS may not be had responded to the open-door policy. nology for self-deliverance, or NuTech for allowed to hasten their deaths by this Friday was the first day of the conference short. Dr. Philip Nitschke showed the film method, at least not in most institutions or proper. The two keynote speakers were that was made of the first “Peanut Project” not until the facility’s staff members con- George Felos (Michael Schiavo’s attorney) (pentobarbital synthesis) weekend, and sider that the patient has arrived at “the and Lord Joel Joffe (sponsor of repeated several of his lively Australian colleagues right stage”. attempts to legalize aid in dying in the UK). explained how to make various devices for Page 2 Free To Go Vol.8, No.3 Jul.- Sep. 2006 DWD display RTDSC display Derek Humphry greeting Final Exit readers Boudewijn Chabot and Russel Ogden selling and other friends Guide to a Humane Self-Chosen Death Reception hosted by Delegate Yvon Bureau Brenda Hurn reading Final Exit Network from Quebec City Evelyn Martens’ speech Vol.8, No.3 Jul.- Sep. 2006 Free To Go Page 3 INDIA consciousness, meaning that she could be NEWS classified as being in a vegetative state. Owen’s team used a different testing in Other Countries If Not Everybody, Then Nobody method, called functional magnetic reson- ance imaging, which measures blood flow 61-year-old Jaipur resident Vimala Devi to various parts of the brain. They found Bhansali had liver cancer and an inoperable that after they spoke to the woman and BELGIUM brain tumour.