Affirm Dignity: Our Guide

Affirm Dignity: Our Guide

Topic | Right to Life

Who has dignity? What does it mean for us to affirm the inherent dignity of every person? What does ‘dying with dignity’ really mean?

We believe that all people have inherent dignity, no matter their age or health condition. A fair and just society cares for its most vulnerable. Once we open the door to intentional killing, there is no logical stopping point.

This is not just a hypothesis. In countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, euthanasia cases have increased a hundredfold since legalization. And Canada is widening its “Medical Assistance in Dying” law to include mental illness among other treatable conditions as criteria for euthanasia, making it among the worst countries in the world for the protection of human life.

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Our Charter

The right to life is a fundamental and inherent human right, recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and guaranteed by all human rights treaties. People at all stages of life and in all regions of the world are increasingly vulnerable to assaults on this foundational right. Without respect for human life, there can be no respect for human dignity. The most vulnerable deserve our compassionate love and support. There is nothing progressive about a society that refuses to care for them.

Therefore, we:

affirm that the right to life cannot include a right to die;

deplore the promotion of practices like euthanasia or assisted suicide;

consider every suicide a tragedy, and we recall the international obligation on States to take measures to prevent suicide;

denounce the slippery slope of legalized euthanasia which results in pressure on the vulnerable to die;

condemn the application of euthanasia to children, vulnerable adults, and those who have not given their consent;

believe society owes those suffering better options than euthanasia, such as palliative care;

affirm that palliative care is prevention and relief of suffering, which does not hasten nor postpone death (as defined by the World Health Organization);

call for the prohibition of euthanasia and assisted suicide and further investment in compassionate alternatives which Affirm Dignity.

Stats about Euthanasia

Advocacy Paper

The Legalization of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: An inevitable slippery slope

This paper makes the case for the protection of life and the societal norms of caring for one another through the prohibition of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Rather than requiring the legalization of these troubling practices, international law robustly protects the right to life – particularly for the most vulnerable. The threat posed by a number of legislative proposals across Europe is highlighted through the example of those countries which have already gone down this road. An investigation into the most recent developments in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Canada shows that where euthanasia and assisted suicide are legalized, the number of people euthanized, and the number of qualifying conditions increase with no logical stopping point. The paper concludes by refuting the main arguments relied upon in support of legalization.

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Freedom of Conscience

A common appeal to conscience is the phrase ‘I couldn’t live with myself if I…’
It shows the strength of conscientious conviction. It is a concept which has crossed between the religious and secular divide through the ages and is understood by some as a moral constraint upon behaviour which might implore someone to act (or not act) in a particular way.

The Istanbul Convention

The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) is a comprehensive international treaty. Its declared goal is to combat violence against women and domestic violence. However, it goes much further than that admirable aim and raises a number of concerns.

EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement – Pacific Region

The Partnership Agreement between the European Union (EU) and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), formerly known as the ACP Group of States, is a draft treaty covering a broad range of thematic areas including peace and security, sustainable development, migration and, notably, human rights. Negotiations on the Agreement began in September 2018 and formally concluded on 15 April 2021.

While the Agreement builds on, and is intended to replace, the Cotonou Agreement of 2000, its scope has been expanded to cover new areas, such as “Human Rights, Democracy and Governance in People-Centred and Rights-based Societies” and “Human and Social Development”. Under the guise of advancing inter alia gender equality and the empowerment of women, the document introduces several controversial elements. The inclusion of these elements far exceeds the original scope of the negotiating mandate of the OACPS.

EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement – Caribbean Region

The Partnership Agreement between the European Union (EU) and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), formerly known as the ACP Group of States, is a draft treaty covering a broad range of thematic areas including peace and security, sustainable development, migration and, notably, human rights. Negotiations on the Agreement began in September 2018 and formally concluded on 15 April 2021.

While the Agreement builds on, and is intended to replace, the Cotonou Agreement of 2000, its scope has been expanded to cover new areas, such as “Human Rights, Democracy and Governance in People-Centred and Rights-based Societies” and “Human and Social Development”. Under the guise of advancing inter alia gender equality and the empowerment of women, the document introduces several controversial elements. The inclusion of these elements far exceeds the original scope of the negotiating mandate of the OACPS.

EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement – Africa Region

The Partnership Agreement between the European Union (EU) and the members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), formerly known as the ACP Group of States, is a draft treaty covering a broad range of thematic areas including peace and security, sustainable development, migration and, notably, human rights. Negotiations on the Agreement began in September 2018 and formally concluded on 15 April 2021.

While the Agreement builds on, and is intended to replace, the Cotonou Agreement of 2000, its scope has been expanded to cover new areas, such as “Human Rights, Democracy and Governance in People-Centred and Rights-based Societies” and “Human and Social Development”. Under the guise of advancing inter alia gender equality and the empowerment of women, the document introduces several controversial elements. The inclusion of these elements far exceeds the original scope of the negotiating mandate of the OACPS.

Surrogacy

Surrogacy: The Commoditization of Children and Women

Surrogacy is a practice whereby a woman becomes pregnant with the intention of giving the child by agreement to someone else upon birth. It raises a number of ethical, practical and legal concerns.

Surrogacy: The Commoditization of Children and Women

Surrogacy is a practice whereby a woman becomes pregnant with the intention of giving the child by agreement to someone else upon birth. It raises a number of ethical, practical and legal concerns.

Hate Speech Laws

While most will be familiar with the term ‘hate speech’, it is not used by any of the major international human rights treaties, and it has not been clearly defined by the European Court of Human Rights or any other international court.

National governments, technology companies, and international agenciesuse the term ‘hate speech’ in different ways in different documents. It is widely accepted that there is no universally agreed definition of ‘hate speech’ and most attempts rely on vaguely defined terms and subjectivity.

Freedom of Religion

Freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental, universal human right. It is recognized in core international human rights treaties. It protects every human person, regardless of his or her religion or belief or lack thereof. Freedom of religion or belief has an internal component (forum internum) and an external component (forum externum). The significance given to religious freedom in law is a recognition that a person’s religion or belief, or lack thereof, is a fundamental part of who
he or she is and how he or she lives. Therefore, protection of religious freedom recognizes and preserves human dignity.

Censorship Zones

A censorship zone sets out a defined area around an abortion facility that prevents citizens from engaging in otherwise legal activities within it. Prohibited activities range from the use of amplification equipment to assembling in a group, or even praying quietly alone. Censorship zones around abortion facilities can range from 100 – 800 meters in circumference and are usually intended to prevent any contact between citizens entering a facility and those engaging in pro-life activities.