ADF International

Affirm Dignity | End Euthanasia

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

Learn more about the growing community of people who seek to Affirm Dignity

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.

Gradient Map

Learn

Use our resources to learn and advocate on the issue.

Learn

Engage

Add your signature to the Charter.

Sign Up

Share

Change the landscape. Share on social media.

Share

Affirm Dignity | End Euthanasia

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.

Learn

thumb-the-legalization-of-euthanasia

The Legalization of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

International law robustly protects the right to life—particularly for the most vulnerable. The threat posed by a number of legislative proposals is highlighted through the example of those countries which have already legalized euthanasia or assisted suicide. This paper investigates the developments in Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands and shows that in countries which have already gone down this road, the number of people euthanized, and the number of qualifying conditions increase with no logical stopping point.

Read More

Featured Video

Share

CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE | SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

AffirmDignity_InfoBox_1
How can patients trust their doctor to provide the best treatment when euthanasia is considered a ‘valid’ option?
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_2
Over the last 20 years, the number of assisted deaths in Oregon grew by 1,000%. Wherever euthanasia has been legalized it has spiraled out of control.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_3
Doctors oppose euthanasia because it undermines the trust in doctor-patient relationships.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_4
Allowing doctors to prescribe deadly drugs to hasten a person’s death is a violation of the dignity of the human person.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_5
The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly ruled that there is no ‘right to die’.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_6
In 2017, 19% of euthanasia performed in Belgium were on patients experiencing symptoms common with aging.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_7
Every 3 hours 24 minutes, a person is euthanized in Canada.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_8
Every 4 hours, a person is euthanized in Belgium.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_9
Every 80 minutes, a person is euthanized in the Netherlands.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_10
In Belgium, the youngest child euthanised was 9 years old.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_11
Euthanasia is not medical care.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_12
There is no lower age limit for euthanasia in Belgium.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_13
In Oregon, loneliness is recorded as a leading factor for choosing euthanasia. We should care for our most vulnerable.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_14
In Switzerland, a woman paid €10,000 to die because she no longer felt pretty. #AffirmDignity
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_15
In Belgium, the youngest child euthanised was 9 years old. The law allows for even younger children than that.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_16
Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and provides relief from pain and suffering.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_17
75% of people who died by assisted suicide in Oregon agreed that their pain was under control.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_18
Euthanasia intentionally terminates life. Palliative care improves the quality of life.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_19
The weak, the suffering, the sick, the elderly need our compassionate love and support.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_20
The claims of a very small and determined minority who wish to die remove the freedom of vulnerable people who wish to live.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_21
In Belgium, the ratio of euthanasia administered to non-terminal patients has more than doubled.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_22
There is nothing progressive about a society that refuses to care for its most vulnerable members.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_23
We should give people a reason to live instead of treating them like a burden on society. We should #AffirmDignity
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_24
Washington and Oregon studies show most patients choose assisted suicide because they fear loss of control over their own lives.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_25
We go to great lengths to discourage suicide. How then can we pass a law that encourages suicide at the hands of a doctor?
AffirmDignity_Infobox_26
How do we distinguish between the person we talk down from the bridge, and the person we gets a lethal injection from their doctor?
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_27
In the Netherlands, there were 2,220 reported suicides and 6,091 cases of euthanasia in 2016. How can a society prevent suicide when they allow euthanasia?
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_29
In Belgium, 69% of euthanasia cases were carried out less than a month after the request. More time is allowed to return a purchase to a store than to reconsider death.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_30
Belgium has legalized euthanasia for the sick and now allow the intentional killing of children. Where is the stopping point?
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_32
The sad reality is that the legalization of euthanasia creates its own demand.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_33
Voluntary euthanasia inevitably leads to involuntary euthanasia. A “right to die” quickly turns into a duty to die.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_34
In Belgium in 2016 there were 2,384 suicides and 2,028 people died by euthanasia. How can a caring society prevent suicide yet allow euthanasia?
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_35
We urge the Belgian government to reconsider their decision to allow euthanasia of children. #AffirmDignity
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_36
The number of people being euthanised and the conditions that “qualify” for euthanasia have increased every single year in every country that has legalized euthanasia.
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_28
As a society we go to great lengths to prevent people from committing suicide and yet we pass laws encouraging assisted suicide. Where does it end?
AffirmDignity_InfoBox_31
To suggest to someone that they should kill themselves is abuse.

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

    We treat your personal data with care and in compliance with applicable law. Please visit ADFInternational.org/privacy for a full overview.

    **You will receive an email asking you to confirm your subscription to our newsletter.

arrow-circle-up Top

Faith-based legal advocacy organization that protects fundamental freedoms and promotes the inherent dignity of all people.

© ADF International 2021 | ADF International Austria gemeinnützige GmbH | Postfach 5, 1037 Wien, Österreich | FN 460299k / Gerichtsstandort Wien / Sitz Wien